To Be or Not To Be Scenes

In the first soliloquy hamlet’s version the movie was played in black and white portraying its more dramatic appearance. It has a foggy ocean scene. The appetence of this scene was ominous in the beginning. In this scene hamlet appears to be contemplating about killing himself.  Olivier uses stage direction, dramatic music, and an expressive voice to conclude the soliloquy. In the final line, Olivier changes the tone of his voice to match the meaning of the words.  The camera’s view closes into his head, symbolizing that the soliloquy will offer the offer the viewer insight into Hamlet’s mind. The Olivier versions of Hamlet’s superior use of music and camera techniques are demonstrated perfectly near the end of the soliloquy. At the lines “With regard their currents turn awry/ and lose the name of action.” Olivier uses stage direction, dramatic music, and an expressive voice to conclude the soliloquy. The fact that each interpretation of Hamlet’s act 3 Soliloquy has their own advantages and disadvantages, I believe that Olivier balanced the music, lines, and stage movements.

The Mel Gibson version of hamlet gave the most “Elizabethan feel”. The scene showed the castles mysterious chamber of death as it created a dark mood for Hamlet as he moped around the basement. Hamlets speech also becomes very intense at moments. When Hamlet first walks down the stairs and mutters “to be or not to be that is the question” Gibson depicts a shot of the coffin infused death chamber which sets a negative mood for the rest of the speech. As Hamlet walks through the room he becomes more and more dramatic both vocally and visually.

The Branagh version adapts of the famous scene with much thought. Kenneth Branagh, being the director of the film as well as the protagonist, portrayed an eerie Hamlet that was extremely believable. The reflection in the mirror shows the Prince in deep in thought. His beginning is powerful, yet calm, starting off with “To be or not to be” in an intense trance. His voice has such a great affect on the audience, captivating their attention from that very moment on. Compared to Gibson’s version, where these crucial lines are said too fast, this version gives the viewers a chance to absorb these powerful words and consider them.

The camera angles that were chosen for this version are also very effective, as the over-the-shoulder shot is intimate and seems like the audience is standing right behind Hamlet, yet he is completely unaware. Although this shot is usually used in a dialogue scene, incorporating this angle in the soliloquy was strategically used for the audience to get lost in the mirror image of Hamlet. During his speech, the audience finds themselves lost in the words, almost in the same trance that the protagonist is in.

The Almereyda’s version put on an outstanding modern rendition of the Elizabethan classic. Hawke’s raw emotions were very believable however they portrayed Hamlet to be more truly psychotic than suicidal. The setting was inside a Blockbuster; hawk walks the isles aimlessly while reciting the soliloquy, “To be or not to be”. Hamlet is undecided on if should act on his emotions which is ironic considering Hawk is walking through the action section. Standing in the action section he sees on the television, violence, death, and murder; symbolizing whether h want to kill himself or not.