Hamlet has been a continual source of reference and inspiration for “Shakespeare For Our Children” for many years. We have explored the eeriness of Hamlet encountering his father’s ghost; the eternal draw of “to be or not to be”; and more recently ― the classical cinematic interpretation of the ghost’s command to “leave [Hamlet’s mother] to heaven.”
The play has, of course, been a muse for artists across the generations, and certainly no interpreter’s name is more hallowed than that of Sir Laurence Olivier. In 1948, he directed and starred in a film version of Hamlet. (Which, incredibly, would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture).
In an age of Technicolour, Olivier called upon lustrous black-and-white cinematography to create Hamlet’s Denmark. As he wrote in his memoir, Confessions of an Actor: “I chose black-and-white [ . . . ] rather than color, to achieve [ . . . ] a more majestic, more poetic image, in keeping with the stature of the verse.”
As can be seen here, Olivier indeed evoked a marvelous and majestic world of mists and inky shadow. Elsinore Castle becomes a labyrinth which mirrors that of Hamlet’s troubled mind: near-infinite archways hint at caverns of darkness; winding staircases lead to the tops of lonely towers; and massive pillars dwarf the human figures who occupy the Court.
Yet, punctuating this expanse of poetic space, are close-ups of Olivier as Hamlet and Jean Simmons as his Ophelia ― each capturing their marvelous faces as they drift through this uncanny maze.
Though critics and audiences over the years have questioned Olivier’s decision to omit a portion of the play, we have found that the spirit of Hamlet remains gloriously preserved in this cinematic adaptation.
And to Olivier and Company, may we gratefully offer ― Bravo!
©2021