Hamlet (2009) with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart
I am still trying to get my head around Hamlet. And this DVD has helped A LOT. This is a filmed version of David Tennant’s Hamlet featuring Patrick Stewart and it is glorious! You can buy it here on Amazon UK or here on Amazon US.
I think many of us are very fond of Tennant. The energy he brings to all of his roles is electric and works a charm in his portrayal of the Danish Prince. This filmed version of the play, which was perviously performed in Stratford by the Royal Shakespeare Company, once again illustrates a very important point about Shakespeare’s work: it was created to be acted, not to be read. So while Hamlet may seem confusing on paper and Shakespeare’s wonderful language can be a bit overwhelming when you read it, seeing it being performed is a completely different experience. I put this DVD on, switched on the subtitles (because yes, I do find it hard to follow spoken Shakespeare at times) and after about 10 minutes I had almost forgotten that I was listening to Elizabethan English. The words take on a much more accessible form when they are being performed by talented actors. The scenes are acted out so brilliantly by the cast , that the complexities of Shakespeare’s language soon take a backseat and you can truly enjoy its beauty. I particularly loved Tennant’s version of the ‘To be, or not to be’ soliloquy. It is absolutely heartbreaking and touched me so much more than reading it ever had.
What is also so wonderful about this version of Hamlet is how completely batshit crazy David Tennant’s Hamlet appears to be. He screams, yells, jumps around, grimaces, lounges on chairs. But his scheme is always obvious. It really makes you wonder how over the top Benedict’s Hamlet will be and it will be quite a challenge to top Tennants “madness”.
The whole production is absolutely stunning. The set is all black and glossy (you can learn about how and why they chose to dress the set like that in the Behind the Scenes feature) and incredibly elegant. The clothes are beautiful and I loved how ‘mad Hamlet’ ignored the royal dress code and spent the bigger part of the play lounging around in this fetching t-shirt.
I can’t wait to see how they are going to dress Benedict. I absolutely adore this modern take on the setting and the costumes, as it once again proves how truly timeless Shakespeare is. It goes without saying that Patrick Stewart is absolutely perfect as Hamlet’s uncle Claudius. And so is everybody else in the cast. I particularly loved Oliver Ford Davis as a bumbling Polonius and Penny Downie as Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. Her scene with Hamlet in Gertrude’s bedroom (famously known as The Closet Scene) is breathtakingly intense and I can’t wait to see how they handle the scene at the Barbican this summer.
I really think that the easiest way to get to grips with Hamlet and to prepare for the play is watching an excellent performance of it. Being able to skip back and forwards and to have subtitles is a huge advantage. And listen to the commentary if you’ve got the time, as many scenes are explained and explored further and you get a lot of additional context. I can’t recommend this version of Hamlet highly enough!
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