The much-anticipated movie adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet hits theatres this Thanksgiving, and the trailer dropped this week. Let’s watch!
Ok, thoughts?
I never actually read the book. It came out in 2016 as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series by Random House, a project to create modern novelizations of many Shakespeare classics by well-known authors. I did read Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood and Macbeth by Jo Nesbø, but something about Hamnet just didn’t work for me. I don’t think it really fit the pattern of the others, first of all. Are you retelling Hamlet, or are you imagining a life where Shakespeare’s son didn’t die? I wasn’t into a story about the latter. When tragedy happens in real life, I don’t find it a useful exercise to imagine how life might have been different. I don’t find it hopeful, I find it depressing.
But, that’s just me. Maybe I’ll try it again, before the movie? I definitely want to see the movie. I saw All Is True, and I loved All Is True – except the bits about Hamnet. I’m nothing if not consistent.
Ok! Let’s talk about the trailer. Somebody who’s read the book, fill me in, because right off … who is Agnes, and is she a witch? When we’re not blaring the soundtrack and the cinematographer is not taking inspiration from Millais’ Ophelia, the first bit of dialogue I got was, “If you touch people, you can see their future.” So, then, this is neither a reimagining of Shakespeare’s life if Hamnet had lived, nor a retelling of Hamlet? It’s a fantasy?
Really, that’s about all their is to say about the trailer. We see repeated shots of Paul Mescal as Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as Agnes, and we hear a whole lot of soundtrack. We have no idea what the plot is, we get no meaningful dialogue or meet any supporting cast. It’s almost like the trailer’s made just for people who read the book, which isn’t how these things usually go. Usually the movie goes out of its way to appeal to the audience that hasn’t read the book.
So, people who’ve read the book, what do you think?
The trailer is just all about romance and sex, which is NOT what the book is about and I’ll bet it’s not what the movie is about. I LOVED the book. You have to read all the way to the end to find out what it’s about and I’m not going to spoil it other than to say it’s not what you think it is. I found it very moving and an intelligent, thoughtful take on why Shakespeare may have written Hamlet, why he chose that name, and perhaps why it has remained so compelling to so many people. You must pick up the book again, without any preconceptions about where it is going, and read it to the end. Then talk to me about it. And do it before you see the movie and then we can also talk about the movie. It is so rare for a movie to improve on a book. We’ll see how this one does.
Carl! Long time no see! How’ve you been?
I’ve been keeping an eye on reviews for the movie, and most say that it’s brilliant, fabulous and perfect. Except for one that said that Shakespeare would be ashamed of it. So we shall see! Now I’m intrigued that there can be some sort of twist at the end, since we all know the real story and all we hear is how this the backstory of how Shakespeare was inspired to write Hamlet.
Did you ever watch “All Is True?” I feel like there should be comparisons. It’s not like “Shakespeare in Love” was ever supposed to be a real reimagining of how Shakespeare came to be. But Hamnet fills in the blanks in his earlier life just like that one fills in the gaps at the end. It’s a real labor of love from Kenneth, Ian, Judi and the gang.