Documentary News Letter (1947-1949)

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DOCT MFM ARY FILM NEWS 67 The filming of Shakespeare is one of the most controversial issues in the world of cinema. It is one of those matters which set critics at each other's throats; nor is the field left to the professional critic — scholars, teachers, theatrical producers all come along to take a hand in the battle. We have watched the usual spate of printed matter which filled the papers after the exhibition of the long awaited film of 'Hamlet' jnd we have decided to go right outside the ordinary critics. The two reviews printed below ire unusual — the first was written by Ted Cork fl6 years) of Film Centre who had never read '.he play and did not know the story before seeing the film: the second is by a documentary technician. TO one so inexperienced as myself in the works }f Shakespeare, this film holds many surprises. By far the most outstanding feature of this Sim is the amazing clearness of the Elizabethan English. Throughout the film, the blank verse if Shakespeare is extraordinarily easy to underhand. The opening scene immediately creates a sense of evil and sinister plotting. The dramatic *ay in which Hamlet's father appears, seemingly suspended in mid-air adds to the eerie effect. The bleak halls and stairways of the :astle provide an admirable setting for the revengeful Hamlet. The heavy dramatic incidents, however, are enlightened by extremely :lever wit such as we never, or at least very rarely, hear from modern writers. The whole :ast is brilliant throughout, Laurence Olivier's Hamlet is indeed a pleasure to see. His diction is polished and clear, and his acting is excellent. This, certainly, needs no further comment. The queen seemed a little young to be the mother of Hamlet, but despite this, her acting, especially in the scene where Hamlet kills Polonius, was extremely good. Jean Simmons' Ophelia fairly establishes her i great young star. Although at first she seems DUt of her depth in Shakespeare she quickly recovers and the dramatic climax when the death of her father transforms her into a complete lunatic and she drowns herself is both saddening and brilliant. Felix Aylmer as Polonius gives us one of the greatest performmces of his career. As the faithful counsellor 3f the king he is both tragic and amusing until le meets his death. From the beginning, the olotting of Hamlet to bring about the down""all of his uncle, the king, provides us with in;ident upon incident until in the last scene both Hamlet and the king are killed by each other's slots. This film will be a great enlightenment to all :hose who have always regarded Shakespeare is too classical to enjoy, and must rank as one jf the greatest of motion pictures ever to be jroduced and it is truly heartening to know hat it is the result and the work of British :echnicians and actors TED CORK :or one who is not an authority upon Shakeipeare to review Hamlet as a version of the play —particularly after once seeing would seem in intolerable impertinence. But for a techni:ian to air his views upon Hamlet as the work )f a bunch of film technicians telling in their various media a simple story of a man's revenge Hamlet Prince of Denmark is perhaps just permissible, Almost everyone who sees the film will like it up to a point, and everyone will inevitably, and perhaps privately, make his own reservations Technically, however, it is almost impossible to criticize. The camerawork is superb. The rather hard lighting and depth of focus appear somewhat strange in a British film, but they do give a bleakness and grandeur to the settings. The restless camera could so easily he irritating were it not for some of the most accurate operating 1 have ever seen. To my mind this is the technical triumph of the picture. It takes great skill to manoeuvre a camera through the tortuous paths of Furse's Elsinore. but never for a moment is there a trace of hesitance or indecision. The recording is beyond reproach — perhaps the finest dialogue recording we have had from Denham: and if the voice of the Ghost may have rightly incurred the ridicule of some critics, let them suggest some better way of illustrating the ethereal. Roger Furse's sets and William Walton's music are all that for months we hoped and knew they would be Why then is one's praise tempered bv a tinge of doubt? Personally I feel it is because Olivier is not a Hamlet for whom one can have sympathy or understanding. He is cold and dartone say it? — affected as only Olivier can be. Someone has said that the film is full of quota lions. I hat is exactly what it is. probably because Olivier has not had someone in charge of the action who can temper his own personality I his is no story of a man who cannot make up Ins iiniid. Olivier knows his own mind only too well, and his mind is to conv nice 11s all by brute force more than anything else that his Hamlet is indeed the Lord thy Hamlet, and that thou shalt have no other Hamlet before him. But this is no way to end. Here is a prestige film of brilliant merit in so many ways. It is a triumph of technical achievement and a verv noble attempt. Millions of people all over the world will see the film of Hamlet, and who are we to blame them if they see it only once! A TECHNICIAN Polonius