Michael Almereyda's Hamlet

accompanied by a close up of Hamlet holding a glass of water and executing a conjuring trick it is ‘backed by a cross mix of Morcheeba, orchestral music by Niels Gade and intercut images’. These images of recent history, the bombing of Bosnia and renaissance art provide an insight into Hamlets mind. It gives the impression of a man struggling from within between the real and the ideal.

In using this speech, Almereyda recreates the theme of mystery, lost by cutting 1.1.  It is, however the mystery of Hamlet, not the omnipresent ghost. It shows a man in despair, who questions the world and displays sorrow.

This scene becomes a press conference in the film showing Hamlet recording the press and scanning his camera across the room before training in on Claudius and Gertrude. Ophelia is present, in her hand she holds a parcel wrapped in gold paper bearing the penciled image of a waterfall. Ophelia is associated with water throughout the film; this is significant to how she finally meets her death. Across this image, she writes 3.30 while trying to attract Hamlets attention. Her attempts to persuade her brother to pass the message to Hamlet meet with disapproving glances. This demonstrates her lack of power and the controlling influence of her father and brother, something many young people may identify with in modern society. During this time, Claudius holds up an edition of USA today bearing the headline ‘Fortinbras makes bid on Denmark corp.’ and showing a picture of a man with ‘a terrorists gaze’ he rips up the paper. This speech by Claudius (1.2.) ends with his reference to Fortinbras ‘so much for him’ (1.2.25) rather than ‘farewell, and let your haste commend your duty.’(1.2.39) cutting no less than 14 lines leaving out the appearance of Cornelius and Voltemand as ambassadors to Norway who in the play text pledge there loyalty to the King (1.2.40).  When Claudius’s speech is over, the scene cuts to the hallway outside the press conference. He appears in the foreground with Polonius and Laertes the hallway is bear and narrow drawing all the attention toward Claudius allowing Hamlet to move away with Ophelia and after she is drawn back to the group by her father they move away again, and she hands him the parcel. Ophelia is fashionably dressed in bright clothing and trainers. Wearing her hair in a style reminiscent of a previously cast Ophelia, makes her identity explicit to an audience familiar with Hamlet on screen. Hamlet is casually dressed wearing sunglasses, which he does not remove for the press conference, and later a hat, particularly fashionable in 2000.  Almereyda draws attention to their youth in the hallway scene by placing them close to Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes and Polonius, all of whom are in formal dress.

During this scene, Claudius and Laertes converse ‘And now, Laertes, what’s the news with you?’ (1.2.42) lines 43-46 that talk of Fortinbras ending with ‘what would’st thou have Laertes’have been cut. In Laertes’s reply the first line is rearranged and the final line, ‘And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon’ cut.

The next alteration to the play text comes at 1.2.64 when ‘but now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son’ is merged with ‘how is it that the clouds still hang on you’ cutting Hamlets lines ‘A little more than kin, and less than kind.’ And ‘not so, my lord, I am too much I’th’ sun’.

This conversation takes place outside as Hamlet walks with his mother; Hamlet remains silent, walking solemnly looking mostly at the floor the camera angle is low showing the imposing skyscrapers in the background. Gertrude’s subsequent conversation with Hamlet remains identical to the play text, apart from ‘shows of grief’ (1.2.82) being replaced with ‘shapes of grief’ this relates to the images shown so far in the film used to illustrate Hamlets turmoil and anguish.

Claudius’s speech beginning ‘tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,’ differs from the play text first at 1.2.89 where, ‘but you must know your father lost a father’ is cut because it is unnecessary as it precedes ‘that father lost, lost his; and the survivor bound’ which says the same thing in a different way. The speech ends at 1.2.96 rather than at 1.2.117 cutting 21 lines in which Claudius bombards Hamlet with reasons why his grief is bad and why he should ‘throw to the earth this unprevailing woe, and think of us’. This is where he reminds Hamlet he is heir to the throne. In the play text, these lines can be interpreted as Claudius trying to make an ally of Hamlet something Almereyda did not consider in his version because he wanted to concentrate on Hamlets experience not on Claudius. Almereyda portrays Claudius as power hungry, ruthless, and aggressive toward Hamlet in a discrete manner.

