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“Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) is entreated by his mother (Diane Venora) as his uncle Claudius (Kyle MacLachlan) watches in the background in Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet” (Picture taken from EBSCO cited below)

Michael Almereyda’Hamlet a modern day adaption of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is reviewed by Nochimson Martha P. of Cineaste. It writes about general information of the movie such as cast, genre, settings and the plots. It also provides us some specific thoughts to help us understand the plots as well as differences from the original Hamlet play. This is specialy useful for the people who struggle to understand Shakespearean language. Although the movie is suppose to represent modern day such as capitalism in place of monarchy, there are places where we get out of touch as Dr. Nochimson says:

Well, there has certainly been a lot of variation in the representation of the Ghost. But the revenant of Old Hamlet is always impalpable and just out of Hamlet’s reach, in keeping with its insubstantiality, the elusiveness of justice, and the difficulty of meeting standards of rational proof, especially in the case of a murder about which only the victim can speak.

However, Michael Almereyda’s choice of postmodernism approach to Hamlet is very unique among Shakespeare’s adapters, which in away makes it interesting to watch the movie.

Works Cited

Nochimson, Martha P. “Hamlet (Motion Picture Review).” Cineaste 25.4 (Sep. 2000): 37. Canadian Reference Centre. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 14 Dec. 2008 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=3719346&site=ehost-live>

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This article/review explains the differences between Hamlet, the play and character and Almereyda’s Hamlet and Ethan Hawke. It explains the modernism of Almereyda’s Hamlet and how the modern view intrigues people today because we are better able to relate to the characters, even though Shakespearean language is used. It praises Almereyda’s most special feature in the movie—Hamlet’s video camera. Making Hamlet use a video camera replaces the boring monologues with an actual picture of the things Hamlet and family had been through or the things racing through his mind. Moreover, it briefly goes through most of the differences between Hamlet, the play and Hamlet, the modern movie—from the differences in job titles to the shrinking of scenes to the setting and of course, the technological aspect. It commends Almereyda’s ability to make the plot meaningful and symbolic even with omitting many scenes and shortening the ones used.

This site will be helpful in our study of the film as it allows us to compare the differences between the original Hamlet and Ethan Hawke, the modern version. It also introduces us to different important features (Hamlet’s camera, Denmark Corporation) used in Almereyda’s Hamlet and how these elements strengthen the movie in today’s society. This helps us better understand Almereyda’s choices in the movie and helps us understand which scenes are more valued than others (the article goes over the parts not used or altered in the scenes of the movie but used or different in the play). This review basically makes us aware of Almereyda’s impressive and intelligent use or his resources in making Hamlet similar to the legendary play but also making it more original and appropriate to our society and emotions.

Works Cited:

Evans, Alyssa. “Differences and Similarities Between Hamlet and the Ethan Hawke Version of Hamlet.” Review. Associated Content. 21 Jan. 2008. 14 Dec. 2008 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/555401/differences_and_similarities_between.html?page=2&cat=40>.

In the movie, “Hamlet” by Michael Almereyda, i found myself wondering at times which actor was who and why the director chose to show Hamlet in the way he did. Mr. Jonathan Rosenbaum shed some light on Michael Almereyda’s work and the way he likes to use devices like the the shots of the video devices “serving as a kind of Greek chorus” giving us the idea that everyone is being watched by someone. The site that Jonathan Rosenbaum has created talks about that. It also talks about the different people who were apart of the cast. Another site i found which was very interesting was Ross Anthony’s Hollywood Report Card. This site talks about the different faces which are portrayed by Almereyda which Hamlet has. Ross Anthony talks about talks about what the movie conveys on different issues which are raised like the relationship between work and family life, on philosophy, and on the delivery of Hamlet by the performers. Ross Anthony practically just reviews the movie, and it is very interesting to those who have watched the movie and tried anaylzing it, the information may make some anaylzers realise aspects of the movie which where not noticed before. Another very interesting site which i found was about an interview with Michael Almereyda, Ethan Hawk and Rob Blackwelder on Contactmusic.com. The interview mainly talks about what Almereyda was thinking about how to make a movie of Shakespeare’s work and have it set in modern times and as an actor how Mr. Hawke felt as the actor. This site is very insightful and sheds light on to the thinking of the director and what he wanted to be portrayed by his version of Hamlet. 

Work Cited

Anthony, Ross. “INTERVIEWS WITH ACTOR ETHAN HAWKE AND DIRECTOR MICHAEL ALMEREYDA OF “HAMLET”" Hollywood Report Card. 14 Dec. 2008. 14 Dec. 2008 <http://www.rossanthony.com/interviews/hawke.shtml>.

The link from Youtube is a trailer to one of Almereyda`s films, called Nadja, a vampire story taken place in New York City, where a family of vampires are trying to accept one another after the death of their father (IMDb).

