Something is Rotten in the State of BHS!

My favorite version of Hamlet was the one directed by Ken Branagh.  Out of the three, this version was the one I wanted to continue watching.  I enjoyed how the setting was in the 19th century because it was not too modern, but at the same time it was not too out-dated.  I also appreciate how this movie was the entire play while the other two movies started out at different point in the play and cutted off some scenes.  I believe Branagh portrays the scenes with the guards very well.  The movie starts off very dark, gloomy, and mysterious.  The sound of the church bell ringing and dogs barking adds to the mysterious tone.  Viewers were able to tell that it is cold outside because the sound of wind was playing in the background.  As the two guards, Barnardo and Francisco, were talking, their breath was visible in the dark.  I believe this was also a good way to portray how cold it really is.  I also liked the way Branagh directed the scene of the guards seeing the ghost for the first time.  Instead of the ghost looking wispy, white, and transparent, it was a black silhouette of a man floating in the sky.  There was fog surrounding the ghost which made the scene more eerie.  The director used interesting angles during this scene.  At one point, the perspective would be from the guards looking up at the ghost.  At another point, the point of view would be from the ghost looking down at the guards.  Although Hamlet is a very dreary and dark play, the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude is very bright.  There were lots of white, red, and gold.  It was a complete contrast to the previous scene with the ghost.  However, not everything was bright.  The first time Hamlet is seen, he is dressed in all black and is standing off to the side of the wedding like an outsider.  His soliloquy is very emotional and he tends to act very dramatic about the situation of his father dying and his mother remarrying.  When the guests leave the wedding ceremony, Hamlet talks with disgust in his voice.  Although he was dramatic in his soliloquy, I still enjoyed it very much.  I believe Ken Branagh's version of Hamlet is directed very well and it is a movie I would like to continue watching.