Page 143 - Shakespeare in the Movie From the Silent Era to Shakespeare in Love

132 / Shakespeare in the Movies

artist. Hamlet thus combined his desired role with his destined one
by directing the play within the play. Neither as ill fitted for prince
as Richard II nor as perfect for that position as Henry V, Hamlet
rates as truly tragic, a man inwardly torn assunder. Such a sense of
burning genius is precisely the quality ultranaturalistic Williamson
couldn't convey. His performance was less Hamlet for Everyman
than Everyman as Hamlet. Crying in his mother's arms, he appears
pathetic. Ironically, one moment rings truer than ever before in
Hamlet's advice to the players. Williamson doesn't merely speak it;
he lives it.

The Prince as Byronic Hero
Hamlet
Hallmark Entertainment, 1970; Peter Wood

Like the Richardson-Williamson version, Hallmark's version (origi-
nally broadcast on NBC, November 17, 1970) was adapted from a
British stage production. The film, starring Richard Chamberlain,
was similarly intended as a rethinking of Hamlet for its era. Within
the tight limits of a 115-minute running time, it was a happy update
and an effective reconsideration of a stage production for the camera.
Director Peter Wood had not mounted (or, for that matter, even seen)
the stage version; therefore, he was free to think in original and cin-
ematic terms. The preponderance of close-ups rendered it ineffec-
tual for theatrical screens; yet it was perfect for TV.
Due to a long-standing prejudice against American performers,
none had dared essay the prince on British boards since John Barry-
more in the 1920s. This was particularly gutsy for Chamberlain,
typecast as a bland TV star in the Dr. Kildare series (1961-66). He
initially turned down an offer by Peter Dews to headline a produc-
tion with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Then, taking the risk,
Chamberlain dedicated two years to the part; his time and effort
were not wasted. Critics in England, then America, were surprised
at his efficient, respectable, impressive performance. Harriet Van
Home of the New York Post cited the "quiet dignity and authority"
Chamberlain brought to "the most taxing and difficult role in all
English drama," noting that the actor delivered "a pretty, peevish
prince."