Hamlets final exchange with his mother before she is driven away remains the same as the play text cutting out Claudius’s parting words beginning ‘Why,’ tis a loving and fair reply.’ (1.2.21-1.2.28) leaving the scene with Hamlet and his Mother, it is at this point Gertrude removes her sunglasses, implying that up to this point what she had said she did not truly feel.  The reflection of Hamlet and Claudius can be seen in the window of the car, the scene ends with Hamlets reply to his mother ‘I shall in all my best obey you, madam’ and a look of distain toward Claudius. This scene draws attention to the theme of innocence and corruption while showing a man at odds with his identity. The scene cuts directly to Hamlets ‘o that this too too solid flesh would melt’ soliloquy, and shows him in his hotel room viewing corresponding images of his Father, Mother and Ophelia. According to Amereyda, Hamlets first soliloquy is restricted to his hotel room due to time restrictions when filming, but it remains identical to the play text. It shows him surrounded by modern technology, a close up of his eyes shows the intensity with which he views the images.  According to Katherine Rowe this is an editing technique called a shot/response it is used to establish ‘the fiction of an intimate exchange’, further drawing attention to the plight of the individual as opposed to the plight of a country/corporation. By using this technique, Almereyda is able to convey many images at once allowing the audience to view the scene as Hamlet does and more importantly identify with his feelings, conveyed in the soliloquy. He speaks quietly during this scene, but there is questioning disbelief in his tone. In the middle, the scene cuts to Ophelia waiting by the fountain and again back to Hamlets intense gaze on the screen further emphasising his deep thoughts and concentration and highlighting the theme of love and death that runs throughout the play.

Almereyda succeeds in creating a Hamlet for the modern world firstly in identifying the kind of Hamlet he wanted to portray, he shows him as an anguished young student abandoned by his father, in death and by his mother, in marriage, a man at odds with a material world devoid of emotion. He chooses a young actor for the part of Hamlet and locates the play the centre of a multimedia corporation in New York placing all the characters in the immediate present. He juxtaposes these ultra modern images with Shakespeare’s original dialogue this not only allows the film to reach a wider audience but also remains true to Almereydas original vision of ‘balancing respect for the play with respect for contemporary reality’. The scenes I have focused on in particular show a man overwhelmed in a world ruled by money and power, a man who fights to repress his inner feelings, an image many people in the 21st century can identify with. The authenticity of this film is questionable, not because the director located the play in a modern setting using modern dress but because of the scenes that were cut. That said Almereyda never set out to emulate previous adaptations he wanted to realise his own vision of a Hamlet in the modern world and ultimately described the result as ‘an attempt at Shakespeare’. As Jorgen’s states in his essay, ‘the true test is not he whether the filmmaker has respected his model, but whether he has respected his own vision’. This film appeals to an audience both familiar and unfamiliar with the work of Shakespeare. Those who have read the play will identify with the interlocking themes made explicit by his use of the camera images. Almereyas portrayal of the individual characters and his modern interpretation of how each deals with life in a modern world, ensure that those unfamiliar with Shakespeare will identify with at least one of the characters and appreciate it as a modern film incorporating an Elizabethan dialogue.

Bibliography

Almereyda, Michael. ‘Shakespeare’s Hamlet’ (London: Faber and Faber, 2000).

Brooke, Nicholas. ‘Shakespeare’s Early Tragedies’ (London: Methuen and co, 1968).

Jorgen’s, Jack J. ‘Realising Shakespeare on film’ in ‘Shakespeare on film’ ed by Robert Shaughnessy (London: Macmillan press 1998).

Shakespeare, William ‘Hamlet’ ed by G.R.Hibbard (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987).

Rowe, Katherine ‘Remember me’, in ‘Shakespeare the movie’ ed by Richard Burt and Lynda E. Boose (London: Routledge 2003).

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