The Ghost Scene Analysis

    After reviewing all three versions of Hamlet, there were undeniably some apparent discrepancy between the way the directors portrayed the ghost scene. For one, Almereyda's adaptation provided its audience with a modernized form of the scene. Although the film was quite unique and incomparable with the other versions of Hamlet, it left me feeling dissatisfied and a little disappointed because it stripped the most substantial component to the scene as a whole. With its contemporary rendition, the "ghost" wasn't really much of a ghost simply because Hamlet had to open the door for it, and it was able to touch Hamlet. It generally generated a less believable plot. Branagh's interpretation of Hamlet was from a more dramatic and informative point of view. He did an excellent job of making use of setting and music, creating suspense and even frightening the audience like a ghost scene should. However, some parts were a little too tense which negatively impacted the scene by producing a less believable plot. A commendable feature of this scene was the flashback that was provided. If one read the play but was clueless of exactly how Hamlet's father was murdered, this film would be highly appreciated. The only con about the flashback was that it can leave the audience with a different and almost falsified prospect on the uncle because it was as if he regretted poisoning his brother. Whereas with the other films, the audience may feel nothing but disgust for the uncle.

    The best translation of Hamlet was that of Zeffirelli. It didn't exceed dramatically and wasn't too cartoon-like. The ghost was much more realistic and filled with emotions. I felt like I could sympathize with the ghost more because it was a nice balance between being ghost-like and human-like. In this scene, the actors excelled on not just only reading the lines, but acting it out and touching on every single emotion that is meant to be felt. The director did an outstanding job on using props to exemplify certain facets of the scene. Unlike the other two films, Hamlet's thoughts and feelings were more obvious and exaggerated. It is very amusing to view how different directors choose to display the same scene.