...Hamlet Film Essay Hamlet is a play that transcends generations and has been placed on a pedestal of fame along with its author, the legendary William Shakespeare. Every word in every line of dialogue has been analyzed repeatedly and broken down by numerous experts of Shakespeare, not to mention that thousands of high school students every year pay homage to the playwright by reading and interpreting his famous text. Despite all of the time and effort invested into decoding arguably Shakespeare’s most famous work, the true meaning he put behind the pen and paper still remains wildly debated and surrounded with intrigue. Film directors and visionaries have taken control of this situation and have utilized artistic liberties to each create their own interpretations of the timeless tale. Two of such directors, Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh have created two very different manifestations of Hamlet . Transcending the obvious choices of setting and time period, the directors’ visions of each of the characters have also greatly affected the way viewers envision the classic tale. Branagh and Zeffirelli’s different portrayals of Ophelia made for unique experiences of Hamlet in each of the movies. Each of the films manifests into physical existence two very different Ophelias. Kate Winslet’s portrayal of Ophelia in Branagh’s movie shows independence and assertiveness, as well as maturity. Ophelia often appears in scenes where she does not in the actual play, such as ...
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