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Hamlet on DVD
So I didn't vid, and I didn't make a DT 40th birthday picspam, either. Instead, I went and watched Hamlet.
I'd never watched the DVD version before. I went to see it live in Stratford in 2008, and I was thrilled when they released it on DVD, because I loved the RSC production a lot, and not just because of David Tennant. But for some reason, I'd never actually watched the DVD--until now.
I'm not sure if I like the CCTV-ish effect they added in the DVD version. I can see what they were trying to do, and I did like the scene where Hamlet tears the camera down, but the whole video-taping the play bit, and Hamlet keeping a "video-diary", I don't know. It felt a teeny bit contrived.
Also, they made some odd choices when it came to locations. The DVD version felt much more cramped than the stage version did. I think the oddest choice was that weird staircase/kitchen area where Hamlet is brought before Claudius after having killed Polonius. Weird location. I wasn't sure why he would interrogate him in the staircase. I suppose they were possibly trying to go for an "underbelly" sort of feel--the rotten, run-down parts of the palace where Claudius makes decisions like sending Hamlet to England and having him killed, versus the shiny, pretty parts of the palace where Claudius pretends to be kind and generous. Possibly? But I was still confused by the stairs.
I did like it, though! David gets to be extra-nuts, even more so than he was on stage. Patrick Stewart works much better on television than he does on stage. He has a tendency to act with the tiny muscles in his face, and unless you've got front-row seats, you miss out on all of that in the theater. When I saw it in Stratford, I felt like he was doing a lot of standing around and not acting at all. Yes, correct, I did not have front-row seats.
I love Gertrude in this adaption. I adore Hamlet's and Horatio's dynamics. I'm not so sure about Ophelia; she's hard to get right. This production didn't do it any worse than other productions, but they didn't do it any better, either. Same with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Laertes is good; I really like the actor. And thank you, RSC, for leaving out all the boring Fortinbras nonsense. Every time I go to see Hamlet, the play gets to the last scene and I go all weepy and emotional for Hamlet and Horatio and their star-crossed love, and then they tack on those few lines about Fortinbras at the end and I go . . . that was unnecessary. I think the RSC production is the only production I've seen that does the sensible thing and ends on the Hamlet/Horatio dialog.
So, generally, I do like the DVD version. I may have to buy the DVD. But the stage version was better. Unsurprisingly, I guess. Live is always better than DVD, where theater is concerned.
I'd never watched the DVD version before. I went to see it live in Stratford in 2008, and I was thrilled when they released it on DVD, because I loved the RSC production a lot, and not just because of David Tennant. But for some reason, I'd never actually watched the DVD--until now.
I'm not sure if I like the CCTV-ish effect they added in the DVD version. I can see what they were trying to do, and I did like the scene where Hamlet tears the camera down, but the whole video-taping the play bit, and Hamlet keeping a "video-diary", I don't know. It felt a teeny bit contrived.
Also, they made some odd choices when it came to locations. The DVD version felt much more cramped than the stage version did. I think the oddest choice was that weird staircase/kitchen area where Hamlet is brought before Claudius after having killed Polonius. Weird location. I wasn't sure why he would interrogate him in the staircase. I suppose they were possibly trying to go for an "underbelly" sort of feel--the rotten, run-down parts of the palace where Claudius makes decisions like sending Hamlet to England and having him killed, versus the shiny, pretty parts of the palace where Claudius pretends to be kind and generous. Possibly? But I was still confused by the stairs.
I did like it, though! David gets to be extra-nuts, even more so than he was on stage. Patrick Stewart works much better on television than he does on stage. He has a tendency to act with the tiny muscles in his face, and unless you've got front-row seats, you miss out on all of that in the theater. When I saw it in Stratford, I felt like he was doing a lot of standing around and not acting at all. Yes, correct, I did not have front-row seats.
I love Gertrude in this adaption. I adore Hamlet's and Horatio's dynamics. I'm not so sure about Ophelia; she's hard to get right. This production didn't do it any worse than other productions, but they didn't do it any better, either. Same with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Laertes is good; I really like the actor. And thank you, RSC, for leaving out all the boring Fortinbras nonsense. Every time I go to see Hamlet, the play gets to the last scene and I go all weepy and emotional for Hamlet and Horatio and their star-crossed love, and then they tack on those few lines about Fortinbras at the end and I go . . . that was unnecessary. I think the RSC production is the only production I've seen that does the sensible thing and ends on the Hamlet/Horatio dialog.
So, generally, I do like the DVD version. I may have to buy the DVD. But the stage version was better. Unsurprisingly, I guess. Live is always better than DVD, where theater is concerned.