Saturday, April 16, 2011

"To Be Or Not To Be..." Three Ways

In the first scene, played by Mel Gibson, the scene took place next to his father's casket.  The whole room was very dark with little lighting.  Due to the lack of light, his father's casket being right next to him, and the subject matter of the speech, the whole scene was very depressing and eerie.
In the second scene, played by Lawrence Olivier, the soliloquy took place on top of, what looks like, a cliff.  The whole time Lawrence is looking over the edge, as if he's about to jump, but he has a dagger in his hand, so we're not sure.  We're not sure if he wants to jump, or stab himself.  This confusion, along with the music in certain parts of the scene, makes it suspenseful.
In the third scene, played by Kenneth Branaugh, the speech is given in a well-lit ballroom area, a very pleasant looking room.  Kenneth gives the soliloquy while looking into a mirror and holding a dagger against his face.  The director uses juxtaposition to make us feel uncomfortable.
All three scenes are very unique and individual, with few similarities.  The first two scenes are alike considering they are both dark, poorly lit scenes.  The second and third scene are alike because both actors had daggers. They both also had sound effects music in the background of some parts of their scenes.  However, none of the scenes were set in the same place, and one didn't project the same feeling as the other.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with all of your interpretations of the famous speech in each scene. Yes, they're all very different and project didnt feelings. In my opinion, Mel Gibson's scene is most convincing due to his setting and emotion. Kenneth Branaugh's scene was too modern for me and not eerie the way Gibson or Oliver's scenes were.

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  2. I share basically the same viewpoints you do on all three of the scenes. I like how you point out juxtaposition was used in Branaugh's scene. That was definitely something I didn't recognize until I read your blog. Your interpretations were very spot on and you were clear with your opinions too. I personally thought Mel Gibson's version was the best though.

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