Compare six Hamlet films in an essay due Dec. 2

Due date: December 2, 2012 (Sunday before midnight submit to Turnitin.com and the next day to dropbox and bring a paper copy to class)    

                        Act I scene 2 in Six Film Versions of Hamlet

1. Archangel BBC Audiobooks  (2005)

2. Laurence Olivier (1948)                 

3. BBC: Derek Jacobi (1980)             

4. Mel Gibson (1990)             

5. Kenneth Branagh (1996)

6. Ethan Hawke (2000)

7. David Tennant BBC (2010)

8. (optional) Looking at Movies (2006) Dave Monahan, Norton.

Blogs due: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

Blog topics: a paragraph about a character in the act you just read or observations about a film clip you just saw.

                                    Keep a Viewing Journal

1. Read and annotate the text of Hamlet that we will be viewing (either in your textbook or on a separate script). Make marginal notes on how different directors and actors might play the scene.
2. In class, view the various film versions of the scenes, taking notes. Each day as we watch a film clip, complete the viewing journal to record and remember details from each film and how you react to different directorial decisions.
3. View the scenes again and again, making further notes.
4. Reread and analyze your viewing journal to create a clear and interesting thesis. Use your Viewing Journal to frame an interesting claim about the versions.
5. Write a 3 to 5 page essay comparing several film versions of this one scene from Hamlet.  Narrowly focus on a few parts analyzed in detail.
6. Carefully proofread your essay, include the correct MLA citation and header, a Works Cited page listing the films you analyze, and make sure your title and thesis statement make an interesting point.
7. Submit the essay to Turnitin.com by the time specified. (Dec. 4, 2011)

                                    Writing Assignment

1. Select which scene or portion of a scene you will focus on.
2. Select which two (or three) film versions you will analyze.
3. Select what aspect of the scene you will concentrate on. (Be specific; don’t just rate the versions in a general way.)
4. Take notes on the Looking at Movies DVD: a. Mise en scene, b. Setting,             c. Lighting & Familiar Image, d. Composing the Frame, e. Shot Types, f. Camera Angles, g. Point of View
5. Review your Viewing Journal notes. Brainstorm an exciting and different claim to make about how the scene is directed and acted. Add Works Cited.

WRITING PROMPT(s):

1. What is the effect on the scene of the director’s various choices?

2. In your view, which choices are most effective?

3. How does the scene change (in its meaning) because of the filmmaker’s decisions?

(Make your claim bold, different and interesting, not obvious. Give clear details that support your claim.) Compare only one aspect (lighting, camera angle, sound, blocking, or one other technical aspect of the scene) of two or three film versions of the same scene from Hamlet. (3-5 page essay with Works Cited. )

Works Cited

Hamlet. Dir. Almereyda, Michael. Ethan Hawke, Julia Stiles, Bill Murray. 2000. Double A films.

Hamlet. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. 1996. Castle Rock Entertainment. Julie Christie. Derek Jacobi. Kate Winslet. Judi Dench. Jack Lemmon. Rufus Sewell. Robin Williams. Charlton Heston. John Gielgud. Billy Crystal.

Hamlet. Dir. Zeffireli, Franco. Mel Gibson, Glenn Close.     1990.   Mel Gibson. Glenn Close. Ian Holm.

Hamlet. Dir. Benet, Rodney.  Derek Jacobi. 1980.   

Hamlet. Dir. Olivier, Sir Laurence. 1948. Two Cities Film (UK).

Hamlet. Dir. Gregory Doran. TV 2009.

     Act I scene 2 lines 65-164             Make marginal notes on directorial decisions:

KING CLAUDIUS        (lighting/ blocking/ lang. delivery/ set/ camera/ sound/ etc.)