Blog Post #4

In Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet, there are many examples and ways that mis en scene plays a role in portraying one of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies  When the scene opens, the audience sees Hamlet standing very rigid in the lobby in front of a large, full body mirror with no background music. He is wearing old fashioned black garb to represent the saddened and depressed mood he is in. He begins the speech and as it plays out, the camera as well has Hamlet get closer and closer to the mirror. After line 20 and when Hamlet says, "With a bare bodkin?" (3.1.21), he pulls out a knife from the waistband of his pants. At that time, the camera cuts from Hamlet to a close up of King Claudius' face. His face is filled with shock and a little bit of fear. Throughout the whole scene there is diegetic sound because Hamlet is speaking with no other sounds around.

In Laurence Olivier's version of Hamlet, the opening scene is much different than Branagh's version. The soliloquy opens with the camera man walking up a spiraling staircase with an increasing tempo of music. Finally, the camera gets to the top of what appears to be a tower of some sort. It pans out to show the ocean below and comes to rest on Hamlet. Hamlet again, is dressed in dark clothing from olden times. The background is very dark and foggy and there is constant slow moving music behind. Contrary to Branagh's version, Olivier chooses to draw his knife on line 5 when he says, "And by opposing end them" (3.1.5)? From lines 6-9, Olivier is seen with his eyes closed and the speech is being spoken in his mind. The camera zooms in closer and closer until it is so close that the audience can see the beads of sweat that have formed on his forehead. At line 10, right when he says, "Perchance to dream..." (3.1.10), Hamlet leans onto his side and begins saying the speech out loud again. He drops the knife into the ocean and that shows the decision he has made not to end his life. Towards the end of the soliloquy, the camera switches to a side angle where the audience sees Hamlet walking into a mass of fog. There is a lot of non-diegetic sound in this version with the sound of the ocean and wind combined with the background music.

In Mel Gibson's version of Hamlet, the scene opens with Hamlet walking down stairs into an underground room that seems to be a dungeon/prison. This is the most Gothic and dark scene of all of the videos. He is wearing dark clothes, just like the other videos we have watched. The camera focuses on Gibson's face quite often throughout the speech, emphasizing the emotions that he is able to display solely through his facial expressions. He closes his eyes multiple times and when he opens them back up, he paces to another area of the room. There are many instances where the camera pans to the sides of the room and shows the actual contents of it. This emphasizes the dark and depressed state of mind Hamlet is in. After the speech is over, Hamlet walks back up the stairs and portrays the choice of life that Hamlet has made. As with Branagh's version, Gibson's version had only diegetic sound.

In Ethan Hawke's version of Hamlet, the scene is much MUCH different than the previous three. Rather than being in dark and olden day clothes, Hamlet is seen in a very modern dress, complete with a grey jacket and a beanie hat. He is in a movie rental place (probably Blockbusters) and for the first parts of the soliloquy, the speech is said in his head rather than out loud. There is creepy music in the background that continues throughout the whole scene. Hamlet walks down the "Action" aisle and I believe that it serves the purpose of showing how hectic and anxious his feelings and thoughts are at the time. Like with the Gibson version, Hawke paces back and forth throughout the theater to show how antsy and distraught he is.

After watching all four versions of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy  I have decided that the first version by Branagh was most effective in delivering the text. As I sat in secrecy watching my dear son walk into the room, I could already feel the tension and suspense in the room. Having the scene in such a large lobby definitely helped portray Hamlet's feelings about being insignificant and depressed. The presence of the mirror definitely helped with showing the intrinsic reflection that Hamlet was doing on himself. As he walked closer and closer to the mirror, I could see clearly on his face the emotions and conflicts that he was feeling. I wished so much to reach out and embrace him but alas, I could not lest he find out I was eavesdropping. As he drew his knife, my beloved husband's face was shown with one of mixed fear and shock. This perfectly interprets how much Claudius cares of my son, even though Hamlet acts very sour and rude to him.

If I was directing this scene, I definitely wouldn't have put part of the soliloquy in the Hamlet's thoughts (Olivier and Hawke). I think that it was a lot more emotional and a better depiction of how Hamlet truly felt at the time when the character's said the speech out loud  The actor's ability to give the audience a slice of Hamlet's mentality would've been greater enhanced if they could have said the whole soliloquy. Also, I would have kept the scene in olden times unlike Ethan Hawke's version. I think that the black clothes and black and white/dark backgrounds were a much better way of giving the feel of depression and mental struggle that was choking Hamlet at the time. I just didn't think Hawke's version did a good job of showing how conflicted Hamlet was. The blockbuster setting really confused me because it didn't really have any effect on the audience at all...it was just randomly there.