Of the three versions that we watched in English class I enjoyed the Michael Almereyda abstract adaptation of Hamlet. I think I was drawn to this version more because of its modernity. Also, prior to seeing the three versions, while reading I visualized Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes as young teenagers or at least close to their twenties. In the other two versions I was diasppointed that the characters seemed older than what I expected. I also enjoyed the beginning of the play where they start out with Hamlet’s soliloquoy. Overall based on the clip that I saw, the Mike Almereyda version was better than other two because of the creative twist into today’s modern day society.
I also enjoyed the modern twist that Almereyda put on the film. Though it was a very interesting and unique take on the play, in my opinion it was too adapted. I would have liked to see Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude as people of a higher stature than just owning a company. Also, when Claudius and Gertrude are announcing their wedding, Hamlet was more focused on filming people’s faces than what was happening with his mother. Hamlet seemed so entranced in his filming that the mother’s marriage to his uncle lost a significant amount of importance. Also it was difficult to tell which person Hamlet was during that scene because most of them had cameras and he was dressed as casual as they were. Overall, I think that this version was too different from the play and that it lost its solidity.
ReplyDeleteAll your points are very valid and I can definitely see where you are coming from. However, I also feel that it may be more relatable and understandable by many, because of it's simplicity, especially in language. I also think that it holds it's solidity because it still gets the main idea and concept of the original Hamlet across to the audience.
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