Movie 'Hamlet'- Post viewing task

Movie Screening: ‘Hamlet’ by Kenneth Branagh

        We watch movie of ‘Hamlet’. It is originally play written by William Shakespeare. But this play is converted in movie by Kenneth Branagh. This movie is very faithful to the original text by script, scenes, acts and dialogs. We can call it director’s skill to shoot movie with as it is original. It is very long movie because of it, and it is very beautiful to watch movie than play because it gives pleasure to our eyes and it gives more space to director to show his creativity. But if we compare it with original play it is fully faithful with it.

     After watching movie my opinion about Ophelia is totally changed. When I knew about the story I never noticed character of Ophelia. But in movie it catches my attention. Director gives it a new height. This is the only character I like most in this play. I think that she has no fault for anything which is happens with her in this play. I am very sympathies with her. My point of view is totally changed for Ophelia.

     I found very beautiful scenes in this movie. It can give us ‘aesthetic delight’. In original play it cannot happen because of limitations of stage and prompts. Beautiful sates of scenes and Kingdome gives me ‘aesthetic delight’. When Claudius gets punishment it gives ‘aesthetic delight’ of audience. When I saw a key with Ophelia I think that now she will become free from that pain then I feel ‘aesthetic delight’. Dressings of all characters are very pleasing and it also gives ‘aesthetic delight’.

     I literary cried when I heard news of death of Ophelia. It is very painful to see to pay her for the things which are not done by her. She is the only character who is innocent in this movie. Her only fault is that she loves her father, brother and Hamlet a lot. She doesn’t want to apart with any of them. But Hamlet kills her father by mistake, her brother is in France, and Hamlet behaves very rude with her because of his own madness. So she cannot bear all that stuff and she also loses her own balance of mind and she becomes mad. And in that madness she died. Even today that is question that she is dead because of drown or she committed suicide. This is very painful moment for me. At the end the last scene if full of dead bodies and it also gives me shock. I personally think that all these happen because of King Hamlet and Hamlet.

     This movie gives us new understanding of the play ‘Hamlet’. We can better understand position of all the characters. We can see facial expression of characters and it helps us a lot. We can remember all things very quickly and with details. Even we can remember pictures of some scene in memory and it helps us to remember main points. If we think from examination point of view then even it helps us a lot. So I can say that it helps a lot to any student. Some students don’t like to read original play. So this movie can help them a lot for understanding original play.

     Grave digging scene has its own importance in ‘Hamlet’. But that scene proves that at once Hamlet loves Ophelia a lot and that scene becomes my memory for ever. Nunnery scene is the cause of Ophelia’s madness so it has its own significance and importance. But Kenneth Branagh uses mirror in that scene very creatively so the mirror scene is also memorable for me. Death of Gertrude and Laertes and Hamlet stands in between it is very symbolic scene as per my understanding. When dead body of Hamlet is taken it symbolizes Jesus Christ. And at the end King Hamlet’s statue is broken down by is also gives moment of thinking and remembering it.

     If I will be director of the movie ‘Hamlet’ I will change of this movie because at the end this movie is with full of death and I personally don’t like it because all death are unnatural and it is very harmful to society. So, only Claudius will die if I will remake this movie. Ophelia will get marry with Hamlet and everything will be alright because I like happy ending of any story. But if it happens then this play loses its charm that I know. So I say that it is a perfect play by William Shakespeare and perfectly pictured by Kenneth Branagh.