It’s a neat idea to convey the concept of Elsinore as a place where everyone is under constant scrutiny, and it’s occasionally used very well indeed - during the Ghost’s appearance to Hamlet, for example, or when he rips a camera down to declare “now I am alone”. Every so often our viewpoint switches to a grainy black & white high angle as we survey the scene via CCTV. It does branch out occasionally, but it’s a shame this couldn’t have been done more often, as consecutive scenes on the same slightly-redressed main set occasionally confuse whether we’ve changed location or not.ĭoran’s main screen gimmick, however, is security cameras. A quick shoot (18 days for an over-three-hours film) and single location combine to reduce the number of on-screen locations, unfortunately, though the main set is fairly well rearranged to stand in for a number of rooms.
It’s a convincing adaptation too, making good use of sets, locations and, vitally, camerawork, rather than employing static shots of the original theatrical blocking. Still, it’s a minor aesthetic point that doesn’t hamper his wonderful performance.ĭirector of the original stage production, Greg Doran, also helms this version. In my view it’s a shame Stewart has a beard in the filmed version (a necessity forced by his concurrent appearance in Waiting for Godot, I believe) - on stage he was clean-shaven and therefore somehow more reminiscent of numerous other political villains, both real and fictional, whereas his bearded visage is more reminiscent of a traditional Kingly role. His cool politician of a King makes a perfect contrast to the crazed energy of the Prince, the latter constantly bounding around while the former remains still and collected. The other stand-out is an award-winning Patrick Stewart in the dual role of Claudius and the Ghost, though the fact he plays both feels relatively insignificant. As his lines dither on like many a real forgetful old man, it’s difficult to imagine the part played any other way. In fact, more laughs are earnt by Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius. He’s still funny, certainly, but its not as striking as it was live. Perhaps it’s the loss of a bigger audience, or the energy of performing on stage, or perhaps Tennant has reined in, switching from Stage Acting to Screen Acting. If anything, however, this screen version fails to capture just how funny Tennant was on stage.
Hamlet’s madness here is almost unrelentingly funny - even in deadly serious situations, like capture following a murder, Tennant’s Hamlet can’t resist taunting the other characters, keeping the viewer onside by keeping his apparent insanity entertaining rather than scary or darkly intense. The other notable facet of Tennant’s interpretation of the character is humour. Hamlet’s pair of ‘friends’ can be seen as insignificant characters by some - it’s part of what led Tom Stoppard to pen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, after all - but with a few silent additions around Shakespeare’s dialogue and the way Tennant, Sam Alexander and Tom Davey choose to play the original lines, their roles seem to have increased importance. He resolutely takes the piss out of both Polonius and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, but plays each in subtly different ways: the former is like someone intelligent teasing with someone who doesn’t get it, which sounds distasteful but is enjoyable because of Polonius’ plotting and influence while the latter is like a cat toying with a pair of treacherous mice, who are aware they’ve been caught out but struggle on regardless. He glides seamlessly from withdrawn and grief-stricken in his first appearance, to intrigued and excited by the ghost of his father, to clever and wily as he plots, and finally to an alternation between assumed madness and serious introspection as he enacts his plans.Īny number of scenes show off Tennant’s abilities, particularly the way he treats other characters. In near-isolation, however, it’s a thoroughly convincing performance. Equally, I can’t accurately compare David Tennant’s performance to any other, which often seems to be a central consideration in any review of the play. Hamlet hangs primarily on its central performance - so we’re constantly told, anyway this being only the second production I’ve seen I can’t confidently assert so for myself, but I can certainly see where the consensus comes from.
Thanks to sold-out performances and largely positive reviews (theatre critics seem even less keen to agree on anything than film ones), we’re now treated to this film adaptation, shown on BBC Two on Boxing Day and released on DVD (but not Blu-ray, boo * ) earlier this week. It doesn’t seem like 18 months since the RSC brought Hamlet to the stage with British TV’s biggest star actor (probably) as the titular Dane, but it is (more or less).
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