Breaking Glass Pictures offers a new look at Hamlet beginning January 17 at Arena Cinema in Hollywood. The 88-minute film is adapted and directed by Bruce Ramsay and has been nominated for four Leo Awards (British Columbia).
Treachery, sex, murder, betrayal and revenge – the hallmarks of Shakespeare’s classic drama are still there, as director Bruce Ramsay adapts the story for a 21st Century audience, relocating the action to post WWII London and making the female characters (Gertrude and Ophelia) considerably more assertive.
Filmed entirely in Vancouver, B.C. with sumptuous production values that belie the film’s tiny budget ($27,000), the screenplay is faithful to Shakespeare’s text in most regards. Says Ramsey, “My intent with Hamlet was to make it as fresh, and accessible as possible. By eliminating everything that happens outside of Elsinore and shedding any characters that are not a part of, or in direct service to, the royal family, Hamlet the play, becomes Hamlet the classic cinematic genre, the family drama. The loss of a parental figure, the power vacuum that it creates, the self- reflection demanded by the lead character’s contemplation of his own mortality, all these themes are central to the piece, and very familiar in modern cinematic storytelling.”
The film stars Ramsay as Hamlet, Stephen Lobo (Horatio), Lara Gilchrist (Ophelia), Peter Wingfield (Claudius), Gillian Barber (Gertrude), Duncan Fraser (Polonius), and Haig Sutherland (Laertes), with production design by Paul Joyval and music by Schaun Tozer.
HAMLET
January 17 – 23, 2014
Arena Cinema
1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028
Discounted parking is available with validation in lots adjacent to the theatre and across the street. Showtimes: Fri. at 6:05 pm, Sat. at 4:30 and 6:05, Sun. at 3:30 & 5:00, Mon.-Thurs. at 6:10 pm. Admission: $12.
For tickets, visit http://arenascreen.com
Shakespeare in LA 