The first scene was that of director Kenneth Branagh’s we viewed in class. Most strikingly, the editing of this version was mostly untouched, a factor that underscores the lack of artificiality going through Hamlet’s mind at the time. In this scene, he is truly human. In a similar way, there is no music or other non-diegetic sound in the beginning of this scene—It is purely the voice of Hamlet, to establish the human nature of him. The music comes as he furthers his insight into the enigma of death, as it highlights the emotions of Hamlet. The setting of the room of mirrors holds significance as this soliloquy is really an introspective look into Hamlet’s mind and views on philosophy—His literal looking at himself underscores the metaphorical self-examination that is occurring. The use of the knife prop and modern costume both show the transcendence of these themes and allow viewers to connect with his feelings through pathos. Lastly, the zoom of the camera allows us to get closer to Hamlet’s face—The center of his emotion—as the soliloquy progresses.
The next scene I viewed was that of Ethan Hawke’s Hamlet. Though lacking major editing, the scene again showed the lack of artificiality. In this scene, non-diegetic music is present from the beginning, but it still instills in viewers a mood of pensive reflection. The diegetic sound of Hamlet’s voice is different than the British ones of other scenes. This, along with the use of the modern setting and costume in a video store show a transcendence of situation once more. The props of the videos, especially the violent one on TV highlights the romanticism of death that Hamlet spoke of. Lastly, the camera panning to follow his walk shows his lack of resolve to stick to one area and its cuts to violent video footage underscore the key themes of the soliloquy.
In the Mel Gibson clip, camera cuts to tombs in editing demonstrates the reality of death that Hamlet speaks of. The lack of non-diegetic sound highlights the genuineness of this particular soliloquy in Hamlet’s journey to avenge his father, as only Hamlet’s voice is heard. The tomb setting again shows the actualization of death in Hamlet’s life, and the tombs influence the tone of finality present during this soliloquy. The seemingly appropriate costume puts viewers in the time of the language and better allows us to visualize exactly what Hamlet experienced. Lastly, the variable zoom camera angles allow us to closely examine Hamlet’s face at key moments during the speech.
In Laurence Oliver’s Hamlet, the most striking occurrence in editing is the following of the stairs up and then down the cliff present at the beginning. These elements show the ambivalent nature of our opinions of death in the soliloquy. The non-diegetic sound of the music contains notes ironically happy in nature, romanticizing the idea of death that Hamlet spoke of. The slower pace of the speech itself seemed to draw out the meaning Hamlet intended of the sleep and drowsiness of death. The setting on the cliff again romanticizes death—further qualified by Hamlet’s suggestive poses and time-appropriate costume. The black and white filming, though characteristic of the time period, made the scene more dramatic and ironically two-dimensional. Lastly, the camera angle of Hamlet walking into the fog represents the emotional waywardness and confusing feelings not only in the soliloquy, but also in Hamlet’s mind.
(Enter Gertrude)
Were I to write of my dear son’s madness, might I too go insane? I stumbled upon him speaking to himself on matters graver than most plaguing a young prince. As ‘twere, he made residence in a video store, abandoned but for he. On walls were picture screens displaying blasts and historians—a scene which made me imagine my son both and neither in the distant past and future. He walks amongst the shelves as lost as his mind, and one can nearly imagine an orchestra lamenting at the inevitable sadness of life. He says not one word without purpose, “To be or not to be” (3.1.58). This breaks his poor mother’s heart, seeing him in this place without purpose, much as he feels his own life is—But alas, he gets to the heart of the matter—We live in hope to die, but fear it oddly enough. That which is uncertain may be all but good.
(Exeunt Gertrude)
If I, Vineet, could have changed the approaches of some of these scenes, firstly I would rethink the use of the fog and music in the very last one. While in some instances, exaggeration is used for effect, it felt far too overdone here. The point of the text is to subtly show the complex nature of death. I would have made the scene duller, but perhaps kept music slightly upbeat. I would have made Hamlet stand rather than lay and not disappear into the fog, but perhaps walk away from the edge of the cliff. In the Mel Gibson scene, I would have introduced non-diegetic music, as this scene was by far the dullest. By introducing music, tone would have been better conveyed and interest would be better kept. I might even change the Ethan Hawke scene to better reflect transcendence in the TV screens rather than death—It’s important to remember that death is a universal theme that cannot be attributed to a specific instant or period of time.
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