Starring Ethan Hawke, Julia Stiles and Bill Murray
Just ask Baz Luhrmann.
In the recent video release of “Hamlet,” the trend toward updating the bard’s work succeeds in reinvigorating the ultimate tale of revenge and indecisiveness. And while Luhrman’s “Romeo and Juliet” relied on shock-value interpretations, interpreter/director Michael Almereyda uses thoughtful images and themes to throw the tortured prince into the cold blandness of the corporate set.
Ethan Hawke’s Hamlet accomplishes what every good actor hopes: About halfway through, the viewer is yelling at the screen (which is safe in the rental stage) “Get over it and do something!” But Hawke’s extensive morose demeanor builds and builds, and we feel the weight of his gloom.
And as far as gloom is concerned, Hamlet can do better than any grunge rocker. His dad (Sam Shepard) is dead and appears to his son from beyond the grave. His uncle Claudius (Kyle MacLachlan) just moved in on his mother Gertrude (Diane Venora). And Hamlet still has to carry on a semblance of a love life with Ophelia (Julia Stiles), all the while fending off her father Polonius (Bill Murray) and her brother Laertes (Liev Schreiber).
The change in locale and time almost allow Almereyda to have a clean slate for the story. He places Hamlet behind the lens of a digital camcorder, where he mulls his sorry lot in life over and over until the rewind button almost falls off. He looks at the smug satisfaction of Claudius as he takes over the Denmark Corporation (OK, there are a few puns). He sees the delicate beauty of Ophelia’s face, a face no one else wants him to see again.
This technique alone deserves a handful of bravos. It’s the type of technique that can please the hardcore Shakespeare fans, while still keeping things from getting overtly symbolic.
Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship especially works well in the update, taking advantage of reworked “famous scenes.” The “To be or not to be” speech appears in a Blockbuster Video store, putting to rest theories that nothing culturally significant ever happens in the video store. But the ill-fated romance shuffles and stutters without flaws, a testament to both actors’ grasp on the truly angst-ridden characters they become.
Other scenes also feature a great combination of creative reworking and thoughtful acting. MacLachlan is perfectly cast, playing one of his two perfect roles: The smug sophisticate, rather than the boyish innocence displayed in “Blue Velvet.” He reeks of corporate sleaze, turning each of Shakespeare’s phrases as poisons slowly killing young Hamlet.
One major surprise comes in Murray’s performance. He uses one of his main weapons, slight humor, to make his Polonius overbearing and overwrought at the same time. He talks with high-and-mighty bombast while not overdoing the subtle humor his character is made of.
But these performances could have drowned in machine-gun editing, and thankfully Almereyda doesn’t fall to temptation and use the techniques his Hamlet does for the big “Hamlet knows” performance scene. And in that revelation is everything this rendition has: wit, a strong theme, a great connection to the past works. And, thankfully, plenty of boldness.
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