![]() ![]() And, although this production was sophisticated and complex, it was clear that it had made an effort to supply to this younger audience. It is safe to assume he was referring to the youthful fans of BBC’s Sherlock, a show with him in the titular role. When asked why he decided now (or two years ago, when the production was filmed live from the Barbican) was the time to take the leap, he mentioned the opportunity to introduce a new group of people to Shakespeare’s legacy. He cries, shouts, loves, hates, dances, and sasses people – and he is a diamond with every facet shining.Īs part of the National Theatre Live event, Cumberbatch was interviewed on his experience portraying this iconically complex role, described as a “hoop” that all predominant actors must “jump through” sooner or later. The Danish prince changes costumes on a whim, ending up wearing a pair of toy soldier’s trousers, a Bowie t-shirt, and an overcoat with ‘KING’ written in white on his back, and his manner is equally as changeable. But Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet thrives on camera, his subtlety of expression coming into its own when allowed to fill the screen. In addition, it was clear that some of the actors were much better suited to stage than to screen. The vastness of the stage was lost somewhat, as the camera would pan to whatever character was supposed to be in focus, and in consquence the production’s physical representation of Hamlet’s isolation and loss lost all effectiveness. ![]() Confidently a five star masterpiece in a theatre, it is difficult to give it more than four when seated before a screen. Having seen both the live and recorded versions of this production, it wasn’t hard to feel that something was lost in the move to the cinema. The complexity of the production was astonishing: from an explosion that could be taken from any CGI-based action film to a huge set that looked both like the most luxurious castle and the creepiest graveyard, Hamlet went beyond delivering the 400-year-old Shakespearean text – it brought it closer to the expectations of a modern audience. It’s basically an Elizabethan Game of Thrones on stage. Union Films’ showing of National Theatre Live’s Hamlet was everything you needed from an evening of entertainment – intense, poignant, at times comical and ultimately a genuine tragedy which reflects not only the fragility of the human psyche, but also explores the complex machinations of incest, familial bonds and war. ![]()
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