Hamlets

A quick note on Hamlet. On Sunday afternoon we watched Mel Gibson's rendition of Hamlet. It was excellent. The cast was incredible (Ian Holm as Polonius, Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia, Paul Scofield as the Ghost). This is my review: if you want a clean, un-complex version of Hamlet then this is the movie to watch. Because they have to cut so much (it is a 2 hour rendition of the 4-hour play) there is not so much to work with and you just get the essential questions and problems. Mel Gibson makes a wonderful Hamlet and really brings something to the part. For the purists, however, there is Kenneth Branagh's version as well. This also has a star-studded cast and really brings out the complexity of the Hamlet roll since it is the complete play. It is rather lighter in aesthetic quality than the Gibson film, and it is set in a different century- 19th century instead of the Middle Ages.
I loved the Branagh version and so was a little hesitant to see the Gibson film. But there were aspects of the play and of the characters that I had never seen or thought of. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend either (or rather) both.