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To Be or Not To Be(nedict)
Jul. 9th, 2019 10:11 amLast night we went to a screening of a 2015 Hamlet stage production, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Benadryl Cabbagepatch. Whatever.
It was pretty good. The costumes were modern military dress and suits, which was more-or-less standard. They had a very large stage, and took full advantage with extremely high sets using multiple levels. (I am profoundly jealous.) The last couple acts were staged with burned-out cinders covering the stage, I guess to show the decline of the royal house. But it made things look odd when they shuffled around in inch-high clinker.
The script was abridged, of course, but not overwhelmingly so; the film was 3.5 hours including a 20-minute intermission. Some of the non-Hamlet soliloquies were shortened (Polonius didn't say "Never a borrower nor a lender be", and most of Ophelia's songs were cut).
Speaking of, Ophelia was the actress playing Sherlock's sister in the latest season of Sherlock. I had no complaints about the actors, although Laertes was a bit tedious - but he often is, given that he doesn't have much motivation other than "Kill Hamlet". Cumberbatch did a fine job.
I was trying to mentally rate this compared to other productions I've seen. And I realized: I can't actually pinpoint a favorite. I actually just want to see the full Slings and Arrows version.
Gibson's... well, let's just say that Zeffirelli's production is sumptuous and it's got Glenn Close and Helena Bonham-Carter as good actors. Branagh's I liked for showing the full monty (and Billy Crystal nailed the gravedigger role) but as a director, Branagh had fallen in love with the swirly-cam and went overboard with it; the directing distracted from the text and acting. Tennant's was fine but didn't grab me. I think I fell asleep during Ethan Hawke's version. And I don't remember any live stage productions that really stood out...
It was pretty good. The costumes were modern military dress and suits, which was more-or-less standard. They had a very large stage, and took full advantage with extremely high sets using multiple levels. (I am profoundly jealous.) The last couple acts were staged with burned-out cinders covering the stage, I guess to show the decline of the royal house. But it made things look odd when they shuffled around in inch-high clinker.
The script was abridged, of course, but not overwhelmingly so; the film was 3.5 hours including a 20-minute intermission. Some of the non-Hamlet soliloquies were shortened (Polonius didn't say "Never a borrower nor a lender be", and most of Ophelia's songs were cut).
Speaking of, Ophelia was the actress playing Sherlock's sister in the latest season of Sherlock. I had no complaints about the actors, although Laertes was a bit tedious - but he often is, given that he doesn't have much motivation other than "Kill Hamlet". Cumberbatch did a fine job.
I was trying to mentally rate this compared to other productions I've seen. And I realized: I can't actually pinpoint a favorite. I actually just want to see the full Slings and Arrows version.
Gibson's... well, let's just say that Zeffirelli's production is sumptuous and it's got Glenn Close and Helena Bonham-Carter as good actors. Branagh's I liked for showing the full monty (and Billy Crystal nailed the gravedigger role) but as a director, Branagh had fallen in love with the swirly-cam and went overboard with it; the directing distracted from the text and acting. Tennant's was fine but didn't grab me. I think I fell asleep during Ethan Hawke's version. And I don't remember any live stage productions that really stood out...
