Hamlet
(1964)
(AKA
"Gamlet" and "Kozintsev's Hamlet")
Russian "Hamlet." Who'da thunk it.
Grigory Kozintsev's version of "Hamlet," coming
at the crux of the Russian new wave film movement, is
a stark yet robust look at the brooding price's story.
Filmed in delicious black and white, the visuals are
linear in design yet often yield to images of the elements,
The film begins with the incessant crashing waves of
foamy sea water with no land in sight. Before long,
images of fire, earth and wind will also invade the
landscape. As the theme of the story, or at least this
version of it, is nothing less than the meaning of human
existence, it is important that the film feel "earthy."
There is a wonderful use of slow motion as well
employed by Kozintsev. When Hamlet's father's ghost
arrives on the scene, his black cape wavers wonderfully
in the Danish breeze. Shown in slo-mo, the image of
the king becomes ghostly and ethereal.
Let's face it, however, you have to have a knowledge
of Shakespeare's play to understand what is going on
here. In Russian with subtitles, the film is obtuse
at best. It is hard to keep up with the story especially
since many lines of dialogue are not interpreted at
all. Could this be some sort of censorship in provincial
60's America? The print I saw was pretty old and dilapidated
and may have been from that bygone era.
I heave never read "Hamlet" nor have I seen it
performed as a play or on film. I didn't get it. Why
does this lithe prince brood so much. His uncle has
killed his father and married his mother; that I get.
But why does he whine and mope and seemingly do nothing
about it. The actor here playing Hamlet was in his thirties.
Maybe this film would work better if Hamlet were in
his teens. I never understood why he simply did not
act upon his anger and sorrow.
And also, in the second half, a young man comes
onto the scene and Hamlet's uncle, now the king, tells
the young man that it is Hamlet who has murdered his
father. So this would be Hamlet's brother, wouldn't
it? They never talk or act as brothers. I didn't quite
get it.
In the end of this film, Hamlet, the queen and
the uncle king are all dead. It's very unsatisfying.
I didn't get it. Visually, this version of the bard's
tale, told from a very foreign perspective, is beautiful
to look at but unintelligible. Maybe I'm dumb. I just
didn't get it.
Note:
140 minutes, with an intermission.
The screening I attended was a part of a free film
series conducted by the Austin Film Society.
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