Comments | sheerpoetry: These are but wild and whirling words

sheerpoetry

These are but wild and whirling words

Dec 26, 2009 15:45

I just watched the BBC/Illuminations/RSC Hamlet. It was...pretty damn good.

But, it did not pass the test. If a production of Hamlet is truly, incredibly exceptional, I will cry. Somehow, the death of Tennant Hamlet did not make me cry. Only one has done that and I love them for it.

( Picky Shakespeare person is picky )

brush up your shakespeare, hamlet

Comments 7

noursea December 26 2009, 21:58:55 UTC

You've already seen it ?

You are so lucky my dear... I hope one of the girls from tennant_love will put a download link !!!

Branagh's version is kind of bombastic with the sets
The first Hamlet and Ghost scene was absolutely brilliant. Branagh's was incredibly over-dramatic and the rest weren't memorable.

Agreed and agreed ! It's the same two things I didn't like about Branagh's Hamlet

Can't wait to see this one !!!!!

sheerpoetry December 26 2009, 22:35:51 UTC

I...watched it live. :D

There will, undoubtedly, be a download. And then we can all watch it again and rejoice in the gloriousness.

I adore Branagh, I really do. And I think he kind of went for authentic (or something close to it) with the sets. But...Hamlet is so very epic that it doesn't need much. And there wasn't a large enough cast to fill the void of those massive places and...yes.
And there have been SO many versions of Hamlet that have been either completely comical or had a few scenes that just made you stop and laugh--that being one of them. (Amazingly, I couldn't make it past the battlements in Olivier's version.)

But it's pretty amazing, so you'll definitely enjoy!

noursea December 26 2009, 22:46:09 UTC

I adore Branagh too, except those two things the movie was really great.

And honestly I'm glad they cut Fortinbras final scene ^^ I always thought that Horatio rocking Hamlet corpse was a too beautiful image to be interrupted ^^

sheerpoetry December 26 2009, 22:48:43 UTC

At least his version of Much Ado is untainted.
Apparently, the comparative version to this is the 1980 BBC filming. :D

Ohhh, wait until you see this version, then!
I guess I just don't like it when they cut things. I'm a stickler for texts. (And ajodasso tells me they used the First Quarto version for this film.)

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