Part Beings at 12:45
Director Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet stars Mel Gibson as Hamlet and the infallible Glenn Close as Queen Gertrude. Mel Gibson and Glenn Close deliver an extremely poignant and also risqué interpretation of the scene in which Polonius is murdered. Involving shouting, crying, and even an Oedipus-reminiscent bed scene with closely and almost intimately delivered lines, this scene is a stand out in the production.
Hamlet enters the room, obviously to continue his ploy for madness, furthering his work through the rest of the work to procure his place as a troubled madman throughout the play. Gertrude, who has grown tired of feeling guilty and bullied by Hamlet, seems to decide to make a stand in the early parts of this scene. Glenn Close is triumphant and proud, back straight and stern faced upon his entrance. The tides quickly turn with Polonius’ murder, as he ironically seems his madness not only in show but also in truth.
The setting of this entire performance makes this scene even more prosperous. The dungeon type atmosphere really plays to the sterility and dankness of the play. Where other directions chose bright lighting and lush colors for the royal family, the use of stone, and stark tapestries, really play to their benefit in this performance. The dreary feel with the coldness of the atmosphere, change the dynamic of the personalities. It adds to his sense of madness, much as one would expect a man alone in frozen tundra to talk to himself, we expect for the characters to be standoffish and slightly mad.
Overall, this scene is perfectly scripted, casted, and propped for maximum effect. Where readers are aghast, watchers are left stunned, troubled, and even uncomfortable.
No comments:
Post a Comment