Free tickets with free popcorn so may be biased, but I really enjoyed this adaptation and you should definitely check this out. [Spoilers for the alterations and adaptation choices going forward]
However, I have two issue which is Elsinore and the Ghost. An often overlooked aspect is the play’s setting. The corruption of Denmark through the actions of Claudius is emphasised right at the beginning of the play yet this corruption (imo) is overlooked in this adaptation. Rather this is a very deeply personal adaptation of Hamlet, the monologues are extremely claustrophobic and if I remember correctly I don’t think Hamlet is ever actually absent, which again reinforces this personal element since we (as viewers) are limited to Hamlet’s view and perspective. This does come at the expense of this revolutionary aspect Riz Ahmed had emphasised in the pre-movie documentary which showed before this at the screening. Every action feels like it’s been determined by Hamlet’s desire to avenge his father, not save Elsinore. In fact in this adaptation Elsinore possibly cannot be saved, as it’s a property empire that has seemingly displaced many leaving them homeless. In fact, a change I quite liked was rooted in this. Fortinbras is a homeless man fighting back against the tyranny of the property empire, thus placing him as a moral superior to Hamlet, but a relatively powerless figure. A cool interesting change, but it lasted like 5 minutes he speaks to Hamlet after replacing the role of the pirates and is never seen again, which again reinforces to me the idea of this adaptation being very personal and revenge-driven. This places the corruption of the company as a side story that’s not present in Hamlet’s mind or conscience. In addition to this the fact that Elsinore is a property development company(?) raises some issues. One how could Claudius corrupt an already corrupt business model, and two why does Hamlet not acknowledge that his father is just as bad as Claudius? Surely that would cause some serious doubt, but I didn’t get that impression whatsoever. It also removes that element of Claudius and Hamlet’s father being antithetical leaders. It’s just not present here. Hamlet’s father just has a nice warm smile compared to Claudius ig? So this revenge is fuelled purely by Hamlet’s love for his father and his apparition’s wish of revenge and maybe because Elsinore was always a bad company that needed to be taken down. Idk it felt very wishy washy with the Elsinore stuff and the class dimension.
Despite these critiques I did overall really enjoy it. It’s a very different adaptation and I appreciate the originality. Camerawork is also really good at serving the performances. Check it out !!!
Free tickets with free popcorn so may be biased, but I really enjoyed this adaptation and you should definitely check this out. [Spoilers for the alterations and adaptation choices going forward]
However, I have two issue which is Elsinore and the Ghost. An often overlooked aspect is the play’s setting. The corruption of Denmark through the actions of Claudius is emphasised right at the beginning of the play yet this corruption (imo) is overlooked in this adaptation. Rather this is a very deeply personal adaptation of Hamlet, the monologues are extremely claustrophobic and if I remember correctly I don’t think Hamlet is ever actually absent, which again reinforces this personal element since we (as viewers) are limited to Hamlet’s view and perspective. This does come at the expense of this revolutionary aspect Riz Ahmed had emphasised in the pre-movie documentary which showed before this at the screening. Every action feels like it’s been determined by Hamlet’s desire to avenge his father, not save Elsinore. In fact in this adaptation Elsinore possibly cannot be saved, as it’s a property empire that has seemingly displaced many leaving them homeless. In fact, a change I quite liked was rooted in this. Fortinbras is a homeless man fighting back against the tyranny of the property empire, thus placing him as a moral superior to Hamlet, but a relatively powerless figure. A cool interesting change, but it lasted like 5 minutes he speaks to Hamlet after replacing the role of the pirates and is never seen again, which again reinforces to me the idea of this adaptation being very personal and revenge-driven. This places the corruption of the company as a side story that’s not present in Hamlet’s mind or conscience. In addition to this the fact that Elsinore is a property development company(?) raises some issues. One how could Claudius corrupt an already corrupt business model, and two why does Hamlet not acknowledge that his father is just as bad as Claudius? Surely that would cause some serious doubt, but I didn’t get that impression whatsoever. It also removes that element of Claudius and Hamlet’s father being antithetical leaders. It’s just not present here. Hamlet’s father just has a nice warm smile compared to Claudius ig? So this revenge is fuelled purely by Hamlet’s love for his father and his apparition’s wish of revenge and maybe because Elsinore was always a bad company that needed to be taken down. Idk it felt very wishy washy with the Elsinore stuff and the class dimension.
Despite these critiques I did overall really enjoy it. It’s a very different adaptation and I appreciate the originality. Camerawork is also really good at serving the performances. Check it out !!!
