Hamlet (2000)
In connection with the many classic stories that were adapted in the 1990s and early 2000s, this version of Hamlet was adopted to a modern setting. In present-day New York City, Denmark Corporation and Elsinore Hotel take the place of Shakespeare’s original locals. The story is exactly the same: Diane Venora, recently widowed, has married her husband’s brother, Kyle MacLachlan, and her son, Ethan Hawke, can’t stop brooding about it. With modern touches, like a video montage instead of a play performance, and a camera bug instead of listening in through a panel in the wall, it promises to completely make the story accessible to a teen audience.
Except for one tiny detail: the language has not been updated. Every word spoken comes from the original Shakespearean play. Which means every actor and actress speaks Shakespeare with an American accent and modern inflections. I’m sure this will be deep and powerful to some viewers, but I couldn’t get behind it. I couldn’t help laughing when Ethan Hawke lamented, “To be or not to be,” in the middle of cruising the aisles at Blockbuster Video. When he leaves, “Get thee to a nunnery” on Julia Stiles’s voicemail, it just doesn’t have the same effect.
I’m all for giving actors a chance to branch out, but sometimes it just can’t be done. It was hard enough taking the regular actors seriously, but throwing in cast members who have never (and should never) speak Shakespeare made it impossible. Bill Murray, Steve Zahn, and Casey Affleck? Somehow, it worked when Kenneth Branagh did it, but it didn’t work in this movie.
I can’t imagine any teenager understanding this version of Hamlet any better than the others, so if your goal is to shed some light on the original text before your midterm test, stick with Richard Burton or Kenneth Branagh. At least you won’t laugh, and those actors can actually communicate what they’re saying, unlike this modern cast.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. Most of the movie is filmed with a handheld camera, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Julia Stiles movies here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1948's Hamlet here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1964's Hamlet here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1964's Hamlet at Elsinore here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1996's Hamlet here!
Except for one tiny detail: the language has not been updated. Every word spoken comes from the original Shakespearean play. Which means every actor and actress speaks Shakespeare with an American accent and modern inflections. I’m sure this will be deep and powerful to some viewers, but I couldn’t get behind it. I couldn’t help laughing when Ethan Hawke lamented, “To be or not to be,” in the middle of cruising the aisles at Blockbuster Video. When he leaves, “Get thee to a nunnery” on Julia Stiles’s voicemail, it just doesn’t have the same effect.
I’m all for giving actors a chance to branch out, but sometimes it just can’t be done. It was hard enough taking the regular actors seriously, but throwing in cast members who have never (and should never) speak Shakespeare made it impossible. Bill Murray, Steve Zahn, and Casey Affleck? Somehow, it worked when Kenneth Branagh did it, but it didn’t work in this movie.
I can’t imagine any teenager understanding this version of Hamlet any better than the others, so if your goal is to shed some light on the original text before your midterm test, stick with Richard Burton or Kenneth Branagh. At least you won’t laugh, and those actors can actually communicate what they’re saying, unlike this modern cast.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. Most of the movie is filmed with a handheld camera, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Julia Stiles movies here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1948's Hamlet here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1964's Hamlet here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1964's Hamlet at Elsinore here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1996's Hamlet here!