Peripeteia

2009 - David Tennant
Director Gregory Doran’s modern-dress Hamlet
Shot through security camera (theme of surveillance is heavily hinted at in this production) who we assume is controlled by Polonbuis and claudis however in the famous scene where Ophelia confront Hamlet, they suddenly move making the audience question who is actually controlling them and further puts into question of whos in charge of elsinore.

Most of the actors at some point look straight into the security camera and address the audience - playing into the theme of a play within a play.
The set is minimalist and is mainly set in the throne room. The one prop tennant has is the skull in the grave diggers scene. The throne room is bare bar two thrones. And all the surfaces and black and reflective. The surfaces worp and ditort the objects shown in it- playing into the theme of appearance vs reality. The minimal use of colour and props/ set in such a big room early makes it appeare smaller and cage like for Hamlet - this is a key differ from other production of Hamlet which normally rely heavily on use of prop to help the audience understand the emotions of the characters.

The first thing the audience hears is drilling and construction noise - immediately alerting them that this is a country at war and is readily prepering itself for such.

Laurence Olivier’s ‘Hamlet’ (1948) - music by William Walton - https://youtu.be/tsPPI_7x1dk

The political dimension to the play is almost totally removed, with Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Reynaldo, Fortinbras, Voltimand and Cornelius cut

Olivier adds his own prelude line ‘this is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind’, emphasising the psychological aspects of the play.

The stageset becomes a metaphor for Hamlet's mind: Often between scenes (and also before the story starts) there are shots of alleyways and twisting stairways of the castle, suggesting the different passageways in Hamlet’s thoughts, or the way different places all connect up into different characters’ storylines.

Ghost = voiceover whisper played back slower to give it ghostly sound, and the appearances of the ghost are accompanied by a heartbeat sound.

Gertrude is really young (younger than Hamlet irl) and Olivier does emphasise their relationship, with them having a few scenes that are queasily close and touchy.

There are a few settings that recur throughout the film - there’s a statue of Jesus which gives a subtle religious undercurrent, and also the bed in Gertrude’s room.

Black and white filming emphasises light and shadow, even more so in Olivier’s labyrinth-like, shadowy castle at Elsinore.

Gertrude seems to know the cup is poisoned when she drinks it?

Last lines go to Horatio, as Fortinbras axed. Dramatic focus in on lament for a great dead soul - 'good night, sweet prince'.

Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy. He is positioned on a cliff top and looks into swirling waves - all adding to Olivier’s psychological explorations of Hamlet’s character.