Current Events > I just saw Hamlet for the first time. The dialogue is great. o_O;;

(+) Yeah! (+)

Overall, it was decent, but some of the dialogue between people, and the various monologues...they were really good. I must admit, i was very underwhelmed by Ophelia, though. She gets referenced from time to time in other works of art, and she's meant to be an iconic character, but she doesn't get many scenes and doesn't do or say much that is interesting.

What do other people think of this play / film?

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Hey Claudius.
*lights cigar*
You killed my father.
Big mistake.
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which film version did you watch? iirc the Mel Gibson version really emphasizes the incestuous tension between Hamlet and his mom. it's been a lot longer since I've seen the Patrick Stewart version (or, really, any other) so I don't remember that as well
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The Mel Gibson version. I thought the casting and acting were good.
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.... coulda specified which one.

The 4 hour 1996 movie? I saw that one last year, cleared my schedule for a long sit down, really enjoyed the movie.

I also agree that ophelia, like most female roles at the time, is kinda meh. She just goes from in love with Hamlet (very surprisingly vivid/graphic sex scene by the way, was a bit taken by surprise considering the source material) to going insane because he calls her out for being a "slut" 1500s style and the fact that her dad dies and brother isn't around. Then kills herself. Can't blame most women whining about weak female roles in old school stories.

But otherwise movie is pretty good. True you'd want Hamlet to either confront his uncle or kill him or just do something and get it over with, but he dilly dallies too much. I also don't like the implied oedipal complex that other interpretations have of Hamlet and his mother ew. But it does seem like Hamlet in general has some weird unhealthy attitude towards women with how he later treats ophelia and resenting his own mother for marrying his uncle.

The 1996 movie itself just looks beautiful. The colors, the setting, it's absolutely gorgeous, worth watching for that alone.
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I reccomend Marvin Branaghs version.

"I knew this man Horatio"
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Oh never mind. I usually don't care for watching abridged versions of adaptations, I kinda want to hear and see the entire dialogue playing out. Just my style. It's why I'm still waiting on a proper Macbeth movie.
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saspa posted...

(very surprisingly vivid/graphic sex scene by the way, was a bit taken by surprise considering the source material)

dude, there's a scene in Midsummer Night's Dream where a woman has sex with a donkey

there's a scene in Measure for Measure where the duke basically says "if you sleep with me, I won't kill your brother" to a woman who's training to be a nun. there's also a scene where the duke has sex with someone else thinking it's her

Shakespeare's plays are dirty as fuck
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