Hamlet
2000: Campbell Scott, Eric Simonson

In keeping with the principle that a Shakespeare play should be set in any time but its own, this one seems to have been placed willy-nilly in a wealthy estate in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in the United States. One might have suggested the American South, though there are no real southern accents in evidence (nor are there British accents), and the production notes say that it’s set in a rural estate near to New York. The estate is opulent, though, wherever it is, and the musical backing is largely jazz. In that cultural context it seems somewhat curious that Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia are black. They are not particularly subservient: they’re sitting at the table and white waiters are waiting on them, but it does create an odd cultural resonance given the culture of America at that time. It seems as it if might be intentionally significant (far more than it would be to have black actors in a scene set in, say, ancient Rome); but what it intends to be saying is far less clear.

That being said, I hasten to point out that neither this bit of casting nor the setting especially intrudes upon the unfolding of the narrative. The setting provides a context of genuine beauty against which the story plays out. All the technical aspects of the production are in fact quite elegant. The score is not especially to my taste, but it’s well-done and not intrusive. The art direction is excellent, and every shot is framed expertly.

Opinions clearly differ on the acting: I’ve read some negative reviews of the performances here, but I personally find the acting effective across the board, with the possible exception of Fortinbras. Scott both directs and himself plays Hamlet. His delivery is intellectual and a bit severe, but to my mind this is an often-neglected aspect of the role that deserves to be brought forward. He seems to have sought something similar from the rest of the actors — reserved and precise diction, but one hinting at a reservoir of emotional depth behind it. All the accents are American, but meticulous and intentional: American actors often tend to be lazy in their vowels, in particular, and that’s really not the case here. All the actors seem to understand what they’re saying (which ought to go without mention, but it sometimes seems not to be the case). Roscoe Lee Browne’s delivery is particularly mellifluous, as befits one of Polonius’s affection for sonorous diction. Blair Brown (Gertrude) has a tight control over her part — not immediately engaging, but over time she assumes a real stature. Jamey Sheridan’s Claudius is slick and ingratiating, and he’s easy not to trust. Ophelia’s transformation is quite striking: she’s a bit mousy during the first part of the play, but in her madness she becomes a fearfully imposing figure.

The play runs for nearly three hours, which does provide enough time for Hamlet to develop. The critical pieces of the play remain intact. There are some cuts, but they are not overly bruising to the whole.

In sum, this is a beautiful, cinematic version of the play that has some very solid performances, and really has not been appreciated sufficiently. The more I watch it, especially in comparison with other versions of Hamlet, the better it seems to become. The DVD has an enlightening ten-minute piece on the production, as well.

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