Who knew Mad Max made an appearance in Hamlet?
It's Franco Zeffirelli's 1991 adaptation of Shakespeare's moody prince, starring Mad Mel as the perturbed prince, crazy Glenn as Queen Gertrude, Helen Bonham Carter as the tormented Ophelia, Alan Bates, and Ian Holm. I believe the latter is Polonius, which would make Bates the Step-King.
I was delighted to see this one come up on the suggested viewing list. I've already seen two or three Hamlet adaptations and I've watched Branagh's 4 hour marathon a couple times. How does Zeffirelli's version stack up against that of the actor/director who tackled not only Hamlet, Henry V, Much Ado about Nothing, and who knows which other of William's plays?
Zeffirelli gets off to a great start by having a cooler sounding name and a movie short enough that I don't have to take a break in the middle to renew my passport. So, he's got those things going for him.
On the other hand, Branagh didn't have crazy Glenn, so that's a point for him. What have I got against Glenn? Nothing really. She's a fine actress. My distaste for her is purely subjective and probably irrational. That's just the way it is. I preferred Branagh's Julie Christie in the role.
However, Zeffirelli came back with Helen Bonham Carter in the role of Ophelia. I have to approve of the choice. She looks like she's about fourteen in this movie, but she played the character less over-the-top insane than Kate Winslet's Ophelia. I preferred Carter's more demure and sympathetic interpretation of the drown-bound maid.
As for the poisoned daddy of Hamlet, Zeffirelli's ghost-king, played by Paul Scofield, lacked the impressively frightening and motivating presence of the scenery-chewing Brian Blessed.
Alan Bates just doesn't have much to work with in Zeffirelli's adaptation. He's the villain but lacks opportunities to be villainous, his fratricidal deed having preceded the beginning of the play. In Branagh's marathon, Derek Jacobi gets a little more to work with. I have to give the character to Branagh.
As for Polonius, I think I'll call this role a draw. I like both Bilbo Baggins as well as Tom Good/Hector MacDonald in the role. They both proved adept at catching a sword behind the tapestry, which was their primary purpose, so the young Laertes could return with visions of vengeance dancing in his head.
"Alas, poor Yorick!" The skull had the same number of lines in both adaptations. As for the graveyard scene, Zeffirelli's was good enough. Branagh's was what? It's difficult to remember what I didn't like about it now. Was Billy Crystal too deep into the role to speak clearly enough to be understood? Can't say. I don't remember. I'll have to decline to give points either way on this one.
Of course, the big lacuna in my comparison to this point has been the lead actors. Mad Mel versus Henry V, Australia versus Great Britain. They both measure up at 5'10" and were about the same age when they elected to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. I admit that I liked Gibson's portrayal. However, Branagh enjoyed a bigger set and a more comprehensive role. He got a lot more screen time than Gibson and had more impressive sets about which to hurl his intemperate outbursts and indulgent monologues. He created a more complete character because the director elected to perform the entire play. Branagh wins this one by virtue of getting to make the important decisions.
Looking back over the score, I count a 4-4 tie, but the calculation is premature. We're not done yet. There's much more to consider. Branagh did the whole play. He had all the characters, and more importantly, he had Charlton Heston--that alone gives him the victory for the better adaptation.
I recommend Zeffirelli's version as a great way to familiarize oneself with the basic plot and the main characters without distractions. It's a streamlined abridgment that carries the audience through from start to finish with an unobstructed view of all the major landmarks. Branagh's Hamlet, like Shakespeare's play, wends its way through the landscape, leaving the main road to explore every copse and goat trail along the way. It's a complete experience--if you've got the time and your passport is new.
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Enough about The Bard. Let's talk about me. I signed a contract for publication of a short story yesterday and finished writing another new story too. I've sent the new one to my Skirmish Team for a quick review. The story contracted for publication is "A Stardust Memory" and comes out next month in a sultry murder jazz themed anthology in ebook and paperback. I'll post the cover when it's available.
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