The First Ghost Scene

     Shakespeare's renowned play Hamlet has been interpreted into various different movies.  The movies depict certain things differently.  The one major one in which we have gone into depth watching in class was the scene in which Hamlet speaks to the ghost of his father. We watched three different version the first was directed by Franco Zeffirelli.  The second version was directed by Kenneth Branagh and the thirds was direct by Michael Almereyda.  The directors went about showing different emotions in this scene and the way they go about it is what makes these scenes vary so much.
     In the first version of Hamlet directed by Franco Zeffirelli everything is much more dramatic than the other two.  The lighting used in the background really added to the drama of the scene.  This ghost seems to have a glow to him.  When the ghost explains to Hamlet what happened and how he was actually murdered Hamlet's emotions were much more obvious and he looked pained and in disbelief at first.  Compared to the other versions this one had a darker setting and seemed more medieval.  It had an eerie and dark feeling not only because of the lighting, but also because of where it took place, it seemed as though tit could have been a dungeon cellar or basement.  Everything about this version was strong, the lighting as well as Hamlet's reactions and the way in which he portrayed his emotions.
     The second version which was directed by Kenneth Branagh, was my favorite.  It was my favorite because of the way which the ghost presented what happened to him using flashbacks.  The flashbacks really helped understand exactly how everything happened.  This version also made me feel compassion compared to the first one which made me feel in a way scared because of Hamlet's reactions and emotions.  In this version Hamlet seemed much more confused and like everything was happening at once.  The way in which the ghost spoke to Hamlet and explained seemed more hushed and strained as if he were scared of something.  I also rather enjoyed the blue lighting and fog.  Some might say that it was a bit much or that it ruined the scene, but for me it added to the eeriness and intensity.
     The third version which was directed by Michael Almereyda, was my last favorite.  For other of Shakespeare's works being interpreted into a modern time was effective, the movie O, for instance was adapted to a modern time based on Othello.  This version however did not seem to do the play justice.  I feel guilty bashing it in multiple ways, but personally I did not think that the character/actor choices were the best they could be.  The only real positive was the way in which the ghost spoke to Hamlet, with aggression and how he had the handkerchief and kept dabbing at his ear where the poison had been put in.  This Hamlet did stand out to me in one way specifically, he seemed to be more emotional.  In the first version his emotions were strong and aggressive, in the second version he seemed more confused than anything, and in this one he seemed disturbed and really sad at the same time, but he was sad in way that he seemed so vulnerable.