‘Hamlet’ – Riz Ahmed’s big screen version packs a punch and is inspirational…
Quite probably the greatest play in the English language, now gets a powerful South Asian (London) makeover…
FAST-PACED and probably nothing like any ‘Hamlet’ you may have ever before – actor Riz Ahmed and director Aneil Karia’s big screen version is an uncomfortable but ultimately rewarding ride.
Perhaps, the caveat is that you must see it with an open mind, be alive to its richness as a South Asian family drama and appreciate the beauty and force of William Shakespeare’s own language. The dialogue is Shakespeare’s.
Go into a cinema and don’t be put off by any of that – and steel yourself – as it is also gory, raw and unrelenting in places.
Ahmed, as the central character of Hamlet, (the original character names are retained) gives a bravura performance – many actors dream of playing Hamlet – it sits at the pinnacle of the Shakespearian stage test – it is a character who feels everything and the whole play revolves and turns on Hamlet’s emotions.
Along with screen writer Michael Lesslie and director Karia – with whom Ahmed won an Oscar in 2022 for their short, ‘The Long Goodbye’ (see link below) – this is a very singular, personal and dynamic interpretation of the immortal bard’s greatest work.
So many theories have been expounded down the years – remember this work is over 400 years old – trying to explain Hamlet’s behaviour, that this is just another one and at the end of the day, what you consider to be the best will be based on your own personal interpretation and relation to the original.
This ‘Hamlet’ starts with the death of Hamlet’s father – the South Asian (Hindu) patriarch is lying on a slab and the last rites before cremation are being carefully observed – especially between Hamlet (Ahmed) and his uncle Claudius (Art Malik).
Grief is a theme of the play, and one of the driving forces here – Hamlet is devastated by his father’s death and has returned from Delhi – this is in the notes, not explicitly referred to in Ahmed’s film – and it’s important to remember Hamlet’s been thrown back into Family (with a capital F), where he has been absent for a time.
Still trying to come to terms with the loss of his father – who ran a successful London property empire – the smartly named, Elsinore. (This is the ‘Elsinore Castle’ the setting of the original, believed to be Kronborg Castle, Denmark). The tale, after all, is about ‘The Prince of Denmark’ and Shakespeare sometimes wrote about things that loosely happened and were mythologised over time.
Hamlet gets another huge shock when he learns that his uncle (Malik) is to marry his mother – played by Sheeba Chadha. Already reeling mentally from the loss of his father, this sends him over the edge?
A lot of Hamlet’s behaviour could now be attributed to mental illness – the strange mood swings, the erratic temperament, sometimes beguiling, sometimes aggressive, sometimes violent and even occasionally, loving and touching (with both his girlfriend and mother).
In one tender scene, he comforts and is comforted by his white girlfriend – Ophelia (from the original) and played by Morfydd Clark. Clearly their relationship has had its ups and downs but after this pivotal and early reunion, you believe they can reunite and support each other.
Ahmed and Lesslie focus on grief, family dynamics and to some degree, power too.
In some South Asian traditions, it is expected of a widow to marry a brother, if he is unmarried or a widower himself.
Nothing that unusual – so this idea of Claudius (Malik) marrying Getrude (Chadha) isn’t a jolt through the heart – but is for Hamlet, in this.
It’s obvious he now has a deep antipathy towards Malik’s character and Ahmed & Lesslie turn the play scene in the original ‘Hamlet‘ into a marvellously revealing and provocative classical South Asian dance sequence at the wedding.
Aided in the choreography by the great Akram Khan – Ahmed suggests what only he seems to be thinking – that his father was murdered (poisoned) by Claudius and the dancers enact precisely that!
You can see how the power play works out – Claudius now has control of Elsinore and by his side is Polonius (Timothy Spall). As one of the finest English actors of his generation, Spall is good value as a man you love to despise… He also happens to be Ophelia’s father and his son, Laertes (Joe Alwyn) is Hamlet’s friend.
There’s a lot of intense mayhem and violence that involves all the above characters and if you are familiar with the play, it will all come back to you.
Ahmed says (in the production notes) that he went back to the beginning of his craft – working with his old drama school teacher Rob Clare and acting impresario and stage director Declan Donnelan, saying he was scared and didn’t know what he was taking on in some ways – admitting he may have been out of his depth. Ahmed disclosed that he also liked this uneasiness – swimming in a pool where your feet most definitely can’t touch the bottom.
This is a personal triumph and a wonderful performance at the centre of the film – it’s raw, grisly and powerful.
Ahmed is asking for an emotional response – not one steeped in analysis or deep reflection. Karia’s intimate and intense camerawork is singularly focused on Hamlet.
And on all these considerations, this film totally works.
ACV rating:**** (out of five)
‘Hamlet’ comes out in UK cinemas from today (February 6)
