Hamlet Allusions
Every actor wants to play Hamlet.
Most don't get the chance.
But occasionally,
a director will throw an actor a bone, and give them a few moments to discuss the melancholy Dane.
Here are a few of my favorite Hamlet allusions straight from Hollywood
Animated Hamlet
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
HBO used to do a children's program called
"Shakespeare-The Animated Tales", turning Shakespeare's plays into half hour animated shorts.
Hamlet was done all in the style of stained glass, and eliminated some of the heavier elements of the story.
Tiny Toon Adventures
"Tiny Toon Adventures"
gave a little nod to the Bard when Gogo Dodo turned
himself into an insect, and split himself in twowith the
quote
"Two bees, or not to bees."
The Lion King
Simba runs away, leaving the kingdom under his Uncle's rule. Only when he is visited by the ghost of Mufasa does he return to kill his Uncle.In place of Hamlet's father saying,
Mufasa says,
"Remember who you are"
Hamlet for Gen X & Y
Boy Meets World
While most teeny-boppersitcoms lean toward Romeo & Juliet when introducing Shakespeare to television audiences, "Boy Meets World" chose Hamlet. In the episode, titled, "The Play's the Thing" there are plenty of kids running around in costumes, acting badly. The reason to see this episode, however, comes in the form of Mr. Feeney (Williams Daniels), who performs Hamlet's father's monologue to prove Shakespeare can be exciting. It is one of the more entrancing recitations of this speech captured on film.
Clueless
Clueless" very briefly brings Hamlet into the picture to prove that Alicia Silverstone is far more interesting than the pretentious college girl her interest Josh (Paul Rudd) is dating.
HEATHER:
Oh, Josh, please. He's taken our minds at the most fecund point, and restrained them before they've wandered through the garden of ideas. It's just like Hamlet said, "To thine own self, be true."
CHER:
Ah, no, uh, Hamlet didn't say that.
HEATHER:
I think that I remember Hamlet accurately.
CHER:
Well, I remember Mel Gibson accurately, and he didn't say that. That Polonius guy did.
Every once in a while, Saturday Night Live tests the intellectual level of it's audience. Guest hosts Richard Dreyfus (in 1979) and Robin Williams (in 1988) donned the same costume to takes jabs at Hamlet. Dreyfus attempted to recite "To be or not to be" amid interruptions from John Belushi. Williams was the first "improvisational" Shakespearean actor, riffing on several scenes until he drives Shakespeare himself (Phil Hartman) to run him through. Williams turns serious just long enough to prove how well he can recite Hamlet's final speech, before jumping up to take a final bow.
Hamlet in the Theatre
The entirety of
"A Midwinter's Tale" rests on a production of
Hamlet. A director trying to help his sister's production
company decides to put on a production of Hamlet with 6
actors (including himself), one all-purpose designer, and
an old church. Plenty of Hamlet jokes abound, a good
portion of them coming from John Sessions' character, who
plays Gertrude, "who's a queen anyway."Interspersed
throughout the craziness of "Noises Off"
references to Hamlet can be found. Lloyd Dallas (Michael
Caine) is directing this production, while he has a
version of Hamlet going up in New York. The Dane is
always prevalent in his mind as this show collapses.
Lloyd: He's been standing there the whole time. Like the Ghost of Hamlet's Father.
In this remake of a 1940's Jack Benny
movie, Mel Brook's Polish theatre company is performing a
rather sad version of Hamlet. Mel is not quite the
interpreter of Shakespeare he thinks.
"To be or not to be.........line"
Hamlet Randomness
Two Girls and a Guy
In this otherwise rather pointless movie, Robert Downey Jr. gives a truly incredible performance as an actor who's so entraced with his profession that he can't figure out where the performance ends. In this scene, he proves his worth as an actor to the two girls (Heather Graham,Natasha Gregson-Wagner) of thetitle.
Blake-Obviously you've never seen my Hamlet, or you wouldn't be berating me in this fashion. You'd have respect for me. You would. You see me in that picture over there? I am the Melancholy Dane.
Lou-Did Hamlet lead a double life?
Blake-I'd have to lay you onto it, a little bit, I think.
Lou-So you want center stage?
Blake-Yup.
Carla-Always trying to be loved.
Blake-Okay, Hamlet is upset with his mother for...well, many things.Co-conspiring to kill his father, and well, owning his dick.
Lou-Oh, well, you can relate to that.
