# Ethan Hawke's Modern Setting Hamlet **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603 "2001-05-07T03:39:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/1 "2001-05-07T03:39:07Z")
Just rented and saw this film. I’m not gonna pretend to any deep analysis, just some basic thoughts: I always enjoy new approachs, so I have no complaints about the “Denmark Corporation” or “Hotel Elsinore.” Less had to be “stretched” to fit in the modern world than “Romeo + Juliet,” it seemed to me. The cast was a toss-up. Just my own preferences and biases, but I have never found Hawke to be a great actor, and his Hamlet was. . . just there. He showed up, spoke the lines (changed a few words here and there, don’t know if he meant to or not). It wasn’t terrible, I suppose, just bland. Julia Stiles’ Ophelia–so-so at the beginning, but great in her later “crazy” stages. Bill Murray’s Polonius–Better than I expected. I give him high marks. Kyle McLachlan’s King (CEO) Claudius–the best performance in the film. Excellent. Sam Shepard’s Old Hamlet (Ghost)–Excellent. The guy who played Horatio, whose name I won’t even bother to look up–Jesus, God, what an abomination. Did anybody rent it? I don’t think it had much of a release. If you’re not interested in this film, feel free to hijack this to “Shakespeare in Modern Dress,” if you like. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/2 "2001-05-07T03:46:32Z")
Actually, I should have searched. I’ve been here long enough. Modern dress and other spins on Shakespeare have been mentioned here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57971) And I even posted to the thing. Sorry. Sir ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/3 "2001-05-07T04:24:47Z")
Actually, Hawke was better than I expected… 😃 Anyway, I’m a student of Shakespeare but not a purist, and I enjoyed the movie, though sometimes the details of the modernization were distracting (“hey, it’s Hamlet with a PowerBook! Cool!” ;)) on first viewing. The biggest problem I had with it was that it’s so short – I thought it could have used maybe an extra half hour of material. I mean, _Hamlet_ uncut runs about four hours (as Kenneth Branagh masterfully showed us) and this film was scarcely two. Besides, what’s _Hamlet_ without the gravedigger? 😉 Also, I thought the duel felt anticlimactic (but that might be the Branagh influence again). In general, though, I thought the updating worked quite well. Hamlet’s cinephilia was a neat stand-in for his love of theater – and it makes his feeling of isolation more pointed, because theater is a communal activity, whereas sitting in the dark watching movies isn’t. Though there’s a very disturbing bit where we see a clip from an old film of _Hamlet_ on one of his screens – but he IS Hamlet! There goes the space-time continuum again… 😉 (Oh, and Ophelia’s rubber ducky just killed me. :() ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/4 "2001-05-07T04:31:03Z")
Katisha, Very insightful. Well said. The old scene is a puzzler to me. It’s obviously Sir John Gielgud, yet he was in no motion picture adaptation I’m aware of. It may have been from a TV production though. The Gravedigger was in one long shot–he was singing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” I believe. What about the other performances? Would love to hear your thoughts. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/5 "2001-05-07T06:03:29Z")
Is there actually a copy of this movie available for rental or sale somewhere? I had to borrow the “screener” promo copy from a pal at Disney in order to see it. Watched it 3 times, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/6 "2001-05-07T06:08:38Z")
I rented it Friday night, April 5th, from the “New DVD” section at my local Movie Gallery. Probably just arrived last week. Sir ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/7 "2001-05-07T06:10:08Z")
Make that “May 4th.” Sir ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/8 "2001-05-07T23:12:01Z")
This is one of two movies (the other being Wonder Boys) I think I cursed by really wanting to see them- both of their release dates ended up being months later than originally projected. I couldn’t see this Hamlet in theaters, it never made it up this way. I did get the only copy the day it was released hours after the video store opened, so that might say something about its popularity… The movie was ok. I was hoping for more, but it wasn’t terrible. I’m not overly fond of Ethan either, he’s always stuck me as an impassive actor at best. I wish Julia Stilles had had more screen time, both because I think she did a great job as Ophelia, and because I like her acting in general. I was surprised they cast Bill Murry, but he was better in a drama than I expected. The only thing I thought of the guy playing Horatio was he’s sort of cute. It wasn’t a bad cast overall. I guess the thing I disliked most about the movie was that the tone felt very subdued. This is the sort of play I tend to associate with explosive emotions, and that just didn’t come through except in the scene where they showed Hamlet’s movie. I’m not a Mel Gibson fan, but I still think he’s done the best recent adaptation. And as much as I like Kenneth Branagh(esp. in Much Ado…and Henry V), his version was too tedious to bear. This Hamlet falls in between. ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/9 "2001-05-08T03:11:18Z")
Ah, you guys missed out on one of the greatest performances of Hamlet of all time, “Cliffs Notes Hamlet” by the Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater. The 4 people in the troupe performed all the roles (with onstage costume changes) and completed the performance in 2 minutes. A true comedy classic. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2001, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/10 "2001-05-08T03:55:01Z")
