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The question of whether or not to be is one of men but also of films. The conviction to create a direct adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s works passes through layers of introspection and examination. The film must be appropriate for the time and have available to it a cast of actors whose talents are both craved by the audience at large and capable of filling one of the theater’s most difficult roles. Those without purpose must die. The major film adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, released during the span of 1990 to 2000, directed chronologically by Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Brannagh, and Michael Almereyda and starring respectively Mel Gibson, Kenneth Brannagh, and Ethan Hawke, illustrate the importance of synergy between film maker and audience and the affect of reflected cultural expectations on the result of the endeavor that is putting Shakespeare on film.
Where are your jibes now?!?
Ethan Hawke: Hamlet (2000) Proven by his roles in Great Expectations and Reality Bites, Hawke embodies the perfect introspective, depressive, slacker-hero for a contemporary Hamlet.
Mel Gibson: Hamlet (1990) Shakespearian trained and made famous by his roles in Mad Max and Lethal Weapon, Gibson's visceral portrayal of the cunning Hamlet answered the desire for an audience bred in the 80's.
Kenneth Branagh: Hamlet (1996) A famed theatrical performer well known for his role as Hamlet, Branagh's portrayal is powerful and bold, commanding the film as easily as the stage.