Blake-No, but I can relate to how angry he is.
Lou-And to how she controls his dick.
Blake-Let's go, let's go....
Ecstasy!
My pulse, as yours, doth temperately keep time,
And makes as healthful music: it is not madness,
That I have uttere'd; bring me to the test,
And I the matter will re-word; which madness
Would gambol from. Mother, for love of grace,
Lay not that flattering unction to your soul,
That not your trespass, but my madness speaks:
It will but skin and film the ulcerous place,
Whilst rank corruption, mining all within
Infects unseen. Confess yourself to heaven;
Repent what's past; avoid what is to come;
And do not spread the compost on the weeds,
To make them ranker. Forgive me this my virtue;
For in the fatness of these pursy times
Virtue itself must pardon beg,
Yea, curb and woo for leave to do him good.
(he goes into a victory dance)
Carla-O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in two (twain)
Blake-O, throw away the worses part of it,
And live the purer with the other half.
Goodnight: but go not to mine uncle's bed;
Assume a virture, if you have it not.
You gonna tell me that I'm not a great actor?
(a bit later in the scene)
Blake-Where did you grab that line? I didn't know you knew Shakespeare.
Carla-There's a lot you don't know about me.
The Last Action Hero
he last
place you'd expect to see a Hamlet reference is an Arnold
Schwarzenegger movie, and yet, here is one. When Danny
(Austin O'Brien) gets bored in class while his teacher
(Joan Plowright, Laurence Olivier's widow) is discussing
Hamlet, he imagines his favorite action hero playing out
the scene.[
[Jack Slater is Hamlet]
Hamlet: Hey Claudius! You killed my father! Big mistake!
Narrator: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and Hamlet is taking out the trash.
Old Man: Stay thy hand, fair prince.
Hamlet: [shooting him] Who said I'm fair?
Narrator: No one is going to tell this sweet prince good night.
Hamlet: To be or not to be? Not to be.
Soapdish
In
"Soapdish", Jeffery Anderson (Kevin Kline, who
actually played Hamlet in 1990) is convinced his career
(which has been dragged to the depths of dinner theatre
in Florida and hemorriod commercials) can be saved by his
one-man Hamlet. This thought keeps him going throughout
the movie.
Jeffery-See, my, my theory is that all the characters are Hamlet, it's all happening in Hamlet's head. So you only need one actor.
Jeffery-My career has suffered other slings and arrows and I've always survived.
Jeffery-I'll take my Hamlet to Canada. They always loved me in Canada!
My Personal Favorite Hamlet
Allusion
LA Story
Steve Martin is a genius. Just gotta say that. In "LA Story", there are several references to Shakespeare and his plays, but my favorite is a scene in which Harris (Martin) and Sarah (Victoria Tennant) take a break from their tour of LA to pass through a graveyard, where a talkative gravedigger (Rick Moranis) is more than happy to stop his digging for a moment to chat. Here's a good portion of the scene.
E
xt. Cemetary-Day
Harris-Literature....not a lot of people are aware of this.
(Gravestone-William Shakespeare-born 1564, died 1616. Lived in Los Angelos 1612-1614)
Harris-I think he wrote "King Henry, Part 8, the Revenge" here. (walks to gravedigger) Whose grave is this?
Gravedigger-Mine.
Sara-I think he means who's going to be buried here? What's his name?
Gravedigger-He's not a he, Miss.
Harris-All right, all right, she.
Grave digger-Not a woman either. Used to be a woman. Now she's dead.
Harris-Finally, a funny grave digger.
Grave digger-Wanna know how long it takes for a body to rot?
Harris-Do we!
Grave digger-Well, if they're not already rotten before they die, eight or nine years. One o' them Beverly Hills women will last you 9 years.
Sara-How come?
Grave digger-They've been tan for so many years, their skin keeps out the water longer and water is something that can really destroy a very nice dead body. (brings out skull) Now here's somebody who's been around for 35 years or more.
Harris-Who was that?
Grave digger-That there's a magician, name was....the great...Blunderman. Not so great now, is he?
Harris-The Great Blunderman? I knew him, Sara! (picks up skull) God. He was a funny guy...He taught me magic.
Sara-A fellow of infinite jest....
Harris-Yeah.
Sara-He hath borne me on his back a thousand times....
Grave digger-She's got it.
Sara-Where be your gibes now? Your flashes of merriment that would set the table on a roar?