Kenneth Branaghs Hamlet - 1093 Words

Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 adaptation of Hamlet is a great way to enjoy the popular Shakespeare play. While I found the film to be quite lengthy, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a film version of the story I only knew a little bit about from reading an excerpt of Hamlet in high school. I think Kenneth Branagh did an excellent job in making the screen play into a movie. Everything in every scene couldn’t have been done more perfectly. Better yet is the cast, with actors like Kenneth Branagh himself, as Hamlet, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Billy Crystal, and Robin Williams among many other great actors. The tragedy starts with just that, tragedy, the death of Hamlet’s Father, the king. The movie starts out with the watchmen on duty seeing an†¦show more content†¦The Norwegian crown prince and his army storm the castle in order to assume the throne, wasting no time. They are astounded by the royal deaths. I thought the movie had an excellent cast, all great actor s that did a wonderful job. Kenneth Branagh made a good Hamlet. I liked Hamlet’s character and hoped the best for him, even though I did not agree with some of the things he did. I felt badly for Hamlet, as I also did Ophelia when she took her own life out of misery. I think it is sad they did not end up together; but then again that’s the point, it’s a tragedy. I loved the original King, although he wasn’t in the movie much in life form, he seemed like a fair and wise King. The actor who played the king did a fantastic job in the foggy woods scene. All in all the entire cast was very convincing, so much that you either came to love or hate the characters. I think there are many themes in Hamlet. The one that stands out the most is the importance of thinking before acting. Hamlet does and says many things he might not if he took some time to first â€Å"cool down†. It seems as if he is too hasty to act and this often gets him into trouble making terrible things happen that he can’t simply take back. Another lesson to take from Hamlet is that nothing is forever and nothing is certain. Hamlet wrestled with the validity of the experience of his father’s apparition, he questioned whether or not it really happened. For some thingsShow MoreRelated Comparison of Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branaghs Versions of Hamlet1039 Words   |  5 PagesComparison of Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branaghs Versions of Hamlet Modern day directors use a variety of methods to hold ones interest. Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh’s created versions of Hamlet that shared some similarities, but ultimately had many differences in respects to an audience’s appeal. An appealing movie is one that has an alluring ambiance and an intellectual stimulus. With these two movie versions, a setting and a mood forced an audience to acquire specific emotions, but EthanRead MoreComparing the Opening Sections of Kenneth Branaghs and Franco Zeffirellis Film Versions of Hamlet2458 Words   |  10 PagesComparing the Opening Sections of Kenneth Branaghs and Franco Zeffirellis Film Versions of Hamlet So exactly why is it that Hamlet is still so popular with our modern day audiences when it was written for the naà ¯ve audiences of the 17th century? Personally I believe this is because Hamlet deals with many fresh issues including corruption, love and the supernatural, which still appeal to contemporary audiences. These issues are also present in many films made recently eRead MoreInterpretation of Conflict within Hamlet1684 Words   |  7 Pagesreasons. Within Act 3, Scene 4 of Hamlet, Shakespeare provides little direction by which the scene should be interpreted, but the play, taken in its entirety, proposes a certain way in which Hamlet and Gertrude express their emotions. This has led to distinctive cinematic interpretations of this scene, all in which portray the storyline in a unique way. Kenneth Branagh’s version of the closet scene provides a more realistic portrayal of the conflict between Hamlet and Gertrude than the Gregory DovanRead MoreHamlet: Mel Gibson vs Kenneth Branagh Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare shows a lot of adaptations to movies. Hamlet by Mel Gibson (1990) and Kenneth Branagh (1996) interpret and portray the play by Shakespeare in different ways. The two film versions of Act IV of Hamlet have many differences and similarities. Kenneth Branaghâ₠¬â„¢s version of Hamlet is seen covering most of the original text of Shakespeare’s play of Hamlet unlike the Mel Gibson version which omits many scenes and dialogues. The film version of Hamlet featuring KennethRead MoreMovie Adaptations of Hamlet1017 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare shows a lot of adaptations to movies. Hamlet by Mel Gibson (1990) and Kenneth Branagh (1996) interpret and portray the play by Shakespeare in different ways. The two film versions of Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh of Act IV of Hamlet have many differences and similarities. Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet is seen covering most of the original text of Shakespeare’s play of Hamlet unlike the Mel Gibson version which omits many scenes and dialogues. The filmRead MoreThe Film Hamlet By William Shakespeare1276 Words   |  6 Pages The film Hamlet by William Shakespeare was made by two directors in two different versions which one was Kenneth Branagh an d the other Franco Zeffirelli. By watching the four scenes of the play of the two versions, the viewer has come up to the conclusion that Kenneth Branagh’s version best captures the essence of the play in terms of costume design, acting, directing, and cinematography. The directing and cinematography in Act IV, Scene V the Ophelia Madness Scene as well as the actingRead MoreA Comparison of Two Film Adaptations of Hamlet Essay741 Words   |  3 Pagesgestures, facial expressions, etc. can be more impacting than words. Shakespeares Hamlet has been adopted to the screen many times, each with its own interpretation of the dialogue. The directors Kenneth Branagh and Michael Almereyda both bring the words of Shakespeare to life with vivid and original settings, costumes, and personalities. Of course they both attempt to convey different moods and tones. Branaghs on-screen version is very traditional as it is set in the 1800s and every word of ShakespearesRead MoreHamlet: Zeffirelli vs. Branagh Essay922 Words   |  4 Pagesmany actors. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been the focus on various accounts throughout the 20th Century, each actor attempting to bring something unique and unmarked to the focal character. Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh, both film directors, introduce varying levels of success on the screen through downright differences in ways of translation and original ideas. Zeffirelli’s much shorter interpretation of the film is able to convey the importance of Hamle t as a masterwork by using modernRead More Comparing Bennetts Hamlet with Branaghs Hamlet Essay2354 Words   |  10 PagesComparing Bennetts Hamlet with Branaghs Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of Shakespeares works have been transposed from stage to screen, none so more than Hamlet. Two of the most unique film appropriations of the play are to be found in Rodney Bennetts 1980 film and Kenneth Branaghs 1996 blockbuster. The two films share many parallels between them in both interpretation and method, however they also have marked differences in their respective approaches to the text.    Perhaps the mostRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 1609 Words   |  7 Pagesechoes and expounds upon the famous â€Å"To be, or not to be† (Hamlet 3.1.56). The former quote was written by none other than Danish philosopher and poet, Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard. Born in 1813, Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard was well acquainted with Shakespeare’s text and often referred to it in his writings. When watching Kenneth Branagh’s unique, unabridged adaptation of Hamlet, it is apparent that Kenneth Branagh was able to capture how similar his Hamlet and Sà ¸ren are in character while making his mark in cinematography