Regan Coseni Mme Poliquin English – EAE 4U 11/11/11 Critical Review of Hamlet Films, Act 3: Zeffirelli vs. Branagh There are numerous different portrayals of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, whether they are in the form of films, books or theatrical plays, they are all better than the other in different aspects and for specific reasons. In this critical review, we will make a comparison of Act 3 between Franco Zeffirelli’s film version of “Hamlet” starring Mel Gibson and Kennith Branagh’s film version of “Hamlet” starring Branagh, himself. First, as far as faithfulness to sequence and language in comparison to the original written version of Act 3, Branagh’s is pretty well identical in both senses. On the other hand, Zeffirelli’s version switches a few things up. To start with, in the original version as well as Branagh’s version of “Hamlet”, the “To be or not to be” soliloquy comes before Hamlets encounter with Ophelia, where as in Zeffirelli’s version of the play, Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy comes after the scene where he speaks with Ophelia.
In Mel Gibson’s version of Hamlet, Hamlet’s acting is outstanding because while watching the play we can see the effort and talent Gibson has put in the movie. Gibson knows what his lines are and he exactly knows what his actions are. His acting is so natural because while he was acting the audience can feel the pain he is suffering through. Another difference in both versions of the movie is; in Kenneth’s version it does not seem that the play is acted in the theatre, but it is done by professionals. Kenneth’s version is filmed as Hamlet family is very royal and rich; also the house is a mansion.
The actors speak Shakespeare’s dialogue eloquently and beautifully which I can personally deem as poetry in motion. Having Macbeth interpreted this way; I believe that it makes it much more relatable and easier to understand. Often times, people have trouble when it comes to Shakespeare’s choice of words and how he lays out the discourse of his plays. In this film, that dilemma seems to be thrown out the window and the words paired with the actions, actors, and setting in the film, make it effortless to follow along. The acting is spot-on in this film.
Cinematic Contrast In any movie based on a book, there are significant differences between the text and the film. James Whale’s film Frankenstein from 1931 is no exception. Almost all plots and details must be altered in some way when a book is made into a movie, due to many obvious factors. Whale made several effective changes to the story that made the movie successful, as well as making the transition from book to movie more seamless and flowing. Some of the changes were to the characters’ relationships, and others were to the setting.
I agree with several points that this article makes. The first one being that translation is by nature is imperfect. To my way of thinking, translations are best conveyed with the reader is able to grasp the same emotions/connections that were intended by the original author. Language barriers play a huge role in translation because often, it is limited to the words that are common to both languages and the test are just depictions of the translators interpretation of the text. The Text states that Moliere wrote many different types of plays and they were well known for their timeless characters, which is still well known.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Many scholars and critics complain that Mark Twain botches the ending of his novel. I think the ending is was consistent with the entire novel and is important the way it is. Huckleberry Finn (Huck) is actually poised and ready for change in this life and his progression was not destroyed as a result of the ending. As a reader I was able to see Huck go from an unsure boy to a confident young adult with a great sense of right and wrong. We are reminded again with the ending to remember that Huck is just a simple boy who just wants to go with the flow of whatever life brings.
Most of the tempos are extremely slow and a mellow romantic tone. There is sound in movies that are not to dramatize the scene but to rather notify the audience that this is an important scene coming up. There are specific elements that should evident, the movement and tone of actors must be believable to convey a story. After viewing trailer, two films come to mind in which the music, narrative, and structure was changed to present two very different themes, one of cheerfulness and the other of horror. The costumes, expressions and music executed, to get the desired end.
Level 3 15-22 Uses specific details, chosen appropriately, to address the question directly. Demonstrates a focused understanding of how the characters of Romeo and Juliet are affected by fate and destiny in the play. A clear, personal response will be evident. May offer a confident analysis of how fate and destiny are explored in this play. Spelling, punctuation and grammar used with considerable accuracy; there are few errors.
When Horatio first saw the ghost he remained even tempered and even ordered for it to say what they wanted to know. “If thou art privy to thy country’s fate ….O, speak! Or if thou hast uphoarded in they life extorted treasure in the womb of earth….Speak of it, stay and speak!” The only decision that Horatio did not agree with Hamlet on, was the decision that cost Hamlet his life. Although Hamlet died, he asked Horatio to complete an important act. .“If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart…Absent thee from felicity a while…and in this harsh world draw thy breath is pain…to tell my story.” Hamlet asks his friend to tell his story after he actually dies.
Character Development in Lord of the Flies The ability to create characters of depth plagues many a contemporary writer. Many of those writers should look to William Golding for expertise on this issue. Golding diverges from the path of contemporary authors and sets an example of how character development should be accomplished in his novel, Lord of the Flies. Golding's Ralph exemplifies this author's superior style of character development in this novel. At the commencement of the novel, the author introduces Ralph as an innocent boy far from adulthood.