Hamlet: Zeffirelli vs. Branagh Essay

Shakespeare is a name recognized by all to be that of one of the greatest playwrights of all time. There is no surprise that many of Shakespeare’s works are later turned into a movie. Director Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh both have a distinct interpretation of Hamlet Act V. Franco Zeffirelli's adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy was much darker than Brangan’s version. The settings, costumes and the props were all medieval. It was set in a dark castle with stony gray bricks, the characters wore dirty clothes, and the props were mostly wooden or made out of metal. The physical elements in Zeffirelli show that it took place in 15 century during the dark ages. In Franco Zeffirelli’s version the characters didn’t use a lot of emotions

Hamlet is an acknowledging Shakespearean play that was later filmed in 1990 by Franco Zeffirelli and in 1996 by Kenneth Branagh. Both these directors interpret the play differently adding unique twists and turns of their own to help focus on one thing than the other. In their contrasting films, these two directors depict the character of Ophelia very differently. Through Zeffirelli’s film, Ophelia, played by Helena Bonham Carter is portrayed as a dreamy, naive, childish character, however in Branagh 's version; Kate Winslet portrays Ophelia as a more mature, sensible and strong willed character. These different portrayals of Ophelia can be further analyzed through cinematography, set and costume designs and through the actor themselves.

Kenneth Branagh made it seem like Hamlet was following his father’s orders even though in the play he wasn’t. This made the audience feel better about Hamlet because he was actually taking action. Although Kenneth’s version of Hamlet’s character took action it is not as tragic as Hamlet’s character in the play because by Hamlet not taking action it shows how sensitive and hurt he was.

Franco Zefferelli’s film, Hamlet, adapted from Shakespeare’s text, Mel Gibson’s Hamlet, struts and frets his life in Denmark, convincing almost everyone that he is “mad.” The film bases the question of whether or not Hamlet is actually insane almost solely on Gibson’s acting interpretations, but Zefferelli’s editing choices assist in making the point that Hamlet is not insane, but either in a fog of confusion and anger from his grief, or pretending to be mad to manipulate others.

The props and costumes the Kenneth Branagh version used are very modern and unique while the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet costumes are more old and traditional. In the Kenneth Branagh version the costumes are very elegant while the costumes worn in the Mel Gibson version is seen more as rags. For instance, Ophelia is seen wearing old rags covering her when she acts insane in Act 4 Scene 5. In the Kenneth Branagh’s film the director uses flashbacks as a way to illustrate scenes like the scene where Gertrude explains Ophelia drowning in the river. Camera techniques in the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet were creative as the camera slowly pulls back in Act 4 Scene 4 of Hamlet’s soliloquy. However in the Kenneth Branagh version the scenery and props adapt more to the Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Over the course of the past fifty years there have been many cinematic productions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, some of which remain true to the text while others take greater liberties with the original format. Director Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 production of Hamlet was true to Shakespeare’s work in that the film’s dialogue was delivered word or word as it is presented in the text. In contrast, Franco Zeffirelli conducted his 1990 production of Hamlet in a much more liberal direction in which lines, scenes and characters were omitted from the film. I argue that from the perspective of an individual with moderate knowledge in Shakespearian literature, that the best film versions of Hamlet are those that take the most liberties from the text. I

Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 filmic translation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a dramatic telling of the classic story which is as well acted as it is entertaining. Aside from these points, Zeffirelli's (and co-scripter Christopher Devore's) screenplay is an edited, and re-mixed version of the original which has many lines cut, as well as the entire sub plot concerning Fortenbras, completely removed. Franco Zefirelli's private interpretation of Hamlet, although divergent in some ways from Shakespeare's version, still remains a superior rendering, due to the continuity of the screenplay.

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most produced plays of all time. Written during the height of Shakespeare’s fame—1600—Hamlet has been read, produced, and researched by more individuals now than during Shakespeare’s own lifetime. It is has very few stage directions, because Shakespeare served as the director, even though no such official position existed at the time. Throughout its over 400 years of production history, Hamlet has seen several changes. Several textual cuts have been made, in addition to the liberties taken through each production. In recent years, Hamlet has seen character changes, plot changes, gender role reversals, alternate endings, time period shifts, and thematic alternations, to

Although the movie did tell the baseline story of the play I don’t think the movie captured what Shakespeare would have liked it to. The story of the play followed the originally play but I think the overall mental image and picture has more to do with the story than the story itself. The movie didn’t capture any of the original settings, or anything in that nature. It kept the story line, but then decided to take its own twist and turn on the vision of the play. The movie version did not in vison what Shakespeare would have wanted or tried to portray in his original

The acting company in this version of the play has chosen to depict Hamlet as a lunatic. They have included certain props and particular actions to accentuate his lunacy.. For example, Hamlet picks up a camera to document each of Claudius’s reactions to the scenes in the play. This makes Hamlet

Hamlet is a tragic play, written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602, but as years have gone by, there have been made many movies produced in order to visually illustrate how the events of the play occurred. This allows the film director's interpretation of Hamlet to have an effect on the audience's understanding of the play, because they understand the play the same way as the director. One of the most significant act and scene in the whole play is Act I Scene V. The film work of Hamlet orchestrated by the director really focuses on being exactly as the written play by William Shakespeare. The written work of Hamlet and the movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli have many similar scenes. Act I Scene V is one of the most important

A comparative study of the film adaptation of Kenneth Branagh (1996) and the television adaptation of Gregory Doran (2009). This work aims to examine both works from a romantic and postmodern perspective. This memoir is composed of a theoretical part which advances the difficulties to adapt the works of Shakespeare before being specifically centered on the piece of Hamlet. The length of this one is particularly problematic and forced many directors to remove certain characters and scenes. The second part of this brief is intended to present the two directors, the singularities of their film and a statement of the criticisms they obtained. Finally, the last part consists of the comparative analysis of the two works. The views selected for this

William Shakespeare’s play called, “Hamlet” has been performed on stage numerous times and adapted into many films over time. Some actors and directors capture the true essence of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while others prefer to make parody films of Hamlet by poking fun at Hamlet’s family, friends and even himself. Although, there are many film adaptions of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, what’s unique about the different film versions of Hamlet is the unique alterations directors and actors make in each film adaption of Hamlet, although given the same play. Three main versions of Hamlet, the classic, staring and directed by Laurence Olivier, the 1990 version starring Mel Gibson and directed by Franco Zeffirelli and the unforgettable 1996 version

The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two movies made about Hamlet. I will present and discuss different aspects of the version directed by Kenneth Branagh to that of Franco Zefirelli. During this paper you will be presented with my opinions in reference to determining which version of Hamlet best reflects the original text by Shakespeare. I will end this paper with my belief and explanation of which movie is true to the original play.

The difference between the costumes, scenery and setting shows how modern the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet is than the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. One of the difference between the two films is the setting and time period. Mel Gibson version of Hamlet is set in a dark and medieval time castle. Kenneth Branagh's movie of Hamlet was set in 19th century making the setting of the castle more of a luxurious modern palace. The lighting of the movie plays a major role in the production of the film because it demonstrates emotions and feelings from the characters. For instance, in Hamlet starring Mel Gibson the lighting was adjusted to make the scenes darker to show sadness and grief. According to props and costumes the Kenneth Branagh version are very modern and unique while Mel Gibson version of hamlet costumes are more old