The film adaptation of Hamlet, made in 1996, features Kenneth Branagh as the main character. As I watched him in class, I was stunned by the emotion and craftsmanship involved in his performance; he overflowed with the passion and angst that Shakespeare's Hamlet embodies during the written play. He uses Hamlets "madness" as an instrument for what some may call excessive acting, doing all with such intensity that many believe it to be too much. Critic Waitsel Smith believes this confidence reflected in his acting was due to overwhelming success and ego, stating that "he was beginning to fancy himself as a sex symbol, a movie star and the successor to Lawrence Olivier." He notes other perceived "flaws" in his portrayal of Hamlet (Branagh directed the film as well as acted in it) as he notes that the anachronistic approach taken makes the film "overtly opulent".
For insight into Branaghs vision, watch this interview in he which describes some of his intentions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGX_qtZFtGc
I'm interested to hear what you guys think regarding the intensity of the acting and the portrayal of Hamlet. Though I can understand how the audience may find the film to showcase "overacting," I believe this sort of delivery is necessary in such an assertive and pathos filled play. After all, "to be or not to be" is not a light question - you can't ask it in a normal tone and expect the weight of the words to be perceived. That being said, this form of acting definitely requires someone who is not only genius, but has a deep capacity for emotion.
Smith puts it well when he states,"Hamlet is extremely interesting because it shows, on the one hand, the beauty of Kenneth Branagh's genius, and, on the other, the excesses of his madness."
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6 comments:
I one hundred percent agree, Alana. I think his acting is fantastic. I also think that one of the reasons that one might perceive him as being too over dramatic is because of the language. All of the dialogue is in Shakespearean English which might have a factor in it because of the poetic sort of language that comes with it, and also that we don't converse in that style of language which makes the voices seem rather odd, which could be a factor in thinking that it is too over dramatic.
You can also catch Kenneth Branagh in several other films including Henry V and Murder on the Orient Express.
I also agree that Kenneth Branagh's acting is amazing as Hamlet. At first, I didn't like that he was hamlet because I imagined Hamlet as being much younger looking than he is and the fact that he has a big mustache didn't help either. However, I was wrong to think this way because he portrays Hamlet very well especially when it comes to emotional scenes. The way he says his lines makes it seem very natural and realistic. While watching the movie, I never really thought that the intensity of his acting was excessive but rather that he was just that good at portraying the madness of Hamlet as a character. He just portrays Hamlet so well by capturing the change in Hamlet's personality as the play goes on. If you ask me, I rate his acting 10/10.
I feel that I'm on the fence when it comes to Branagh's acting. I love when he is potraying Hamlet in his "crazy" mode when Hamlet wants to make everyone believe he is mad. He zeal and intensity during these scenes comes through strong and truly makes the character. It emphasizes Hamlets quick wit, anger, and mockery of Polonius, making for humorous and believable scenes. But during the scenes when Hamlet is thinking to himself or talking to those he trusts such as Horatio, I believe he over does it. He doesn't pull it back enough and instead of those scenes portraying a more subtle emotion, they become more "in your face" about it. One of the major motifs of the story is the Hamlet ponders too much, is all thought but no action. I believe those scenes should show the more depressed, subdued part of Hamlet's character. Hamlet, the character who contemplated suicided in "too be or not too be", should be shown to be more sullen and lost, along with his anger and desire for revenge. Branagh's portrayal, I believe, seems to give off anger above all else most of the time, and it washes over the more subtle, yet just as important, emotions Hamlet contains.
I totally agree with you! I was particularly blown away by the scenes we watched in class Friday. I was just so mesmerized by his ability to put everything into his character, and how he truly portrayed the inner turmoil of Hamlet throughout the play. When we first saw his character, I was definitely skeptical about him, considering he didn't exactly look like the young, bright prince I imagined while reading the play. I later realized that Branagh has his own type of charm, which he manipulates in order to accurately portray his role.
When commenting on acting in the 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh, of course, is the best on screen, especially since he is the genius behind it all as the director. I also wanted to, however, comment on the presence of Robin Williams in the movie because it is interesting to see someone so loved and classic play a role that in its nature, is present for comic relief. Just as he had as the genie, and as Teddy Roosevelt, to name a few examples, Robin Williams had a notable on screen presence as Osric in Hamlet. He played a character that, as I previously relayed, was written for the sake of comic relief and to therefore take a break from the heaviness of the play's plot. Through his familiar face and ability to perform in a renowned tragedy, the movie was that much more enjoyable.
Hey if y'all look at Lainey's previous post about Branagh, there are some really cool pictures of his movies. Even one from Harry Potter...(!!!!!!!)
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