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T, g Citizen -- y, August 13, 1991'-- 17 a Hamlet silences critics Hamiot (1990) Directed by Franco Zefferilli Now available on video. Whenever a group of actors gather to talk about great roles, one name 1s always mentioned: Hamlet, the tragic hero of one of Shakespeare's more famous, plays: Both the language and the many facets to the character must be conquered, as the role calls for numerous emotions to: be felt, not to mention speaking them in iambic 'pentameter. Personally, 1 think there are greater roles to challenge an actor, and I have always been of the opinion Hamlet was perhaps the most overrated of the great classics. It is insufferably long, with sub-plots running in every direction, and never seeming to end. Certainly the tragic elements of the piece are attractive, but is it a practical idea to want to do Hamlet? Sir Laurence Olivier brought Hamlet to 'mass audiences in 1948, with his black and white film that became the first British film to win an, Oscar for best pic- ture, as well gs carning Olivier a best actor awdrd. For years it was felt this was the world's greatest actor conquering the greategh dra- matic role written, an ple. 4 t time has been hard Richard 111 (1956), and Othello (1965). Olivier gave other film- makers the courage to venture into the plays of the Bard for cine- matic purposes, some: with great success. Marlon Brando. sufprised his toughest critics with a literate and powerful perfor- marice as Marc Anthony OR Ve Ridin at the flicks that Olivier. was by no means the great- est actor, many john foote have surpassed him, and this version of Hamlet is badly dated and often over- wrought. To his credit, Laurence Olivier was a great director, the first -man to truly make Shakespeare accessible to the masses, and the first man to make audiences aware that Shakespeare could be entertaining. His Henry V (1945) was a thundering success, and in later years, he would act and direct' in Julius Caesar (1971) to great acclaim. More recently, Kenneth Branagh acted and directed in a brilliant adapta- tion of Henry V. (1989), that sur- passed the Olivier version in its daring, Far and away the most success- ful of the Shakespeare films was the colourful 1968 blockbuster, Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Franco Zefferilli, this magical WOW, what a great job! Victoria Vinkle smiles pleas- antly as she pours the customer another cup of coffee. "I like the WOW program because it gives you job experi- ence. It's good pay, and it's. gasier finding a job," ys. "And it's fun, when you go the 14-year-old on trips." She has nothing bad to say about Work Orientation Workshops, or 'WOW' asst is more commonly known. Sponsored by Durham Youth Employment Services, a division of the YMCA, WOW was Victoria Vinkle pours Ted Harvard a cup of coffee at Donut Press. She got her job through the WOW program. See story. SCUGOG CHORAL SOCIETY AUDITIONS for our fall preduction of "HELLO DOLLY" At: Town Hall 1873 Corner of Queen & Simcoe Street, Port Perry On: MONDAY, AUG. 26th from 7 PM (Callbacks - Wed. August 28th - Rehearsals start Wed., Sept 4th) In recognition of our 15th Anniversary, all current and previous members and associates are encouraged to join us on audition night Try out or just have a coffee and renew old acquaintences. (Please bring an audition piece.) SHOW DATES: Will run Two Consecutive Weeks - 8 Shows including 2 Sunday Matinees NOVEMBER 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, DECEMBER 1. For more information call 985-2570 Lo 9854411 designed to encourage 14 to 16- year-olds to stay in school by pro- viding work experience, job plan- ning, and lifeskills. Lori Gowans, WOW coordina- tor, and Bob Jones, WOW assis- tant trainer, work out, of the YMCA building on Queen St., Port Pefty. They're responsible for njfi€ teenagers this summer, althopigh they had room, at the begidning of the summer, for 12. "We look to help them out," Lori says. "Fourteen to 16.is a really tough age. We try to give them a little encouragement to stay in school." Most of the students in the pro- gram have never held jobs before, so WOW helps them learn job interview skills, teaches resume writing and general lifeskills to help them land, and keep, a sum- mer job. "Through working, we try to give them a lide confidence and get them 'out there'," she adds From Monday to Thursday, the students. go to work at local busi- nesses. Victoria, for example, works at Donut Press & Burger Press on Water St. Others work in grocery stores, in day care -- in a variety. of jobs. Fridays are work- shop and 'trip' days. Among the many trips the students will be taking is one to Toronto's Much Music cable TV station. As for the workplace, Lori and Bob combine their efforts to help ¢ f both students and employers "We let employers know these are studedhs, that they might need extra encouragement, 10 get their sconfidence up," Lori says. And if a problem does develop, Bob says, "We negotiate prob- lems before they get too serious." For more information, drop in 10 see Lori or Bob at the YMCA, Port Perry's Favourite Family Restaurant. 158 Water St., Port Perry film took the gentle story of two lovestruck youths to new heights by casting youths to portray the role. The results at the box office were impressive, and the film won four Academy Awards, setting Zefferilli in the elite of current ---- film makers. Through the '70s and '80s, his carcer spiralled out of control, due to some dreadful choices in movies, 'and a terrible car acci- @ldent that nearly killed him. When he announced in 1989 he would make a film of Hamlet, there was great excitement in the air. He assembled a formidable cast of Shakespearean actors including Paul Schofield as the ghost of the King, Hamlet's father, Alan Bates as his treacher- ous uncle, Tan Holm as Polonius, Helena Bonham-Carter as the doomed Ophelia, and Glenn Close as Hamlet's possibly adulterous mother, Gertrude. For the central role of the tragic prince, Zefferilli stunned audi- ences, critics and Shakespeare lovers, casting action star Mel Gibson. Having built a career on pulp action films, Gibson seemed a curious choice for the role, although he ge the film instant box office appeal. True, he had given a great per- formance as a suicidal cop in Lethal Weapon (1987), but how would he fare' doing Shakespeare with' some of the great Shakespearcan actors? His critics were silenced upon the film's release last. Christmas, Mel Gibson gave a fine perfor- mance as Hamlet, startling many audiences into recognizing an apparent new talent in the man. This was not the melancholy Hamlet we were taught, in school, but a young man feigning mad- ness to avenge the murder of, is father. . Gibson injects his young prince with zestiness, something not before attempted in the role. True, he 1s angered and hurt over the death (he learns murder) of his father, who visits him in an apparition. Pretending to be over- come with grief, Hamlet succeeds in finding the murderer of his father, but in bringing down the killer, also brings-about his own doom. In all honesty, Gibson does not take cinema acting 10 new heights the way Brando did with A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), but he does create.an original Hamlet, onc that has-not been done before. You can see him + improving as an actor throughout the film, but particuldrly in his powerful scenes with his mother, which ring of incest. Glenn Close | is superb in her scenes' with Gibson, and his best scenes are with her, the screen seems to crackle when the two are together. v u I BLIND VENGEANCE i On Videocassette Video SUPER Store 1874 SCUGOG STREET HWY. 7A - PORT PERRY 27085-5459 They Murdered His Son. Now He's Out to Destroy Their World. N