Olivier's Hamlet - by Miklós Gábor's interpretation

Egy kis előzetes eddigi magyar olvasóim kedvéért:

Ez a poszt a 2011. szeptember 11-én közzétett írásom: Olivier Hamletje – ahogy Gábor Miklós látta angol fordítása.

Egy kedves olvasóm révén szembesültem az igénnyel, hogy a világban szerte létező Laurence Olivier-tisztelők, rajongók is elolvashassák, ezért készült az angol fordítás. Köszönet érte Szász Teréziának!

In 1961, when the performance of Hamlet’s preparation began, Miklós Gábor was so brave to see Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet movie. By his books it wasn’t the first time, because he had seen it in 1955 during Romeo playing.

In April 1955 he had wrote in his journay what published in Tollal (With Pen) second edition (p. 41-42.):

Laurence Olivier

 

Olivier’s Hamlet movie.

How can move, how can speak these actors! What exact each of movement! What a simple cleanness, what sharpe contour!

Strange actor he is. Bitter and closed. He remains strange for me – the character attracts me but for moments he repels me at the same time. But who knows what kind of taste is the better. This is the real sex appeal! And he utilizes so much! What a walk! How could he find out this ancient Roman style hairdressing! What a slyly cut neckline which stress this curved neck! [...] His speech is simple, it hasn’t any pathos which is habitual fashion to us, but it is sterile, flexible, its scale is endless, and I haven’t never felt so much that this drama is verse too. [...]

This Hamlet is „modern”, it is really! There is something what I don’t like in this movie, for exemple the shortening of the environment’s role. [...] However: when I came out of the cinema, I felt myself so antiquated.

By the effect of Olivier, the best speaker Hungarian actor learns elocution.

And now I quote the Miklós Gábor’s journey, the date is 9 November 1961 – after the Hamlet’s rehearsals began, and when he consciously saw once more the English Hamlet movie. Part of Tollal (With Pen) second edition (p. 169-170.):

Again the great movie of Olivier!

It hasn’t carried me with it so much. First Halmet’s male tenderness, permanent burning pain in which his whole biting wisdom dissolves youngness’ innocent. He watches everything around himself. But in these eyes it never disappears the uncomprehending and wondering question – he’s looking somewhere: his mother, the powerless Ophélia or himself. [...]

Which seems in the first reading a stage-thriller’s property and a simple theatrical method, it will be logical and reasonable by Olivier. He takes Shakespear seriously – like an adult an other one. What wonder I better? The safe Shakespeare’s interpretation or the great spirit which uses Shakespeare just like an instrument to appear?

I pass over a part of the Miklós Gábor’s analysis about the Hamlet-Ophélia scene by the Olivier’s movie. We can see it (Jean Simmons as Ophélia), after I interpretate how Miklós Gábor saw it in the movie and in the drama.

Ophélia–scene. Hamlet understands in the first moment, there is someone who is listening, and Ophélia knows, he knows too. Both of them play a role to the audience; but to each other too; they play to tell what they tell it would be possible, thus everything is so false. Two powerless young lovers in front of the peeping world’s eyes. This is a basic situation of the life. In which Hamlet cannot touch her lover, this is the real cause of his powerlessness and his cruelty, by the way this situation is created by Ophélia too. „Get thee to a nunnery!” – it is a confession of love by the cleanness, which mustn’t to lead it into temptation, because – oh, what a curse! – it is so weak to win.

Finally, the Hungarian actor who prepared himself to Hamlet role drew the conclusion what he wrote very exactly and simple:

I wasn’t threatened by the movie. Olivier gave the solution, and in the performance I am not intrested in composition just the solution itself. Can it be enough that I simply use on the stage and live this role that way what he essentially arranged? Or can I retrust myself to myself? I’m not afraid of take everything from Olivier what I need and what I cannot make better without. If I find out something, this is the only way how I can.

And now, finally let’s see the same scene with Miklós Gábor and Éva Vass (1963). Afterwards everybody can draw up own observations and comparisons:

Translated by Terézia Szász