Saturday, May 14, 2011

Hamlets dilemma

I agree with Hamlet's decision to make sure that the ghost he saw was real and he wasn't hallucinating it. If he didn't wait then he could have taken the chance of killing an innocent man. The fact that Hamlet actually did wait he shows that he isn't crazy because he actually had self control on the way he wanted to kill Claudius. By seeing the reaction of Claudius after the mousetrap play, Hamlet made the right decision in eventually killing Claudius.

Monday, May 9, 2011

To be or not to be...............................................................................................................

Mel Gibson's to be or not to be speech was one of the best we saw. He says the famous speech inside of an underground tomb surrounded by dead bodies. This shows that he is seriously considering commiting suicide. The fact that there is no music shows how serious the speech is. If there was music it wouldnt really fit the rest of the setting. Certain lines that Gibson says are reinforced by his emotions and facial expressions.

   The second version is set up pretty well. The guy playing hamlet is facing a two way mirror and doesn't realize Claudius and Polonious are on the other side of it. He is in some sort of ballroom and it is very bright inside of the room. During the speech he puls out a knife and puts it to his throat as if he is going to kill himself right there. There isn't much music so that the actor can present the speech clearly. His emotions are basically the same throughout the speech besides the knife he pulls out.

   The modern version doesnt seem like much at first but the symbols around Hamlet explain the speech. He is walking through a blockbuster and isn't saying the speech but thinking it. He walks up and down the action aisle without picking a mivie symbolizing the fact that Hamlet fails to take immediate action against Claudius. The emotions expressed by Hamlet is basically the same mild sad tone throughout the whole speech.

   The black and white version was a little dramatic with Hamlet reciting the speech on the edge of the castle. It makes it seem as if Hamlet is ready to jump off at certain points. During the speech certain words are emphasized and he too pulls out a knife at some point in the speech. During the speech there is weird music and the waves are crashing high semmingly drawing Hamlet into the water.

  The arnold one was great. If the original Hamlet had the attitude of the terminator the story would be so much more entertaining. Arnold just picked up some outragous gun and starts blasting everyone away. In my opinion this is the best one of all!!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Hamlet: the first ghost scene

The first scene we watched with Mel Gibson as Hamlet Mel Gibson was perfect for the ghost scene. He expressed the right emotions at the right time andc really made the scene come out of the book. The ghost in the movie didn't really fit my picture of the book's version. He spoke too softly and looked really old. Even the descriptions of the ghost in the story are not how they are showed in the movie. There was some sort of music playing but it was very suttle. There was very little lighting to make the scene fit the whole movie. No special effects just Hamlet and King Hamlet talking. Director really didn't use visual elements.
  
   The second movie was very dramatic. The Hamlet in the movie was the complete opposite of how I pictured hamlet. The ghost was dressed as the book described but his facial expression was weird. He was staring into the distance and wasn't really convincing as ghost Hamlet. There were smoke machines and loud banging noises to intensify the talk between Hamlet and his father. There were flashbacks during the ghost scene which helped put a better picture in my head of what happened.

   Ethan Hawke was perfect for Hamlet. He was always sad and always mopey but he expressed emotions at the perfect time. The ghost wasn't that good but I like how the director gave him a napkin so he can show how he was poisoned. The lighting was basically normal, nothing to bright or too dark.