Hamlet: both sides of the pond

Both Sides OfThe PondHave you ever left a movie theatre feeling contented or unsettled?Have you ever waited in the movie house, long after everyone else has gone, still looking at the credits to find out where the film was shot?The screenplay must be meaningful and the music in perfect harmony with it, but the look and feel of the film is paramount.Conceptualizing that look and feel is the purview of the set director and the property (props) master.This, 'in front of the camera' collaborative results, falls under the production term: mise-en-scene.Film is a visual medium, so it is the composition of a scene, what it visually reveals or suggests, that will convey the director's vision and give the story a physical home to occupy.The Hamlet productions of Michael Almereyda and Zeffirelli, although different in their styles, are distinct examples of visual syntactic mise-en-scene.Franco Zeffirelli's production is a Shakespearean-centric restoration work, and as such its mise-en-scene has specific needs to effectively portray the Middle Ages.For Zeffirelli' s medieval Elsinore castle the set director chose several Scottish locations.The stunning setting of Dunnottar Castle, in Aberdeenshire, which sits perched upon a rocky headland looks dramatic, formidable and evocative, suggesting bloodlines, strength and deadly conflicts.It was used for the opening long shots 1 where we are introduced to Hamlet' s home, with its battlements.It was 1 Martha W. Driver,