Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' based on 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare

• How faithful is the movie to the original play? after watching the movie, have your perception about play, characters or situations changed?  

The movie is faithful in terms of the soliloquy and the dialogues spoken by the characters in the play. The main incidents like the madness of Ophelia, grave digging scene etc are very well shown in the film as similar to the way it is described in the original play

But there are many things in the movie which is different from the original play in terms of costumes, customs. Even in the film hamlet is portrayed as too old than the real Prince Hamlet in the play who is very young.

there are many changes made in this film. The presence of ghost is shown by the movement of the sword of the statue whereas in the play the text is unable to show it dramatic movement.Even the falling of the statue at the end is also indicates a big change. So after watching the film my perception about the play, character and the situation is totally changed.

• Do you feel aesthetic delight while watching the movie?

In the film the players came to enact on stage as per the instructions and some dialogues given by Hamlet.When they are performing the incident which relates to the life of Claudius, Gertrude and King Hamlet, both the husband and wife that is Claudius and Gertrude became fearful and Claudius leaves that place immediately. From this scene we saw relief on the face of prince Hamlet because his doubt about hte murder of king Hamlet is clear now and he surely comes to conclude that Claudius is the only murderer of his father. This scene gives aesthetic delight to me, as I feel delightful that how cleverly Hamlet with is wit power unfold the truth in front of the audience.

The way drama performed shows the sense of aesthetic delight. the audience sitting step by step as just like they are sitting in the theater. the director very nicely presents this scene in the film.

• Do you feel catharsis while or after watching the film?

Yes, I feel catharsis in the film when Ophelia gone mad. The madness of Ophelia is very miserable. We feel pity and fear that how innocent Ophelia turns to madness because of the three men in her life. The first is her father who abuse her for his own motives. He did not understand that how truly Ophelia loves Hamlet and he used her against Hamlet.

Even her brother Laertes also involves in the same. Hamlet also used abusing words for her. There is no one in the play who understand the plight of Ophelia. She suffers internally a lot and afterwards she gone mad.

• Does screening of the movie helped you in better understanding?

Yes the screening of the movie helps me a lot in better understanding of the play. It is obvious that by seeing the characters performing lively in the film, we remind them in a better way with each and every incident connected to them. But if we only read the text, it takes time to remember the lengthy text full of characters and all such things which is connected to them.

• Was there any particular scene that you will cherish lifetime

Yes, there was one scene when Hamlet takes the skull of the court jester's in the graveyard. That time he says that the skull of all humans is the same and the condition of all the skull is also same that it resolve into the earth. There is no difference between the skull of rich man and the poor. Similarly the skull of court jester's who made people laugh during his lifetime, is the same as the skull of over proudy human who waste his life in gaining materialistic things. At the end all thing destroy. This scene I will cherish lifetime, because it is the truth of life, it is the reality.

• If you are a director what changes would you like to make?

If I am a director first of all I bring the character of Ophelia strong and life like. A strong female character who knows her rights and who argue against all the wrong decisions taken by his father, instead of following blindly and will put her own point of view  regarding the things.

Even in the film of Robinson Crusoe, the director changed entire character of Friday. In text he was shown as weak and never disobeying his master but in film he is total opposite. Similarly I would like to change the character of Ophelia.

• What does the fallen statue signifies?

In the beginning of the movie, camera rolls over the statue of king Hamlet outside the Elsinore castle and the movie ends with the similar sequence wherein the statue of the king Hamlet is hammered down to the dust.

This fall of statue symbolically represent the fall of the dynasty of the king Hamlet,  or we can say that there remain no heir of king Hamlet and his rule over Denmark ends. The fall of the statue also signifies that at the end after death nothing remains, all things like pride, rule, money destroy with the cycle of the immortal time on the mortal things. 

Even in the poem 'Not marbles nor the gilded monuments', Shakespeare defines that time destroy the marble as well as gilded- gold plated monuments. Nothing is immortal in this world.

                                               

In the poem 'Ozymadias' Percy shelley describes that the statue of the king broken into pieces and the hand, head of the statue lay half sunken in the sand. there remain only pedestel of the statue where written " my name is Ozymandias, king of kings", but this proudy lines becomes useless because after the death, arrogant king and his statue loses its value. there is no one who recall him, his statue is lying all alone in that desert.

The fallen statue also suggests that the king Hamlet is responsible for his own fall. I f he did  not tell to Hamlet to take revenge of his murder then things and events will quite be different.

• While studying the play through movie, which approach do you find  more applicable?

While studying the play through movie I found Feminist approach more applicable. I found that Gertrude is being loved by king Hamlet ans Claudius as well as. Both the men treats her very well. but on the other side Hamlet who seems as misogynist use abusing words not only for his lover Ophelia but his mother also. he is shocked when his mother remarried after the death of king Hamlet immediately. What is the matter of shock? every woman has right to live life as the way she wants to live. Every woman have right to choose her own life partner. Why it is crime for woman only? man can marry to other woman not only after the death of former wife but also when his former wife is living. 

Hamlet used very abusive word for Gertrude:-

"O most pernicious woman"

In this way the morality of the prince Hamlet also breaks down. Therefore i found feminist approach more applicable.