| Hamlet | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover for Hamlet |
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| Directed by | Michael Almereyda |
| Produced by | Andrew Fierberg Amy Hobby |
| Written by | Michael Almereyda |
| Starring | Ethan Hawke Kyle MacLachlan Bill Murray Diane Venora Liev Schreiber Julia Stiles Sam Shepard Steve Zahn |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | John de Borman |
| Editing by | Kristina Boden |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | May 12, 2000 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Hamlet, also referred to as Hamlet 2000, is an American film by Michael Almereyda, released in 2000, set in contemporary New York City, and based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet as a film student, Julia Stiles co-stars as Ophelia, Laertes by Liev Schreiber, Uncle Claudius is played by Kyle MacLachlan, and Polonius by Bill Murray. In this version of Hamlet, Claudius becomes King and CEO of "Denmark Corporation", having taken over the firm by killing his brother, Hamlet's father. The film is notable for its modern setting and inclusion of modern technology such as video cameras, Polaroid cameras, and surveillance bugs. For example, the ghost of Hamlet's murdered father first appears on closed-circuit TV.
Contents |
Adaptations
- Elsinore Castle, Denmark's seat of power in the play, is re-imagined as Hotel Elsinore, the headquarters of Denmark Corporation.
- The Mousetrap Play takes the form of a video montage, made by Hamlet himself.
- The character of Marcellus, one of the soldiers, is re-imagined as Marcella, Horatio's girlfriend.
- The Captain in Fortinbras' army is replaced by a flight attendant in Hamlet's flight to England.
- Instead of carrying around actual flowers, Ophelia (in her madness), carries polaroid photographs of various flowers.
- Fortinbras's conquests are not military, but corporate takeovers with the aid of his "armies" of lawyers.
- As opposed to drowning in a brook, Ophelia is found to have drowned in a fountain in front of the Hotel Elsinore.
- The character of Osric is re-imagined as a fax machine in Hamlet and Horatio's apartment, delivering Laertes's message right before the duel.
- Laertes doesn't kill Hamlet with a poisoned rapier. Instead he shoots Hamlet with a pistol, then is shot himself. Hamlet then uses the same pistol to shoot Claudius.
Trivia
- Ethan Hawke, who was 29 when the film was released, is the youngest actor to play the role of Prince Hamlet on film.
- Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles play brother and sister in Hamlet, and husband and wife in The Omen.
- The fountain at 130 Liberty Street was used in the scene where Ophelia drowns. The pool and the rest of the plaza were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. The building the pool was in, the Deutsche Bank Building, is currently being dismantled because of severe contamination.
See also
External links
- Hamlet at the Internet Movie Database
