Hamlet

Michael Almereyda, USA, 2000
3 out of 4 stars

Well believe it or not, the film gets better with each viewing. I loathed this adaptation the first time I watched it. I believed that everyone, with the possible exception of Bill Murray, completely flubbed their lines and that the script was cut so much that if you weren't already intimately familiar with the plotline of the play, you wouldn't even be able to follow along.

A lot of that is still true, but as I wrote a paper on this for a seminar (watching it again), then wrote a "revision" that was basically a new paper, for a conference (watching it this time), I began to appreciate this interpretation for what it is. When I watched the Branagh again in 2004, I realized that Michael Almereyda actually does certain scenes better (these are actually the only two versions I've seen). Furthermore, Julia Stiles' awkward line readings actually inform the version of her character portrayed here (on which my paper was centered).

So, deciding to study a film you don't think much of can eventually give you more of an appreciation for it. I still wouldn't recommend this film, but without seeing the Zeferelli or the Olivier (and having little interest, admittedly), I can't say that there is a definitive Hamlet film. But why should there be?

Source: Buena Vista DVD
1 January, 3:20 PM