To be or not to be

To be or not to be Speech

Olivier Version:
     The setting of this seems to be at a beach. The seas are rough and not very calming. There is no music and the scene is not in color so it is very hard to tell what the lighting is like. I can see him so that is a good thing. It gives the mood that he is doing a lot of thinking and the beach is the perfect place to do that. This setting is very effective for getting the point across to the viewers. The director chooses to use a knife in this scene. I think it is a tad bit too dramatic. I think the scene would have been better with out it. At the same time the knife really grabbed my attention when I saw it for the first time. It was like wow he is really thinking about killing himself. As the actor is saying the lines he doesnt really emote as much as I think the scene calls for. I mean to me the scene was very boring and lacked energy.

Mel Gibson Version:
     I love the setting in this version. Having the scene take place in the crypts I think is genius. There is no music in this scene which I like. The lighting is very natural. It really gives the feeling that it is in a crypt and it isnt just a movie set.The music sometimes causes a distraction and the listener will focus more on the mood the music is trying to create and they lose the true meaning of the scene. The director, unlike the other director, chooses not to use the knife which I like much better. Mel's acting is fantastic. The energy is very high. He keeps you intereested by using different levels in his acting. This is my favorite version.

Modern Version:
     This sucks. I really hate this version. I just think it is just such a stupid concept. The music is a tad to much. There is just a little to much going on in the orchestra and I am losing focus on the scene. If I were directing this scene, the music would most likey be a solo organ or solo oboe. Very soft in the background with not to many notes. Just nice and simple. The lighting doesnt do anything for the scene at all. It creates no mood or anything. He is just in a video store. His acting is very boring and he sounds like he is just reciting a poem which I hate. He just isnt feeling and the director is letting the music create all of the mood when it should mainly be his acting. This is a horrible version.

The 1996 Version:
     This is my second favorite version. It takes place in the castle. The lighting is natural. There is the perfect amount of music in this version. I dont mind the knife in this one so much because his acting is backing it up. In the non-color version he just takes it out and there is no intesity. I love the usage of the mirror in this. It really makes it looks like he is talking to himself. His acting is not as good as Mel's but he does a good job.