Hamlet the Silent Prince(ss)

A Tuesday evening silent film festival seems hardly the place to find Hamlet, and yet there he was again.  The George Eastman House's (GEH) Dryden Theatre aired the 1921 version of Hamlet, starring Asta Nielsen in the title role.  The film was accompanied live on piano by Philip Carli, who also provided a brief introduction.  The 35-mm print from the collection of GEH is the tenth film version of Hamlet, the first having been produced in 1908.  What sets this version apart is the star.  Asta Nielsen is a Danish actress.  This film is not, as Dr. Carli put it, a “trouser role.”  Namely, Nielsen does not play a male role as did Kelli Fox at Geva Theatre (see 7/21/13 post).  Hamlet in this film is female, and therein lies the mystery.

For a 93-year old film, it has held up surprisingly well.  It was shot in part at the actual Castle Elsinore, and the scenery adds a dimension to the work not seen live on stage.  This particular print was also in great shape for its age, although it was apparent that some of the intertitles were not original to the print.  Seeing the film with a live piano accompaniment definitely made it a memorable (and one time only) experience.

And then there was the story…  Shakespeare’s Hamlet this is not.  The film opens with Norway and Denmark at war.  The elder Fortinbras is slain by the elder Hamlet, who suffers a wound thought to be mortal.  Meanwhile, Gertrude gives birth to a daughter.  When she hears that her husband is near death, she and her nurse hatch a scheme to allow her to remain the queen.  Her child will be announced as a prince.  Her husband does not die, and he has to be brought into the royal deception.

Hamlet grows up keeping the secret of his gender.  Eventually, he heads off to Wittenberg, where he meets fellow classmates Horatio, young Fortinbras and Laertes.  They all become fast friends.  Back home, Gertrude has fallen for Claudius and the two conspire to kill her husband with an adder from the castle dungeon.  Hamlet is summoned home for his father’s funeral.

Hamlet learns that the adder that killed his father was similar to those found in the dungeon.  While investigating, he discovers Claudius’s dagger and intuits that his father had been murdered.  (No ghost ever appears.)  He decides to “put on an antic disposition.”  He is introduced to Ophelia, but he has no feelings for her.  He is drawn to Horatio instead.  When Hamlet discovers that Horatio has feelings for Ophelia, he feigns an attraction to Ophelia to break up any relationship between her and Horatio.

The staging of “The Murder of Gonzago” and the death of Polonius follow as traditional.  In a difference, though, Claudius sends Hamlet to Norway to be put to death by Fortinbras.  Hamlet intercepts and rewrites the order and has his two unnamed followers put to death.  In a scene that elicited a collective laugh from the audience, we see Fortinbras read the revised order and look to Hamlet for clarification.  Hamlet throws his arms up and shrugs, and the two followers are sent to the scaffold.

Hamlet returns to Elsinore and joins Claudius in a drunken revel.  He encourages Claudius to drink until he passes out and then sets fire to the chamber, killing Claudius.  Meanwhile, Laertes has returned to mourn the death of Ophelia.  Gertrude seeks revenge on Hamlet and enlists Laertes for the murder plot which is entirely her own invention.  Hamlet and Laertes duel, and Gertrude poisons a cup for Hamlet.  During the action, however, she inadvertently drinks from the poisoned cup and dies.  Laertes stabs Hamlet, killing him while seemingly escaping death himself.  As Horatio is caressing the torso of the now-deceased Hamlet, he discovers the secret and realizes why it is that he had such feelings for Hamlet.  Fortinbras enters on cue to take the Danish throne.

This is definitely the most bizarre version of Hamlet that I have seen.  Whereas Zeffirelli's version (see 9/14/14 post) was "adapted from" Shakespeare, this one could have been advertised as "inspired by" the original.  If you have the opportunity to find and view this one, its oddity makes it worth the time.