Hamlet

General Film Distributors (GFD) | Release Date: September 29, 1948

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brendanmcc02Sep 4, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not a faithful adaptation, but a faithful one would have a runtime of 9 hours. The length of the material is always a dilemma for any filmmaker that braces Shakespeare's masterpiece: Hamlet.

Personally, I was fine with the cut material. One of the omissions were the duo of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; who's function were to reveal the dark side to Hamlet, when he has them ruthlessly killed without remorse. While this is not included in the film, there is still a dark edge shrouded in mystery with Olivier's Hamlet - evident through his brutal stabbing of his uncle and his morbid ruminations ("How long will a man lie i' the earth ere he rot?").

However, what I personally loved about the film was Olivier's respect for the many themes of Hamlet. When I first read Hamlet, I was fascinated by the Play's themes of Death and Legacy. Luckily enough, one of the main focuses of this adaptation were the themes of Death and Legacy. So in a way, this version was tailored to my taste.

Like the ribbon on an already-perfect gift-box, the final sequence of the film serves as a perfect finale to the tragedy of Elsinore. The shot first wades through the corridors of Elsinore as Hamlet is carried upon the shoulders of four soldiers - a regal and heroic image, this image cements the everlasting legacy that Hamlet will hold among the rooms and halls of Elsinore. The shot then lingers to the pansies that Ophelia left behind - calling back to the theme of legacy and remembrance. We then cut to the prayer room, this being the place where Hamlet succumbed to his procrastination and inaction earlier in the film. This illuminates the change in Hamlet's character, contrasting sharply against his "This is I, Hamlet the Dane!" moment in the graveyard. Following this, the camera pans to his mother's bedroom, calling back to Hamlet's verbal assault at his mother. I would argue that Hamlet's insanity reached an apex, causing him to be overwhelmed and to thus lash out at his mother in this scene. This highlights the contrast between Hamlet's troubled state earlier in the film compared to his great sense of purpose that he displayed when he returned to Elsinore. The camera then smoothly transitions (a very impressive feat for a non-American production in 1948) to darkly-lit image of Hamlet being hoisted to the tower on Elsinore: a highly effective metaphor, conveying the heroic legacy that Hamlet will leave behind. This is a perfect ending for the Dane, as he has always had a harrowing fear towards death - however, the memory and stories that he leaves behind will ensure that he will never be forgotten. So in a way, Hamlet has conquered his ultimate fear of death because he will always be remembered.… Expand

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