After watching three film versions of the play "Hamlet", I've decided that my favorite one of the bunch was the Ken Brangh version. First, allow me to explain why I didn't like the other two. The Mike Almereyda version was probably my least favorite version because I found it was far too jarring to watch a modern-day version of Hamlet. It was for one simple reason: Who the hell speaks like that while making a Vlog or driving a car?! Yeah I get it, "it's supposed to be Hamlet so of course they're going to speak that way", right? While this is true I just can't concentrate on what's actually going on since the language, which is hard to understand, contrasts with the modern-day objects we all recongnize. That's just my opinion. Next is the Franco Zefferelli version. While it did accurately potray what Hamlet is about(darkness, deceit, corruption, etc.), perhaps that was the problem in and of itself. The setting for example; everything is shot in the dark! Yes, Hamlet is supposed to be dark and depressing, but when 50% of everything is covered in shadows, I feel as if I need a flashlight or something to see what's going on. Plus, the dialogue. I feel that everyone speaks every line at a snail's pace. Every. Single. Line. Each word is fully pronounced and drawn out. Combine that with low visiblity, and this movie is admittedly pretty boring. Again, this is just my opinion.
Now on to why I liked the Ken Brangh version the most. I loved the intro in this version. It starts off with a very ominous and creepy shot of the castle at night. The epic musical score that complements the ghastly scenery, which sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Then we move on to the celebration of the marriage. The setting is very bright and colorful. Some people may not like that, since Hamlet is supposed to be a dark story. But I feel that this actually helps the contrast of Hamlet when the flim introduces him. He appears in all black, has this solemn look on his face, and shys away from the festivities. The film is able to communicate with the viewer through camera work and setting that there's obviously something wrong with this whole scene, due to Hamlet's negative behavior.
There's also the scene when Hamlet has the soliloquy after everyone has left. I found that I liked two thing about this scene. The first is that there are still flower petals on Hamlet's shoulders from the earlier festivities. The petals represent the corruption and deceit associated with the marriage. As he talks, the flower petals begin to fall off of him, as if to say he rebukes everything the celebration stands for. The second part I like about the scene was the location. He spoke his soliloquy in a big, empty, hollow room. I can't help but feel that this is supposed to represent Hamlet. The emptiness of the represents the emotions Hamlet currently feels: hollow, alone, no one who can share the same pain he feels. I thought that the scene was very well done in every aspect.
As for the choice of actors, I felt that the Hamlet in the Ken Branagh version was the best. He showed the most passion and emotion when he spoke, something the other two Hamlets were somewhat lacking in. While I don't downright despise the other two versions, they're definately not something I would want to sit through.
