Hamlet Movie Comparison

Hamlet, a film adaptation of one of William Shakespeare's many plays, was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The director's intentions seem to be to create the movie much like the play, however there are some nuances here and there that set it apart. However even then, some of the director's choice in lighting or in scenes seem to defy any sort of logic. Actors overall performed averagely, as a result, only Mel Gibson (Hamlet) will be analyzed simply because he is the easiest character to exemplify - considering he is the main character. Hamlet sticks to most of Shakespeare's original words, however there are some differences. Most of the differences in terms of dialogue consisted of three main things. One, lines were often cut out completely,
One does not have to have much knowledge to know that the sword fighting is sometimes ridiculous in this movie. Hamlet and others swing their swords around like they are made of foam one time, and then the other time they use it correctly, of course only briefly. It is understandable that this may prevent the movie from being as dramatic, but it makes little sense on how open they make themselves out to be. These are nobles, people who have probably had training in martial arts, yet the sword fighting scene last for two minutes. Not only that, but all of the attacks are telegraphed. It seemed as if a choreographer was hired for this
There, the gloomy lighting compliments the insides of buildings where it is expected to be darker. Similarly, when outside, we receive this same level of gloom, even if the weather is clear. There were painful amounts of grey everywhere during outside scenes like the one described, so much so that even the color from actual sunlight could be seen on walls around the setting. Finally the costumes, most of the costumes were splendid - actually almost all of them added into the immersion. Much of the armor and weaponry gave off a 13th to 14th century vibe, which I assume is the intended setting - based off of the armor (International). Almost all looks highly detailed, or at least detailed enough to pass for that time period . Only a few of Hamlet's outfits are rather ridiculous as he sometimes looks like a teenage hipster. Even then, that added to the immersion as well. All in all, Franco Zeffirelli did an average job in making the movie. Not terrible, nor was it stellar in many ways. The movie was mildly entertaining, but that may be because the plot of Hamlet is interesting within itself. In conclusion, the setting was extremely immersive, mostly in the accents, costumes, and various castle views of inside or outside the castle. Acting along with the feeling of realness was subpar - ascending in performance levels here and there, but remaining mostly around an average mean. The preceding reasons add up to a five out