Not to Be or To Be

     All four version of the scene are completely different in terms of setting. What I believe what  managed to capture the soliloquy's essence and incorporate references would be Olivier's version. For example, Hamlet said "Or to take arms against a sea of troubles" at which he was by the sea; the sea is what also allowed for a better interpretation, knowing that the soliloquy is about suicide, the distance between Hamlet and the sea (and the dagger falling into the sea) was intended to show the borders between life and death. The catacombs in Gibson's version was not bad, but also not the best, it didn't make it tense enough to show how easy it was to commit suicide. Branagh's was terrible because I believe the mirrors sought no purpose. What I found to be on-par with the setting in Olivier's version, was Almereda's version; Ethan Hawke is seen strolling through the Blockbuster video store (RIP) in the action isle, but not grabbing a movie (a.k.a he is seeing potentials, but is not "taking action"). Moreover the emotions are what gave the other versions a plus over the black and white (Olivier's) version.
     In Olivier's version, Hamlet sounded very monotone, confusing the audience (well at least me, personally) what Hamlet's feelings are towards the whole situation. Gibson's version showed greater emotion as if he truly was in a struggling situation; Gibson's version had a combination of both Almeryeda's and Branagh's version in terms of emotion. Gibson was both angry and sad for what has occurred, the way Branagh interpreted it made him seem like he will make a decision (to go ahead and kill his uncle) because he seemed so angry. Meanwhile Almeryeda's Hamlet seemed depressed, feeling like he gave up on the whole idea.
     What I found shocking was how Almeryeda's version was the only one with background music. I thought that all 4 filmakers would tense this scene to oblivion, then I had a second thought about it; Almeryeda's version added dramatic music which gave a sense of depression, basically telling the audience that Hamlet is leaning towards the brink of suicide. Meanwhile the other 3 had no background music, leaving the audience to believe what they want to believe when it comes to Hamlet's inner-emotions. So for music I give respect to the other filmmakers for leaving the scene wide-open in interpretation of inner-emotions.
     Why I believe that there are so many versions of this play is because most scenes in the play are open to interpretation, meaning that every reader has a different idea on what x-character said. For example, when Hamlet was speaking with Ophelia some believe he was using sarcasm about not loving her, some believe he was serious. It allows for more ideas to be shared with other people who have read the book as well. Proof of this is....this blog; we are comparing and analyzing all four because they each interpret the scene differently. Then again, there's the other reason...where Hollywood loves rehashing films as quick cash-grabs, appealing to new audiences, etc.