ChasE, I saw those guys on PBS a couple months ago, but tuned in to the show late and was not aware who they were. GOD IN HEAVEN, I was rolling on the floor. The encores where they did it BACKWARD and even down to 10 or so seconds were brilliant! Do these guys have a video out? Sir ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/11 "2001-05-08T04:09:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sir Rhosis \* > \*\*ChasE, I saw those guys on PBS a couple months ago, but tuned in to the show late and was not aware who they were. GOD IN HEAVEN, I was rolling on the floor. The encores where they did it BACKWARD and even down to 10 or so seconds were brilliant! Do these guys have a video out? > > Sir \*\* * * * Are you sure it wasn’t The Reduced Shakespeare Company? I saw them live at Cal Poly University, Pomona, when they did–among other things–the short, backwards version and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life. I don’t have one of their postcards handy, but I believe they do have audio or video tapes available. Too lazy to do a search for them, but look 'em up and see what you find. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/12 "2001-05-08T04:14:56Z")
[hijack] You mean the Reduced Shakespeare Company? I saw them on PBS, too, but frankly I was a bit disappointed – I’d heard great things about this show, but it wasn’t quite as witty as I expected. Though I did like the backwards Hamlet, and the bit where they incorporated all the comedies into one giant plot. Turning the histories into a football game was great, but I liked the radio version (“Dem kings, dem kings, dem dead kings…”) better. 😃 [/hijack] Sir Rhosis, I tend to agree with you about the individual performances – though I was actually pleasantly surprised by Hawke. Then again, I wasn’t expecting a great deal. 😉 Bill Murray was also a pleasant surprise, once I got over the initial weirdness of seeing him doing Shakespeare, and I’ll also add that Liev Schreiber (sp?) was excellent as Laertes. Oh, and Sam Shepard kicked ass as the Ghost. And I thought I recognized Gielgud in that clip! I didn’t find Branagh’s version tedious at all, either, but then I’m a complete Hamlet junkie… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/13 "2001-05-08T16:08:39Z")
You people are insane!!! This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in the theater. It is a horrifying adaptation of Hamlet! One, it doesn’t end at the ending of Hamlet. It just stops early, with Hamlet’s death. Why? I have no idea. You can clearly(and I mean _clearly_) see the boom mike in not one, but two shots. It is in the whole scene, just sitting there on the top of the screen. Hamlet makes a film instead of has a play performed? I don’t mind modern translations, but that sucked. Of all movies I’ve seen in the theater, this one struck me as the most likely one to become a MST3K movie. This movie struck me in a way like very few other movies have. I hated it and I hated the idea of it. I hated that they thought we would appreciate it. It made me sick. ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/14 "2001-05-09T01:04:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vivalostwages \* > **Are you sure it wasn’t The Reduced Shakespeare Company? > I saw them live at Cal Poly University, Pomona, when they did–among other things–the short, backwards version and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life.** Reduced Shakespeare is a total ripoff, they surely saw Duck’s Breath’s performances in San Francisco before the group disbanded, they were the talk of the town. Duck’s Breath used to perform Cliffs Notes Hamlet back in the early 1970s, they haven’t performed it live for probably 20 years. [http://www.ducksbreath.com/ducks/index.htm](http://www.ducksbreath.com/ducks/index.htm) Ah, if only you could have seen them live, back in the early days. I particularly loved their barbershop quartet rendition of “I Wanna Be Sedated.” ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/15 "2001-05-09T01:24:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > \*\*One, it doesn’t end at the ending of Hamlet. It just stops early, with Hamlet’s death. Why? I have no idea. > \*\* Well, a lot of productions do _that_ – even Olivier did it, in his film version. (He changed a lot of other stuff too – no Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, for instance!) Zeffirelli’s version (starring Mel Gibson) and Richardson’s version (starring Nicol Williamson) also omit Fortinbras altogether. _I_ wouldn’t do it that way, but it’s common enough that it doesn’t piss me off much. (Though I do love the MST3K sketch about it. “What am I to do? Force myself on another play? Should I just waltz up to _American Buffalo_ and say ‘Hello! Have you a need for a Norwegian nobleman to wait for bodies to be carted out?’ I don’t think I’m being unreasonable here.”) ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/16 "2001-05-09T02:01:10Z")
Wanna talk about leaving out important parts of the script? My best friend and I (with Gunslinger as additional vocal talent) did a finger-puppet on videotape version set in a trailer park as our English 12-I final project. All the characters’ names were changed and because we had two people doing the puppets and three people doing voices we had to limit the characters as much as possible. However we did follow the script fairly closely, updating some things and changing the words to what a redneck hick would actually be likely to say, although we omitted Rosencrantz & Guildenstern as well as the gravedigger. We were GOING to include the 'digger… but we ran out of felt for the puppets… As an adaptation of Hamlet in general, it sucks. But as an adaptation of Hamlet done by two 18-year-old girls with fingerpuppets and a 2-week timetable? It was good. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/17 "2001-05-09T02:08:48Z")
Hey, I once saw a version of Brecht’s _Caucasian Chalk Circle_ set in Civil War-era Georgia and performed with sock puppets. It was brilliant. 😃 So your fingerpuppet Hamlet can’t have been _all_ bad… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethan-hawkes-modern-setting-hamlet/64603/18 "2001-05-09T04:11:08Z")
As for ending Hamlet early, as noted, most film versions do. They jettison the “politics.” Still, I appluad any effort to bring Shakespeare to the masses. Some work, some don’t. It was an interesting effort. Sir