When it comes to Shakespeare, even people who haven't read his work can usually say "To live or to perish, that is the question." Such a classic work, any transformation will inevitably be questioned.
The almost unchanged lines, scenes, and shapes for hundreds of years have allowed "Hamlet" to retain its original flavor after countless interpretations. Batches of audiences compare scenes with limited differences. different. The BBC's "Hamlet" in 2009 can be said to be an adaptation that is completely beyond the imagination of the original readers.
Not only was it moved to the big screen from the stage play, the film version of "Hamlet" moved the story background from the medieval Danish court to the modern royal struggle. Who would have thought that one day we would see Hamlet in a T-shirt and jeans with a VCR in hand? The modern elements in the play continue to impact the familiar long rhetorical dialogues, making the audience feel fresh to the originally familiar plot.
The changes in the historical background have allowed the film version to present two new additions that are completely different from the original.
First, a large number of "God's perspective" monitor pictures have been added. In the opening scene of the film, the king switched to the monitor screen many times during the "Soul Wandering". If in the past, people could not be sure whether there was a ghost of the previous king, then the film version verified that what they saw was really a scene that could not be recorded by modern technology through the difference between the guard's eyes and the monitor screen.
When Hamlet recounted his inner monologue, he also flashed black and white vistas from multiple monitor perspectives. When he described his struggles and pains to the camera, he seemed to be facing the audience watching the movie outside the screen. The audience is like a "God" watching the tragedy of Hamlet from afar. Inside the screen is Hamlet's life, but to the audience outside the screen, this is a tragedy that has long been doomed, as if the director is hinting A tragic fate that Hamlet could not resist.
Second, whether it is Hamlet as a prince or Leotis as a courtier, what he carries with him is no longer a saber, but a small pistol. Although with the changes of the times, the weapons of the characters must be upgraded as a matter of course. But such an upgrade does not seem to be in tune with the original characters. The saber is not only Hamlet's weapon, but also one of the symbols of his princely status, and the pistol does not reflect his noble status.
At the same time, the saber is also an important tool for the final duel between Hamlet and Leotis, shouldering the "important task" of poisoning the two to death. The two people who are used to pistols finally returned to the era of cold weapon duels. It belongs to the ancient way of confrontation and belongs to the ancient way of celebrating. It is faithful to the original to restore the scene of Hamlet's successful revenge, which is also his tragic ending. There seems to be nothing modern in this scene except for the costumes, Hamlet is wearing a fencing suit and his jeans are still on the bottom.
The modern elements in the film version, the sense of inconsistency caused by changing the historical background and the original large rhetorical dialogue are important reasons for the discomfort of the majority of readers. But overall, the unique adaptation is also a memorable point.
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