Comparison of Hamlet by TNT Britain and Ethan Hawkes Hamlet
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TNT Britain's Theatrical Version
Michael Almereyda's Hamlet starring Ethan Hawke
First of all, I would like to say that both versions of Hamlet were well done and enjoyable to watch amidst the many differences between them. Both versions had many stark differences in terms of characters, props, costumes and background thus let us examine these variations.
Sets and Backgrounds
There is a great deal of difference between the stage production by TNT Britain and Michael Almereyda's version of the renowned Shakespearean play. TNT sticks to the classic and traditional use of castle backdrops in Denmark and everything is very much like the original play. They do not try to be creative by altering the backgrounds in the play and are quite loyal to Shakespeare's version.
However, in the movie adaptation, we are overwhelmed by the set that Michael Almereyda chose. New York City - the true concrete jungle. Almereyda impressively enhances for us as the viewers, a strong sense of the desolation and despair felt by his characters that results from urban isolation.
The castle backdrop set in Denmark in the play is somewhat similar to the Denmark Corporation featured in Almereyda's work. There is still the King and the Queen in both versions, with the only difference apparent in one backdrop being more modern than the other; with one backdrop being a company and the other a castle...