Thinking Activity 4 - Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet

Hello Readers !

On 14th August, an academic movie screening of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet was organised at the Department of English, M.K. Bhavnagar University. There are many movie adaptations of the play Hamlet like Haider directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Director is free to make all changes and editions to enhance the viewer experience. He can edit and cut some unnecessary dialogues and also add some scenes which are not written in the original play. But, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is the only full version of movie which has no editing or cutting of dialogue. This thinking activity is given by Dr. Dilip Barad to students during the screening of this academic movie.
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These are the questions which we have to answer after watching the film.

Post – Viewing Tasks:

• How faithful is the movie to the original play?

Ans.: Any movie which is adapted form any literary work can never exactly be made as it is written in fiction, but Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is much faithful to the original play in the context of dialogues. Incidents and course of action is well maintained by the director. So, indeed the movie is faithful to the play, but only in some context like characters play their role faithfully as depicted in the play. Of course this faithfulness differs while the plot of Denmark is shown as Elsinore Castle, but one must say that after diving into the depth of the movie, as the movie proceeds one can't differentiate the plot setting between Denmark in the original play and Elsinore Castle in the movie. The very length of the movie shows the faithfulness of the movie to the original play. 

• After watching the movie, have your perception about play, characters or situations changed?

Perceptions change time after time, but before watching the movie I was thinking that some characters may not be able to give the full justice to their role, but I must admit that all the major as well as minor characters acted extraordinarily. This faithfulness has removed all my misconceptions about the original play. Some situations in the movie also played very vital role. For example we can say that very fair use of silence is creating many impressions at a time on the viewers' mind. If a person holds the original play in one hand and continues to watch this movie, he will surely be more clear about all things. Earlier these concepts were unclear to me, but after watching the movie, my perceptions about characters and situations of the play have become more sharp and clear.

• Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

When Elsinore Castle is shown for first time in the scene, I felt aesthetic delight and thought that how a good cinematographic effect is created, in other scene of the ceremonial scene of Claudius and Gertrude, while celebration was going on in the hall, Hamlet stood very silently between the two majestic chairs. This scene also gave me aesthetic delight.

• Do you feel ‘catharsis’ while or after watching movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

Yes, I felt catharsis at the end of movie when Hamlet and Laertis ended the sword fight and they both were injured, Gertrude was also dying at one side and Hamlet was also speaking soliloquy. When Hamlet stood up and rushed towards Claudius, made him drink the poisoned wine forcefully, I felt catharsis at that moment. The reason why I felt catharsis in this scene, is that, throughout the movie Hamlet is delaying in killing Claudius. This delay impacts the suspense of the coming scenes and longing plus waiting from the viewer's eye. Hamlet, then finally found a way to kill him, and catharsis happened.

• Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the play?

Yes, definitely. This movie screening helped me a lot in the better understanding of the play. While watching the film I was also going through some of the important dialogues and soliloquies from the play, which we had discussed in the class. I was also observing the dialogues from movies that gave better understanding of the play.

• Was there any particular scene or moment in the movie that you will cherish lifetime?

Yes, there are some certain scenes which I will cherish lifetime. In this movie, wherever the moment or a scene; in which Hamlet was speaking philosophical dialogues came, I would cherish those dialogues like 'Frailty, thy name is woman', 'Readiness is all', 'The rest is silence' and 'To be or not to be...' There is also grave digging scene in which Hamlet makes a conversation with the grave digger, and very true to life and death dialogues take place. These scenes I will cherish lifetime.

• If you are director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of movie on Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’?

There are many changes which I would make if I were a director of this film. There is one scene before the sword fight between Laertis and Hamlet. A person who plays a role of some kind of referee, makes a long conversation with Hamlet when they meet each other for the first time. I would cut that scene and make it very brief. Secondly, when Ophelia becomes mentally abnormal, and acts impatiently in the hall of Elsinore Castle, some frames are shot from a distant angle, which I would make them closer and I would try to show the real emotions and feelings of Ophelia with a close up camera, it would create a great impact on viewers if this would shown very closely.

• In the beginning of the movie, camera rolls over the statue of King Hamlet out side the Elsinore castle. The movie ends with the similar sequence wherein the statue of the King Hamlet is hammered down to the dust. What sort of symbolism do you read in this?

The statue of King Hamlet has played significant role in the movie. In the beginning of the movie, while the statue of King Hamlet is shown, it is seen with pride that Denmark once had a King like Hamlet was ruling over the kingdom and at the end of the movie The statue is getting hammered down, because Fortinbras has become the king and the empire of King Hamlet has fallen after the the death of Hamlet. The following lines spoken by Hamlet are very symbolic in this context :

O, that this too too solid flesh would melt

Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! 

• While studying the play through movie, which approach do you find more applicable to the play? Why? Give reasons with illustrations.

While studying the play through movie I have found moral, philosophical approach and psychological approach more applicable to the play. Hamlet is unable to take judgment and delays taking in revenge, takes much time in thinking a single incident in different ways. Hamlet is also a student of philosophy, that's why we find many of his soliloquies very philosophical and morally rich.

• Which of the above mentioned approaches (in Pre-viewing task) appeals you more than other? Why? Give reasons.

Many approaches are used to understand the play Hamlet. To me, Psychoanalytical approach is more appealing more than others, because when any soliloquy begins we start thinking about Hamlet's mental condition that through how much pain he is suffering from. One more element that makes me this approach more appealing that when Hamlet is cursing Gertrude for her wrong-goings with Claudius, the ghost of King Hamlet comes in the bed chamber and explains that he should look forward to take revenge for which he is set to. These scenes make me study the entire play with the psychoanalytical approach. Character study becomes very easy with the help of this approach and we come to know their actions and decisions very precisely.