Back To Index Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
 Barnes & Noble In an audacious bit of artistic sleight of hand, playwright Tom Stoppard takes two marginal characters from Shakespeares Hamlet and puts them at the center of tumultuous events, relegating the dramas principal figures -- Hamlet, Ophelia, and Claudius, among others -- to the background. Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) and Guildenstern (Tim Roth), very much confused about the state of things in Elsinore, lurch from conversation to conversation, conflict to conflict, without ever being aware what role they are destined to take in Hamlets destiny. Stoppard, who not only adapted his 1967 play but directed this film version as well, devises some very clever dialogue for the two protagonists, who at times come off as a medieval Abbott & Costello. Or perhaps Laurel & Hardy: Oldmans Rosencrantz is very much the befuddled simpleton, while Roths Guildenstern imagines himself cleverer than he really is. Richard Dreyfuss garners his fair share of laughs as a wandering performer drawn into their orbit, and the whole enterprise has the feeling of an extended Monty Python skit. Stoppards direction leaves something to be desired: This is not a terribly cinematic film, and its stage origins are readily apparent. But the central conceit is a brilliant one thats executed with panache by a marvelous cast. Ed Hulse Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
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