MovieChat Forums > Hamlet (2000) Discussion > Some Can Do Shakespeare, and Some Can't

Some Can Do Shakespeare, and Some Can't

posted 12 years ago by RaiderDuck
2 replies | jump to latest

Those Who Can:
* Sam Shepard (By far the best in this film. Wouldn't have been out of place in Branagh's version)
* Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Venora (Whose great chemistry really sold their relationship)
* Liev Schreiber (His classical training showed)
* Robert MacNeil (Reads Shakespeare like a newscast. And it works. Who knew?)

Those Who Can't:
* Ethan Hawke (To paraphrase Mark Twain, he knew the words but not the music)
* Those dudes who played Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Shouting every other sentence does not equal "emoting")
* Karl Geary (Also bland as hell)

One Who Can, Kind of:
* Julia Stiles (Depending on the scene)

One Who REALLY Can't:
* Bill Murray (Who seemingly couldn't figure out if he was in a parody. I find myself wondering if he was on something during the filming)

[–] Merrida 12 years ago

Excellent observations. I agree. Except in that I really can't see Julia Stiles pulling this off, despite her having supposedly done some similar work before. Ophelia is whimsical and flighty, a little off in her own world. The closest she gets to the real deal is when she's flipping through photos and tossing them on the floor. But she really doesn't bring anything to the movie. She doesn't have the character down, and she can't transfer it well into this modern production (or even in keeping true to the original).

Definitely Bill Murray was supremely miscast. I can't figure out why or how they even put him in this production. This isn't even one of those cases where off type casting works.

Liev Schreiber is probably the one who pulls it off the best in this movie. I find him believable in this modern take. I find his expressions and attitude, his interactions and emotions, to be believable.

This really is a great idea. The language doesn't have to be changed a single bit. The language still works. The only faux pas they made here were some terrible miscast actors.
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Sic vis pacem para bellum.

[–] kinsayder 10 years ago

The first scene between Hamlet and Horatio (Geary) was so bad I thought they'd filmed the rehearsal. It didn't improve.

I'm not saying they're bad actors, but they should steer clear of Shakespeare. Schreiber was great. Sam Shepard was very mumbly. I'd never have guessed what he was saying if I didn't know the play.