The Play's the Thing...

I'll avoid commenting on how long it's been since I posted a blog, but just say that I often stop and start blog posts before discarding them, and I've committed myself to writing at least one blog a week for the Lenten season. Hopefully I'll have fruitful things to talk about...

Have you ever noticed that when you make a personal discovery or recognize something new that it immediately pops up in near ubiquitous fashion in other parts of your life? For instance, once you learn a new word you suddenly hear it in conversation, and you wonder if it's divine coincidence, or if it's always been there, and you just never noticed it. I don't know if it has a name, but I experienced this phenomenon recently, after reading an article on Hamlet in pop culture. It's by far my favorite Shakespeare work, and I've seen several productions, including the Mel Gibson (3 stars, recommended) and Kenneth Branaugh (4.5 stars, highly recommended) film versions. My high school even did a production (1 stars, don't waste your time machine going back for that one).

Anyway, reading this article, which mentioned a couple of versions I was familiar with, opened the floodgates for me, and I started seeing Hamlet everywhere. Here are my top 5 representations or references:

5. The Lion King-

Disney notably ripped off "Kimba, the White Lion" when they made this, but the plot elements bear a more notable resemblance to Hamlet than the old Bill Giant cartoon. Simba (not Kimba) hides out with his two buddies while his Uncle usurps his throne, though, and needs more than just the ghost of his father to inspire his return. In my opinion, this was the end of an era for Disney animated films, from The Little Mermaid in 1986. They never really achieved the same level of symbolic and mematic messaging as they did here...

4. Star Trek "The Conscience of the King"-

Star Trek gives me a lot of emotional baggage. It was something my father and I could share a devotion for when I was a kid. I've seen this episode several times, and the "play within a play" factor is really well done. There's also something beautiful about the timelessness of Shakespeare's works in the futuristic world of Kirk and Spock. Although there's a heck of a lot of overacting...

3. L.A. Story-

Steve Martin is incredibly underrated as an author. His plays are clever, funny and fantastic, his books are well designed and entertaining, and this is his best movie, in my opinion. While the Hamlet scene here is a little "on the nose" for me, I still enjoy Rick Moranis' cameo, and the greater narrative structure. More allusions to another great masterwork, The Odyssey, in this movie, including the main character's name "Telemacher". I've mentioned this movie before.

2. Strange Brew-

I honestly didn't even recognize this as a Hamlet reference until recently. As I child, I'd seen this movie a few times, and could quote most of it, but I'm ashamed that I never noticed the deep level of Shakespearean parallels, from the "Elsinore" heiress whose name is Pam (short for "Pamlet," maybe?) to a drowning scene in a van, and a sword fight with hockey sticks. A beautiful Canada themed portrayal in disguise, and another Rick Moranis gem.

And, coming it at number one... Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1991)-

ok, maybe this isn't a "pop culture" reference. And and it's much, much, more than an allusion to the Hamlet characters. But an amazing tour de force by Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, and Richard Dreyfuss. If you've never seen this beauty, you owe it to yourself to check it out. The concept of what and how these two minor characters were thinking and believing, beyond the scope of the main plot, living outside of time and the spotlight is one of the things I love most about Theater of the Absurd. My daughter loves to play the "Questions Game" at the most irritating times, too.

BONUS: how could I forget this one!