Hamnet 4K UHD Blu-ray Collector’s Edition
Working as a Latin tutor to help pay off his father's debts, Will (Paul Mescal) becomes entranced watching a young woman walk out of the woods with a hawk on her arm. Knowing they will face opposition from their families, the two become handfasted, Agnes (Jessie Buckley) soon expecting their first child. And so the two are married, Will seeking his fortune in London making gloves for a theatrical company while setting his family up in a house in Stratford. But Will and Agnes's happiness will face a severe trial when the plague takes one of their twins, "Hamnet."
Laura's Review: B+
Writer/director Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland," "Eternals") leaps over her poorly received Marvel project, getting back into her own, more naturalistic realm. In adapting Maggie O'Farrell's historical fiction novel, Zhao doesn't lean too heavily on the author's various Shakespearean references outside of the oft speculated idea that the bard's most famous play, 'Hamlet,' was inspired by the death of his son, the names Hamlet and Hamnet being interchangeable in the late 16th century. Instead she concentrates on the courtship and family life of the Shakespeares, Will away in London for most of the film's second half, leaving Agnes and her mother-in-law Mary (Emily Watson) to battle the plague when it arrives at their doorstep. "Hamnet" is about the healing power of art, but when all is said and done, the film feels like a long setup for its extraordinary, final scene.
Zhao's first shot features Agnes curled up within the roots of a tree, an image which evokes the work of Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais, famed for his 'Ophelia.' Shortly thereafter she will meet Will and when she asks him to tell her a story and he chooses Orpheus and Eurydice, another harbinger of death. Yet, although initially wary of the stranger, Agnes is charmed by the tale and their passion is joyful. While his parents decry his choice of the woman known locally as 'the witch of the woods' and her parents lament his lack of financial security, Agnes convinces her brother, Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn, "The Favourite"), of their suitability, a true love match, and he smooths the way for their marriage.
Initially, Will struggles to provide, both frustrated in his father's glove making trade and efforts to succeed as a writer. Concerned, Agnes, who has given birth to their first child, Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), asks Bartholomew to speak to Will's father, John (David Wilmot, "Calvary"), about sending him to London. Will begins to blossom there, returning to visit his family, which has grown to include twins Judith (Olivia Lynes) and
Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe, "Peter Pan & Wendy"). But he also accepts the fact that Agnes, who has been concerned about the health of Judith since her birth, the midwife initially having declared her stillborn, will always find an excuse not to join him, Stratford a better environment. The family enjoys its time together, the children delighting in their own plays, Hamnet telling his mother he wants to join his father's troupe one day to stage a sword fight.
It will be Hamnet who finds his beloved sister unresponsive one morning. The plague has arrived and Agnes is frantic, seeming to will her daughter back to health as Mary, who has known the loss of several children herself, tries to prepare her for the inevitable. Judith hangs on, and one night her brother crawls into bed with her, telling her 'I give you my life.' The loss of a child can pull parents together or drive a wedge between them and Agnes is inconsolable, repeatedly telling her husband when he arrives that 'you weren't there.' The once happy couple is no more.
Buckley has been getting the lion's share of notice for "Hamnet," and her warily flirtatious lover turned earth mother turned embodiment of grief (her wail upon finding Hamnet lifeless raises goosebumps) is certainly affecting, capped by her expression of wonder when she witnesses her husband's grief made poetry on stage. But Mescal, in a quieter performance, is somehow more moving, his ghostly appearance as Hamlet's father in his own play the very picture of sorrow. Zhao's canny casting mirrors Hamnet in Hamlet, the latter played by Jupe's older brother Noah, his hair painted blonde to match the playwright's son's. In addition to her beautiful evocation of the period, production designer Fiona Crombie (2015's "Macbeth," "The Favourite") echoes the dark chasm at the base of the giant tree in Agnes' forest for both Hamnet's death scene and on Will's stage, life, death and the arts all of apiece. Cinematographer Lukasz Zal ("Cold War," "The Zone of Interest") often stages family life interiors in a centered frame, as if through a proscenium arch, his palette emphasizing greens, red and brown.
