Other Reviews by Jacquelyn

Hamlet

Mel Gibson, Helena Bonham-Carter, Glenn Close; Directed by Franco Zeffirelli

Shakespeare’s most revered tragedy comes once again to the screen, this time seeing Mel Gibson donning the sorrowful cloak of the tortured Prince of Denmark. Hamlet has just learned that his fathers’ recent death was brought about by a poisonously ambitious uncle (now married to Hamlet’s mother). The charge is placed upon the prince to avenge the wrongful death, but this is far, far easier said than done. Hamlet must wrestle with his courage and his sanity as doubts surface and fade. He is also forced to end a budding romance with the beautiful Ophelia. Pure intentions become corrupt, and soon more madness and blood spread throughout the kingdom than the young prince had ever intended.
 
A lot of people scoffed at the notion of seeing Mr. Gibson’s name at the top of the bill, but he came onscreen swinging fists and surprised everyone. He does a remarkable job conveying through both expression and language this multi-faceted character. Other notable performances include the severely misguided Queen (played by Glenn Close), and the always-divine Helena Bonham-Carter as one of the few innocents of the story, Ophelia. The scenery and surroundings are all gloom and blackness, instantly throwing the viewer right into the mood and tone. The cinematography is wonderfully brutal; cutting faces with sharp shadows and turning the warm, inviting glow of firelight into something cold and menacing. There are no dull moments here. Even when Hamlet embarks on a particularly lengthy monologue, Gibson’s eyes and voice draw us in completely, and never with any self-importance or pretension. The whole story is a dance with a grisly ending. Characters put on false fronts, change partners, drop pretences, go faster, then slower, all the while unknowingly drawing nearer to the edge of a cliff. It’s an entrancing car wreck of a tale.
 
I am always amazed to hear people complain about having to watch a movie with subtitles. I always enjoy listening to the language of the speaker, and reading subtitles has never detracted from the visual scope of the film. Many people are turned off by Shakespeare’s seemingly inaccessible dialogue – the cryptic phrases, and the ‘thees’ and ‘thous’, etc. But it is a regrettable thing to see happen. Shakespeare’s plays are poetry in motion, filled to the brim with wit, wonder, and a slew of human emotion and frailty. Some people will not understand what is fully going on. Some people will not completely understand what the characters are saying. This is okay, this is understandable, but it should not prevent anyone from witnessing this work of art. Like the Bible or Bob Dylan, treasures oftentimes lie just beyond a language barrier.

  Story = A           

Originality = A  

DVD Features = B-

Acting = A  

Enjoyability = A-

Visuals = B+ 

Overall = A