June, 1997 Hartford Courant
Honors |
A Mind's Eye Glimpse at Screen Versions of Hamlet
By David DiVincenzo
Senior year highlights include skipping school, annoying underclassmen and waiting for the year to pass. But an unexpected highlight for my senior year was reading and learning to understand the tragedy of Hamlet.
I was guided by multi-talented Mrs. Jessica Spillane while exploring the Shakespearean text. I felt a connection between the world Shakespeare's depicts and my present life.
To enhance our understanding of the play my friends Maria Silva, Kelly
Denton, and I made a point to view both the 1948 academy award winning screen
version directed by Sir Laurence Olivier and Franco Zefferelli's 1990 release
starring Mel Gibson.
There are differences between Shakespeare's text, the Olivier, and the Zefferelli. In Hamlet's first scene, Olivier omits Hamlet snide remark, "I am too much in the sun," which suggests his hostility toward Claudius. The quote is included in Zefferelli's version. In the Zefferelli, Gibson cries, "Frailty thy name is women!" While the Olivier delivers the quote in a quiet tone.
Gibson, an Australian, is quite competent in his portrayal of Hamlet. Olivier is more natural in the role and moves far more gracefully than Gibson, especially when directing the players and fencing with Laertes.
Olivier's film omits the character of Fortinbras. "Olivier had become a devotee of the Freudian critic Ernest Jones, prior to directing his version of Hamlet. His portrayal emphasizes the interpretation of Hamlet as a man plagued by an Oedipal complex," explained English instructor Frank Alagno.
"Leaving out Fortinbras is a major problem in Olivier's film. To begin to understand Hamlet, it is essential to compare his actions to the young men in the play who are faced with similar tasks of avenging their fathers: the hot blooded Laertes, the brutal Pyrrhus, and the militaristic Fortinbras," he added.
