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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 9 page paper provides an overview of the major film versions of Hamlet. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
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9 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MH11_MHHamFil.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
as the "siren song of acting" because while it is notoriously difficult, it is "all but impossible to resist" (Thomas). Film versions of the play include Laurence Oliviers 1948
adaptation, Franco Zeffirellis 1990 film, Kenneth Branaughs acclaimed 1997 version, and even Aki Kauresmakis Hamlet Goes Business. Though these film versions of Hamlet reflect the spectrum of different film
interpretations of the play, they speak to the intense interest in creating new interpretations of Shakespeares works. In each case, the film versions of the play demonstrate how both
directors and screenwriters interpret the messages of Shakespeare. While all of these films use Shakespeares text, they are quite different in their interpretation, casting, cinematography, and also in what
the director chose to keep of the original text and the order of the scenes. A close examination of these three films reveals how these decisions create distinctly different visions
of Hamlet, supporting the belief that there is no definitive portrayal of Hamlet, simply interpretations. Filmed in black-and-white, Oliviers Hamlet is a "quicksilver nightmare" that has a heavily
gothic atmosphere, rather like a 1940s horror film (Gleiberman 35). Olivier, as Hamlet, is a "neurotic viper slithering through the corridors of Elsinore" (Gleiberman 35). It was not a simple
decision for Olivier to choose to embark on this project. At the age of forty, Olivier thought he was too old to play the Danish prince, and he also considered
his acting style unsuited to the role. Therefore, he considered casting someone else in the role and simply directing the film; however, financial backers compelled him to take the
starring role. One of the first decisions that Olivier had to make pertained to which scenes to cut from the play. Uncut, Hamlet runs roughly four hours in length (Hamlet-Olivier).
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