Welcome, Senior English scholars of MHS Class of '07. Ever since we first began using online bulletin boards as a way to converse about literature and writing (all the way back in the early '90's, and please don't feel the need to comment about how long ago that was, or how old you were then), it was always my intent to do the same in my classroom. Admittedly, it took a little longer than I thought, but here we are.
This space is essentially yours to post relevant--and presumably intelligent--comments and questions regarding our readings. At the moment, that would consist of Hamlet, with lots more to come in the near future.
Please note the following rules:
1. only those students enrolled in Laz's English IV classes (periods 5/6, 10 and 11) who selected the blog option for this quarter may post comments here. This is not a discussion board intended for the world.
2. anyone who posts must do so with their REAL first name. Any posts found to be made using names other than real (for example, posting using another student's name) will be dealt with according to school disciplinary policy.
3. all discussion will proceed in respectful, scholarly manner
4. to ensure that #3 is obeyed, I will personally monitor all discussions on this blog. It's not that I don't trust teenagers to behave in responsible ways. . .oh, wait--yes, it is. I don't.
5. Do not expect me to comment on every posting, even if a question has been directly asked of me by one of you. I am much more interested to see whether your fellow scholars are capable of suggesting viable answers and explanations. I reserve the right to comment--or post questions of my own--when and if I deem it necessary. But just because I've done that does not make you obligated to respond. . .at least, not yet.
That's all I can think of at the moment, but I also reserve the right to change/adjust/modify/ invent as we go along. Because I can, that's why.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Mr. LAZ
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6 comments:
The Mel Gibon Version of Hamlet
This version of Hamlet was very entertaining from the scene I saw in class. The emotions and actions done by Mel Gibson helped me understand better what was going on in the scene. I liked the different camera angles chosen by the director because it focused on Gibson when it needed to and it focused on the other characters in the play when Gibson was looking at them or talking about them. I may have only seen a few minutes of Gibson's version of Hamlet, but I can safely say that it was a good production.
I agree with Ben. The Mel Gibson version was well done. In class I couldn't recognize why I enjoyed this film, but after having seen the second film (not sure how to reference it other than it was shot in one location and it had all of the lines from Hamlet) I know why I like the first. It moves around, the camera chases Hamlet and he talks to himself in many different tones. The film had interesting locations, rather than floorboard in the second. It was dynamic, and kept my interest.
I agree with both Ben and Brian. Mel Gibson is a very talented actor, and his portrayal of Hamlet was done quite well. His volume control and presence makes his "wanna-be" insanity act quite very realistic. I liked this one more than the others we have seen so far because it had camera movement. I disliked the others because they were too still-life, although the Richard Burton version did have some camera movement. These are just a few reasons why I could tell that I would like the Mel Gibson version the best if I were to see all the films.
Maybe my opinion is a little a skewed from being influenced by Mr. Laz showing so much approval of the Richard Burton version...But I thought that this performance accurately depicted the emotions of Hamlet during his soliloquy. The rhythm and volume of the speech was well in tune with the feelings behind the words. I liked this version best of all so far.
I'm not going to disagree with you guys because you propose a very compelling arguement with the whole camera movement, and "His volume control and presence makes his "wanna-be" insanity act quite very realistic," as chase puts it, but with Gibson doing a movie, he might not have the emotion that someone else might have on stage, or with an audience. With a movie you can say "cut" and retry to get across what you want the audience to feel.
In my opinion, I thought that Kline was the best. The camera didn't really move a whole lot since it was done on stage, but Kline himself was never still. He was always moving to try, and give a picture of what he's thinking to a point with he is on the floor curled up. In some points I felt that Kline himself was maybe a little crazy, forgetting that he was just acting. I just feel that Kline sold his character of Hamlet the best out of the actors so far.
Gibson did a pretty good job getting his lines across with some pretty good emotion and there was some pretty good lighting in this version as well, but the one thing that bothered me was the angle the camera was at sometimes. There was one point where the camera stayed still while Gibson went up the stairs and you found yourself looking up at a very awkward angle. Looking up the nose of Gibson from beneath him wasn't the best choice for this scene. Everything else in this version seemed good.
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