Con Score: 3 Skulls of Yorrick
Hamlet was so rich with characters and internal conflicts, it could have had more spin offs than CSI. Ophelia, who was the troubled Hamlet’s lady, features in this female-driven film. Why not? It’s about time Hamlet was given a reboot.
This script by Semi Chellas (Mad Men) is based on the imaginative novel by Lisa Klein. So if you’re a Shakespearean purist, you might best be warned. This is Ophelia’s take on Hamlet, with a real feminist heart.
The script and accents attempt to be Shakespearean, without plagiarising the bard, but frays too much. “Go to the nunnery! Go!” is as close as it gets. When it’s on the right beat, there are some nice lines and interplay between the leads, but too often flails into modern English.
Hamlet is rich with complex characters, most of who support the lead. (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern needed their own play to get any attention). In Ophelia, many of these characters are attempted to be fleshed out in less than half the stage and screen time, which makes the performances difficult to master.
Daisey Ridley (Rey in the latest Star Wars films) is a talent and does quite well as Ophelia. George Mackay is rising star, who’s been cast as Ned Kelly, in the version featuring Russ. He also does well, but Hamlet is difficult enough for most actors; he’s too hard to master when he can’t dominate the story.
Clive Owen is suitably regal as King Claudius but lacks depth. Naomi Watts is better as Matilda than Queen Gertrude, whose excuse for being so lame is being on crack. She’s not at her best here. (Who is Matilde? It’s one of the surprising sub plots.)
The storyline can be summarised as Hamlet, but with a different fifth act. To describe it will take away from the main delights of this film. It’s no less tragic and has a strong feminist drive and surprising twist or two, without comprising the original.
This is sumptuous in look and cinematography. Much was filmed in castles around Prague. Director Claire McCarthy – a non-NIDA Sydney talent – is meticulous in her visual direction.
Where the direction and script don’t hit the high mark of the source is in the dialogue and faced story telling. They don’t give the characters time to breathe and the actors to fully embody them, apart from Ophelia. Hamlet runs for four hours; this is 106 minutes, with new sub plots, so there’s no time for introspective soliloquies. It can sometimes be too frenetic.
This is still an entertaining vision and version if you can leave your Shakespearean standards at the door.
In Cinemas from August 1.
Link here for website and screening times in all states.
Con Nats, On The Screen