I found that, watching the trailer for the movie, you can see elements that Almereyda used in Nadja that he also used in Hamlet. For instance, in the trailer, you can see this woman telling her story, the camera facing her, while a film plays in the background (the scenery moving backwards), and this is just like the beginning scenes of Hamlet. Not only that, but there are scenes in Nadja that have been digitized and blurred, as though a memory, or of a person`s perspective, and this technique was also used in Hamlet. Even the story setting is the same - Nadja and Hamlet both took place in New York City. And the music styles featured in both movies are very similar.

Because there are similarities in styles from the same director, this can help towards understanding why Almereyda did what he did when reproducing and depicting his version of Hamlet.  Watching his other movies can help us in distinguishing, understanding, and interpreting his style of filming, and will thus help us in understanding his version of the story.

“Nadja (1994)”. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
    14 December 2008 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110620/>.
“Youtube - Nadja (Movie Trailer)”. Youtube.
    14 December 2008 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZr6N_ABr8s&NR=1>.

This link leads to an article that talks about Michael Almereyda’s post modern Hamlet, and compares it to the many versions of Hamlet that were made beforehand.  It examines the relationships between various characters in the film, conventions of postmodern film, and also how media is an extension of man (which reminded me of In The Skin of a Lion).

For those of us who do not understand why Almereyda used modern day New York as the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this article explains it well.  We know that Almereyda had viewed many other films before the making of his own, and on page 4 and 5 this resource compares specific scenes to those of previous Hamlet films.  Although Almereyda’s film is quite modernized, he still incorporates attributes of films from the past, for example the cityscape with the many consumer billboards, and the colours presented throughout the film make it appear futuristic, yet beginning with inter titles is common in many silent films (5).

Pages 6-8 helps us understand the relationship between Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude, and the following page expands on the relationship Ophelia has with her father and Hamlet.  It presents us with examples in which modern technology is “intertwined” (9) with tragedy.

We also note that Hamlet contemplates on his life in the “Action” section of the film store, and this articles tells us that in the background, the film Crow Part 2 which is “all about burdens, history, consumption, and youthful angst, exactly the issues troubling Hamlet” (10).

Goldmane, Ilona. “Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet in the Postmodern Existential Vacuum.” 14 Dec. 2008 <http://www.shaksper.net/review-papers/goldmane2.pdf>.

This interview is a combination of Almereyda and Ethan Hawke talking about their experience in the movie Hamlet. Hawke talks about how this movie was about different compared to the other Hamlets because it was more realistic and in the new century. The fact that it took Hawke a long time to do this movie and that during the making of the movie he was married and then a father. Almereyda talked about how he used the film on Aki Kaurismaki’s 1987 movie Hamlet Goes Business as a guide. Also that Almereyda used companies like Pepsi and Carlsberg beer to show the Danish King. At the end there are separate paragraphs talking about different characters which help us to vision them in a different way. This interview compares Hamlet of Almereyda`s to Branagh which shows the difference between them the good and bad. Certain things Almereyda changed to make things better. The way Almereyda had made the ghost part look more realistic than Branagh did.

This interview will help us to see Hamlet by the vision of the author because it talks about certain techniques he used and how he made it new and better. This interview compares the Branagh and Almereyda`s vision of Hamlet. How Branagh version of Hamlet had the mistake of the ghost which wrecked the whole idea about the ghost whereas he used Branagh weakness as strength and made that part better. The different paragraphs about the characters help us know a little background about them and their work in the film. This will help us view them in that way and try to look at where they were right or wrong. The different ways it was different from other version and how they tried to make it look more in the 21^st century type of movie. Also Hawke difficulties and the fact that it was challenging and different give us background information about him and how this was something different. Overall we get help to know the characters, the director, the different techniques used in this film and how Almereyda try to portray this film into something unique.

Busack, Richard V. “Great Dance in the Morning: Almereyda’s new version of ‘Hamlet’ stands up to its predecessors.” Metroactive Movies. 31 May 2000. Metro Publishing Inc. 12 Dec. 2008 <http://www. metroactive. com/papers/metro/05.25.00/hamlet-0021.html>.

The article The Dane event by Daniel Fierman talks about the new interpretation of Shakespeare’s play - Michael Almereyda’s ”Hamlet”. It sheds light on the important monologues that were not added from the original “Hamlet” to make its interpretation, the reasons for why Almereyda and Hawke chose the film, and the experimental changes they made to the film (such as cutting back major scenes, placing the story to present-day New York, and changing the countries into corporations).

This article is beneficial to our study of Almereyda’s Hamlet because it talks about Almereyda’s idea for wanting a young character to play the role of Hamlet and why he chose to shoot in New York. The idea of choosing New York in place of Denmark gives the post modern setting to the film; it also makes it also makes it more “today” which helps the viewers relate to it. The article deepens our understanding, as the audience, as to why Almereyda ommited sections of the original play to give it a more Post-Modern effect.  This resource provides knowledge of the differences between the previous interpretations of Hamlet and Almereyda’s more modern version.

 Fierman, Daniel. “The Dane event.” EW.com. 2008. Entertainment weekly. 123 Dec. 2008 <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,276339,00.html>.