Turning Theatre into Film - Gregory Doran's 'Hamlet'
- kellystewart3
- Nov 30, 2016
- 3 min read
Nowadays, many film makers are constantly trying to create new adaptations of previous plot lines, stories, franchises, you name it! Therefore, as an actor and director, it is imperative you understand everything that the original writer is trying to say before going forward to present your new take on the piece. The themes must be conveyed, not only through performance, but also through every form of direction. The better anyone who desires to work in the film industry understands how to create this, the better their work will be - and the best way to learn, it to learn from those who are getting it right!
One of the best current Theatre (and now Film) directors at the moment is Gregory Doran, who is currently the lead Artist Director of the RSC. Particularly focusing on Shakespeare, Doran goes out of his way to re-create his productions in order to capture Shakespeare's original intentions, and the relevance to now. A great example of him doing so is when he turned his 'Hamlet' stage production, starring David Tennant, into a cinematic piece.
Gregory Doran’s modern adaptation is both moving and chilling, as he captures a state encompassed with deceit, conspiracy and paranoia. The heart of Doran’s set and camera work presents Shakespeare’s own disquieting theme of surveillance and spying that is deep routed within the heart of Hamlet.
Doran finds new innovative ways to convey this theme that Shakespeare’s contextual production could never have accomplished – he brings the theatre to film with the use of one main reflective location to give the audience the same feeling of claustrophobia that the theatre naturally allows; pleasing the modern audience, and maintaining the RSC’s theatrical input.
The use of reflective floors and walls gives the set the feeling of coldness – emphasising the reflection of the cold-hearted characters within the court; particularly Claudius (Patrick Stewart) as he delivers his soliloquy on his knees, his own harsh features looking back at him. The constant use of mirrors also shows the court’s two-faced nature, as we see Polonius trying to weasel, in true sycophantic style, information out of Hamlet (David Tennant), while Claudius spies on him behind a two way mirror – which of course Hamlet spots instantly; Doran using a great Claudius point-of-view camera shot, where Hamlet looks inside the mirror with a knowing (and cheeky-David) smile on his face; proving that even when having the power of cool modern contraptions – they still can’t outsmart Hamlet. Hamlet’s own use of the mirrors is another interesting aspect of Doran’s work – as by placing them all around him, it emphasises Hamlet’s continuous pontification upon self-reflection – both physically and mentally – as Tennant looks around at these mirrors before delivering ‘Am I a coward?’ with direct address through the camera – creating a theatre-like level of intimacy that is hard to pull off so slickly.
Doran’s most ingenious modern component however was his integration of CCTV footage with the scenes of the film – enforcing Hamlet’s feeling of being watched, Claudius’ paranoia, and linking to the last wish Hamlet makes – for his story to be documented and retold. Hamlet’s awareness of the CCTV also helps with making it a more dynamic production – the way his eyes flicker up to the camera in various scenes; most memorably the Ophelia interaction where he asks ‘where is your father?’ automatically looking at the camera, then to Ophelia – Tennant displaying such a look of betrayal and annoyance that any audience member would be on the edge of their seat.
The beauty of Doran’s heightening of this particular theme is how he captures the modern audience through technique, yet also brings the context of the play forward too. The Babington plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I being an example of the unrest and corruption within the contextual court – making Hamlet a ‘disquieting tale for a disquiet time’; Doran takes this and applies it to our own modern fear of being under-surveillance by a corrupted higher authority – as surely I’m not the only one that see a ‘smile you’re on CCTV’ sign and feels unnerved, only to then locate the camera and wave at it?
Comentarios