meadow4.ca

This is a link for an online version of a book called, A Concise Companion to Shakespeare on Screen,by Diana E. Henderson (editor). The part I chose is written by Peter S. Donaldson.  

The part I have focused on explains a potentially key reason for why Almereyda chose to use a clip of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, teacher and peace activist. It cites the screenplay of that specific clip with Hamlet on his computer while the other screen in the background is displaying a clip of Thich Nhat Hanh explaining the concept and meaning of “interbeing”. The resource explains the relevancy of the background voice to the theme of the play and that specific scene. Because Hamlet’s most famous line, “to be or not to be”, is being illustrated, the wise speech about “interbeing” and how you need people to “be”,  is rather symbolic and relevant. In that scene, Hamlet is looking over the video taped Ophelia—hinting that Ophelia is that being he needs to “be.” 

This information is helpful for our film study. Firstly, it shows a technique for strongly and cleverly interpreting the message of a specific scene without merely getting the characters to spell it out for us. In this case, Almereyda uses a simple zoom-in to the TV screen and a wise, well known individual to smoothly and somewhat subliminally lay out the message—Hamlet’s solitude and his need for others (especially Ophelia) to “be”. Secondly, this information also allows us to clearly and thoroughly understand why Almereyda chooses the details he put in—from the particular book Ophelia holds to cover her face to the camera angels Hamlet chooses to use to video tape Ophelia.

This online text allows us to deepen our knowledge about Almereyda’s (Hollywood’s) technique to creatively and subtly integrate and communicate the significance of the scene with an intertexual element, while also explaining the actual symbolism and meaning and the relevancy of Thich Nhat Hanh’s speech in the movie during the specific scene.   

Work Cited

Henderson, Diana. E. “A Concise Companion to Shakespeare on Screen.” 2006: 226-228. Google Book Search. December 12, 2008 <http://books.google.ca/books?id=bbaL2JWiklUC&printsec=frontcover#PPA226,M1>