The Ghost Scene Response

The Zeffirelli version of the ghost scene appealed to me the most in terms of how I had previously imagined the scene when reading the play. I first noticed the dark and medieval setting. Hamlet was running through a dimly lit castle while his mother's wedding party was going on in a separate room. Not only did I feel that the setting was true to the original play, but it contributed to the mysterious and dark mood of the scene. Although the lighting was dark, the characters faces could be made out the most. The camera also shot most of the conversation between Hamlet and his late father close up so that the emotions were understood clearly. In this version Hamlet went through times of fear, confusion, sadness, and anger. The ghost had human-like emotions as well, showing his rage and then sadness when the viewer could see him cry. I felt like the emotions about the situation were most realistic in this version, like the way a real son and the spirit of his father may have this conversation.

 The Branagh version was a really interesting take on the ghost scene in my opinion. The scene starts out with an extremely fast pace by switching between clips with bright colors and Hamlet running through the woods, talking quickly. All of these things contributed to starting the scene off more nervous or panicked than anything else. Once that was over I was finally able to take in the setting and aesthetics of the film. The colors popped, as if someone raised the contrast and saturation. The cool blues of the forest and the contrast between the greens and reds against the white snow in the garden all made for a very surreal mood. When Hamlet and the ghost talk, it seems more scary than anything. I felt each of the characters were much less emotional than how they were portrayed in the first version. The ghost was intimidating and filled with anger, while Hamlet didn't show much emotion until his father's spirit had left. What I did like about this version more was how the music added to what feeling was trying to be conveyed and how the flashbacks made for a better understanding of what the characters were talking about.

Although the third version, directed by Almereyda, is a modern spin on Hamlet, the idea of the scene was not lost in transition. The ghost appearing in human form prevented the scene from looking cheesy and also made it feel more realistic. Even though the same language that is in Hamlet is used in this modern version, the way the ghost and son talked seemed like a real father-son conversation. The way both characters conveyed their emotions made it easier to understand the mood of the conversation and situation unlike the second version. But like the second version, both the music and setting also helped the viewer understand the emotions of the characters. The embrace of Hamlet and his father's spirit when the father says "Remember me" was my favorite addition to this scene. I believe the line where the ghost is repeating "remember me" is so powerful and full of emotion that it needed that embrace to actually show how much it was meant.