Comparing Hamlet And Branagh's Film

“Sons are the anchors of a mother's life” - Sophocles. Despite the myriad of differences and similarities between the scene in which Hamlet confronts his mother in the film adaptations, this maxim given by Sophocles persist, unchallenged. The physical aspects emphasized and the emotions conveyed through the language, create a unique effect that differentiates each Hamlet film. Olivier’s version conveys an Oedipal relationship between Hamlet and his mother, in addition to being very eerie. While, Branagh’s film strays from this interpretation and the Victorian setting creates a very traditionalist effect. In contrast Doran’s modernistic approach creates the illusion that Elsinore is it’s own microcosm separate from the rest of the world.
Firstly, the Oedipal relationship between Hamlet and his mother is a central motif, throughout the play emphasized in particular in Act III, Scene 4. Olivier has Hamlet kiss his mother multiple times throughout the play lovingly on the lips, …show more content…
The use of the gun to kill Polonius, Gertrude smoking a cigarette, and the suit that Hamlet wears presents an up to date portrayal of the characters. Similarly to the other two previous films, Hamlet’s confrontation reveals his erratic nature, however the anguish and rage of Doran’s Hamlet supercedes that of the others. Linguistically, this is articulated in the rapid and at times incoherent vitriol Hamlet spews at Gertrude. To the point, that she is eventually so depleted of the will to fight back that she concedes, “ If words be made of breath. And breath of life, I have no life to breathe. What thou hast said to me” - (Act III, Scene IV). Similar, to the 1948 version of Hamlet the castle’s interior is very sleek and elegant, but also oppressive, eerie and claustrophobic. The slick black walls and floors, two way mirrors and surveillance cameras give the impression of being routinely observed and