Shakespeare was, arguably, the most interesting author of the Renaissance and still is one of the most taught and influential writers today. That is also the reason for so many films being based on Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies. The most successful period of making movies on Shakespearean dramas in history was the twentieth century. Very well-known and talented directors of the time challenged each other in making Shakespearean movies. Most successful for example were Sven Gade with his silent movie of Hamlet, Franco Zefferelli using Mel Gibson’s talent also in Hamlet, as well as Kenneth Brannagh and many others. However the most famous films are the Shakespeare adaptations of Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles. Both had a lot of talent in being director, main actor and producer in one person in most of their productions. Because of their very interesting version and vision of Shakespeare, the Hamlet adaptation by Laurence Oliver and the Macbeth adaptation by Orson Welles will be the subject of this paper.
The first topic in the first chapter of this assignment will be Laurence Olivier with his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. There will be a discussion on the concept of his film in general, which includes Olivier’s vision of the setting, the time the film takes place in and the cutting of original scenes in Shakespeare. The centre of this paper will be the discussion of the interior and exterior elements of the film, influencing each other contrastively. The third chapter will discuss Orson Welles’s adaptation of Macbeth. Similar to the previous chapter, the concept and the background of the film will be examined and hence the special methods of Welles to express the interior and exterior elements of his movie will be discussed. According to this research of both films a summery will show, that the two diverse versions of two different Shakespearean plays are in many ways similar to each other, besides being released in the same year.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. LAURENCE OLIVIER’S HAMLET
2.1 THE CONCEPT OF THE FILM
2.2 THE TEXT ADAPTATIONS
2.3 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IDEA OF THE FILM
2.4 THE USE OF THE CAMERA
2.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF OTHER VISUAL EFFECTS
3. ORSON WELLES’S ADAPTATION OF MACBETH
3.1 THE CONCEPT OF THE FILM
3.2 THE TEXT ADAPTATIONS
3.3 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IDEA BEHIND MACBETH
3.4 THE CAMERA WORK
3.5 VISUAL EFFECTS
4. SUMMERY
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the 1948 film adaptations of William Shakespeare's Hamlet by Laurence Olivier and Macbeth by Orson Welles. The primary objective is to compare how both directors utilized cinematic techniques and psychological interpretations to externalize the internal mental states of the protagonists, despite their different stylistic approaches.
- Comparison of Olivier’s and Welles’s directorial visions regarding Shakespearean adaptation.
- Analysis of how interior character psychology is reflected through set design and camera work.
- Evaluation of the influence of film noir and German expressionism on the visual aesthetics of both films.
- Discussion of the narrative modifications, including textual cuts and character changes, necessary for cinematic presentation.
Excerpt from the Book
2.4 The use of the camera
The camera is the most important instrument of a director to present events in the manner he wants to. The camera is used very dynamical in that film, it zooms, circles, follows characters, moves everywhere, seems to search its own way through the labyrinth of the castle’s in- and outside. Very good examples for the usage of the camera are the first and the last scene of the movie, where the camera glides through the stairways down into the castle looking into rooms like a human being would do. In this scene it reflects the position of the audience, just watching what happens, like an observer. The camera recognizes things, that in the first place seem to be unnecessary, but later become very important details of the movie. For example in that first scene, the camera looks into the bedroom of king and queen, where an empty bed stands in a lonely room. Than the camera goes on into the throne hall and shows an empty table with empty chairs, especially the chairs of king and queen and the chair of Hamlet. It stops there for a moment to give the audience the feeling that nobody seems to live in that cold, thriftily furnished castle. The same camera moves are shown the other way round at the end of the movie. This gives the impression of a framed plot, that the castle was once inhabited, but that something very bad must have happened in the cold stone walls. First the picture of empty furniture is shown where the camera remains for some seconds and after that dissolves its focus on people talking in the background of the scene. This implies again that something odd will happen there. With these methods of long close-ups and zoomings, the audience gets the impression that it really can look into the mind of Hamlet. One of the best examples for this technique is when Hamlet does his “to be or not to be”-speech, where Olivier used an extreme close-up onto the back of the head of Hamlet and then fading back
Chapter Summaries
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the significance of Shakespeare in film and introduces the comparative study of Laurence Olivier's Hamlet and Orson Welles's Macbeth.
2. LAURENCE OLIVIER’S HAMLET: Explores the cinematic style of Olivier's adaptation, focusing on his psychological approach, camera usage, and the integration of theatrical and filmic elements.
3. ORSON WELLES’S ADAPTATION OF MACBETH: Examines Welles's low-budget adaptation, detailing his interpretation of the characters, unique camera work, and the visual symbolism used to convey a dark, expressionist atmosphere.
4. SUMMERY: Concludes the analysis by highlighting the common ground between the two directors, emphasizing their shared focus on the protagonist's internal conflict and psychological depth.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Hamlet, Macbeth, Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Film Adaptation, Psychology, Camera Work, Visual Effects, German Expressionism, Film Noir, Cinematography, Interiority, Theater, 1948
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research paper?
The paper explores the 1948 film adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet by Laurence Olivier and Macbeth by Orson Welles, focusing on their distinct directorial styles and interpretations.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The core themes include the adaptation of theatrical texts into cinematic form, the visualization of internal psychology through exterior settings, and the influence of historical context on artistic output.
What is the main goal of the research?
The goal is to demonstrate that despite different aesthetic executions, both directors aimed to centralize the protagonist's mental state as the primary focus of their respective films.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes film analysis, comparative media studies, and psychoanalytic theory—specifically drawing on the theories of Sigmund Freud and Ernest Jones—to interpret the characters' motivations.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body details the directorial concepts, textual modifications, psychological underpinnings, camera techniques, and visual effects used in both films.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Shakespeare, Film Adaptation, Psychology, Cinematography, Expressionism, and Interiority.
How does Olivier use the camera in his Hamlet?
Olivier employs the camera as an observer to navigate the castle, using long takes and zoomings to create a claustrophobic effect that mirrors Hamlet's internal struggle.
What was the critical reception of Orson Welles's Macbeth?
Initially, Welles's Macbeth received harsh criticism for its low budget, unusual costumes, and deviations from the original text, though the paper suggests a deeper analysis reveals significant artistic merit.
How does the fog serve as a symbol in these adaptations?
The fog functions as a stylistic device to represent the borders of the characters' reality, symbolizing the protagonists' mental imprisonment and the dream-like, often hallucinatory quality of their environments.
- Quote paper
- Doreen Bärwolf (Author), 2008, The interior versus the exterior in Orson Welles’s “Macbeth” and Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” in comparison, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/156442
