Comparing Bennett's Hamlet with Branagh's Hamlet

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Comparing Bennett's Hamlet with Branagh's Hamlet

Many of Shakespeare's works have been transposed from stage to screen, none so more than Hamlet. Two of the most unique film appropriations of the play are to be found in Rodney Bennett's 1980 film and Kenneth Branagh's 1996 blockbuster. The two films share many parallels between them in both interpretation and method, however they also have marked differences in their respective approaches to the text.

Perhaps the most obvious difference between these two versions is that Branagh uses the full unabridged text whereas Bennett cuts the play down by an hour or so; Kenneth Branagh justifies his use of the full text on the BBC's website stating: "When you cut the play ... what often happens is that you compress a lot of very intense set pieces and it becomes unbearable to watch. You simply fail to take some things in because you need a breath."

Another marked difference in the two versions lies in the focus of the two films. Bennett's Hamlet focuses almost entirely on the character of Hamlet himself and the domestic tragedy that occurs around him. An example of this in the film how Derek Jacobi as Hamlet speaks directly to the camera while in soliloquy. This establishes a certain rapport between Hamlet and the viewer, as if he is speaking directly to them, this also makes the film seem more theatrical in a sense. Branagh de-centres the story from around Hamlet and focuses on the wider situation, particularly with regards to Denmark's political situation. In this appropriation Hamlet is merely one player among many. This interpretative decision is reflected in the casting of the film; Kenneth Branagh takes the title role among severa...

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...rbook vol.8: Hamlet on Screen, Ed.H. Klein & D. Daphinoff, Edwin Mellen Press, 1997

Sauer, David Kennedy. `Suiting the Word to the Action: Kenneth Branagh's interpolations in Hamlet', Shakespeare Yearbook vol.8: Hamlet on Screen, Ed.H. Klein & D. Daphinoff, Edwin Mellen Press, 1997

Wilmeth, Thomas L. `Fortinbras on Film: Safe Passage for the Prince', Shakespeare Yearbook vol.8: Hamlet on Screen, Ed.H. Klein & D. Daphinoff, Edwin Mellen Press, 1997

Audio Visual

Bennett, Rodney. Hamlet, Shakespeare W., BBC Education, 1980

Branagh, Kenneth. Hamlet, Shakespeare W., Castle Rock Entertainment, 1996

Internet Resources

`The Filming of Hamlet - Text Interpretation'. BBC Education, 15/03/02

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/hamlet.html

`Cineaste Branagh Interview', Cineaste Film Review, 15/03/02

http://www.cineaste.com

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