In Hamlet one of the major scenes of the play is the scene when the ghost of King Hamlet appears to Horatio and others who then decide to go and tell Prince Hamlet about what they have seen. They take Hamlet to where they see the ghost and just as they said the ghost appears. Hamlet decides to follow the ghost even when Horatio suggested not to. The ghost then explains what happened and everything and it is a huge part of the whole plot. So as you can imagine every movie on Hamlet has to give this scene much attention. However each movie creates this scene differently.
In the Zeffirelli version the scene is very much in darkness. They appear on the roof of the castle and many of the characters are hardly visible. For the most part only the faces of the characters are scene. Same with the ghost its very mysterious and you only really see the face of it. Gibson playing Hamlet is also interesting he seems like he is a mess. He looks and acts like he is crazy he is sad angry and he really exaggerates all these emotions. Especially when you see him smashing his sword against the stone. Another key thing about this movie is that you can clearly make out it is medieval times.
In the Branagh version of Hamlet you immediately see a difference because the immediate introduction f special affects. As Branagh (Hamlet) runs through the forest there are explosions and smoke everywhere. It brings out the tension in the situation as he chases down the ghost. The ghost in this film is clearly seen in a full suit of armor and he seems more ghostly because he doesn't move and he stares into the beyond with his bright blue eyes. The ground is also shown cracking around him giving off the idea of the supernatural powers taking place. The flashbacks also bring another aspect to this film especially because they are in full color and the colors are very bright. As a whole I think this film explains the whole situation better through the flashbacks and using the special affects to express the emotions that are being felt by the characters.
In the Almereyda version the whole setting is completely different. It take splace in a modern day city with modern day people. However the people use the exact words from the play so at times it is a bit weird listening to the actors speaking. The ghost is also like none other in this movie. He seems very humanlike even to the point where he hugs his son and talks and walks around as if he was alive and right there. In a way it allows people to relate to the situation a bit more because it kind of takes away the mysterious part of the scene.
All of these films tell the same story however each in their unique way.
