Hamlet (2000 film)
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| Hamlet | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover for Hamlet |
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| Directed by | Michael Almereyda |
| Produced by | Andrew Fierberg Amy Hobby |
| Written by | Michael Almereyda |
| Starring | Ethan Hawke Kyle MacLachlan Bill Murray Diane Venora Liev Schreiber Julia Stiles Sam Shepard Steve Zahn |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | John de Borman |
| Editing by | Kristina Boden |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | May 12, 2000 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
"Hamlet", also referred to as "Hamlet 2000", is a film by Michael Almereyda, released in 2000, set in contemporary Manhattan, and based on the Shakespeare play. Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet as a film student, Julia Stiles co-stars as Ophelia, Laertes by Liev Schreiber, uncle Claudius is played by Kyle MacLachlan, and Polonius by Bill Murray.
In this version of Hamlet, Claudius becomes King and CEO of "Denmark Corporation", having taken over the firm by killing his brother, Hamlet's father.
The film is notable for its modern setting and inclusion of modern technology such as video cameras, Polaroid cameras, and surveillance bugs. For example, the ghost of Hamlet's murdered father first appears on closed-circuit TV. Also much of the original dialouge is cut from the script in order to suit the modern day surroundings.
[edit] Adaptations
- Elsinore Castle, Denmark's seat of power in the play, is re-imagined as Elsinore Building, the headquarters of Denmark Corporation.
- Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy is moved from prior to his confrontation with Ophelia to after it, and takes place in the Action section of a Blockbuster store.
- The character of Marcellus, one of the soldiers, is re-imagined as Marcella, Horatio's girlfriend.
- The Captain in Fortinbras' army is replaced by a flight attendant in Hamlet's flight to England.
- Instead of carrying around actual flowers, Ophelia(in her madness), carries polaroid photographs of various flowers
- Fortinbras's conquests are not military, but corporate takeovers with the aid of his "armies" of lawyers.
- Laertes doesn't kill Hamlet with a poisoned rapier. Instead he shoots Hamlet with a pistol, then is shot himself. Hamlet then uses the same pistol to shoot Claudius.
[edit] See also
- Shakespeare on screen, particularly its section on Hamlet
- Hamlet, particularly its section Hamlet in cinema and TV
[edit] External link
- Hamlet at the Internet Movie Database
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