"Hamnet" is a slow build to an emotional crescendo, a look between Buckley and Mescal expressing everything unsaid and love renewed, Buckley's gesture towards the actor representing her lost child the maternal comfort she's needed to bestow. It leaves us overcome with emotion, and yet the whole is ever so slightly underwhelming.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 4K UHD Blu-Ray Collector's Edition:
First things first - the 4K disc in this package just pops. The picture is vibrant, the sound crystal clear. It comes with several subtitling options, including English. The latter is a good option for watching the film along with writer/director Chloe Zhao's entertaining commentary, although if anyone proposes a drinking game where one takes a shot every time she says 'CCTV,' one would barely last fifteen minutes, the director quite enamored of "Zone of Interest" cinematographer Łukasz Żal's overhead angled shots representing Death's point of view. She tells us they even named a wrap party cocktail after the shot.
She talks about how the holes found in the Welsh forest they filmed in, like the one Agnes is found curled up in, inspired the production design, leading right onto Hamlet's stage. Zhao likes the simplicity Fiona Crombie brought to her design, which aided Żal's other predominant shot, the centered theatrical shot. 'All the world's a stage' says Zhao.
Zhao expounds on her job as creating the proper environment for her actors to be able to focus and create what she calls magic, obstacles such as inclement weather often guiding her into better decisions. She is generous offering praise and credit for improvisations both Buckley and Mescal contributed, most enthusiastically about Buckley's whispering into her hand and flicking it loose in the falcon burial scene, a gesture repeated by Jacobi Jupe in the film's last act. The director was very anxious having newborns on set, especially in the forest, and changed a scene when all the babies on hand cried all day, adding 'real life' to a scene which had been planned as idyllic. She also claims it is impossible to write a 'drunk' scene and talks a lot about Will's generational trauma and repression. Zhao perhaps has one too many 'favorite' scenes, but her calling attention to one subtle facial expression of Buckley's when Agnes realizes Death has tricked her, one bordering on admiration, is a lovely moment. The child actors apparently just gave her what she needed, Zhao saying she found Olivia Lynes' Judith to have Will's temperament, and the casting of Jacobi's older brother to play Hamlet was a happy accident, replacement casting that just fell together in a case of lucky timing.
Praise is also extended to the sound design, music and costume, Zhao pointing out that Agnes always wears red while Will always wears blue. And that ending? It wasn't even planned, something that was conjured during the shoot's last few days.
In addition to the commentary, there are three bonus extras. 'Family Is Forever' highlights every member of the main cast, each actor talking about his or her character. 'Creating Culture' goes into world building and includes footage of Zhao's tension breaking 'dance takes,' cast and crew letting loose at the end of a day. 'Recreating the Tudor Period' gets into the nitty gritty of production including the recreation of The Globe theater and the natural dyes used on costumes that had built in imperfections.
Robin's Review: B
It was not until 1592 that William Shakespeare (Paul Pascal) made a name for himself on the London stage. Before that, little is known of his life becoming the most famous playwright in history. Director Chloe Zhao takes on the task of telling that story of the creation of the Bard’s most famous work in “Hamnet.”
Will’s early life is told through the eyes of noble-born Agnes (Jessie Buckley), a genuine child of the forest whose wildness attracts a young Latin tutor. Soon, she is pregnant with his child and their life together begins. She thrives as a new mother. He, though, is driven by his creative juices and begins to write a play.
Another pregnancy a few years later produces twins – a girl they name Judith and a son called Hamnet. Will’s creativity rubs off on his kids and, as they get a bit older, they become the actors bringing to life his words. Then, it becomes time for the budding author to head to London to take a shot at fame.
While, ostensibly, this is the story of the rise of William Shakespeare and his most famous play, Hamlet, Jessie Buckley is center stage for most of the film. She is a true earth mother and the pain she suffers when she loses a child is palpable. That loss, though, has far greater ramifications than expected.
While the play does not gain its expected prominence until the last act, it does have the impact of Shakespeare’s creation being performed for the first time. Also, as the story itself – about the family – unfolds, we see the genius at work as Will builds the imagery of the play. He uses his kids to help hone the action. We also get a taste of the dialog – ‘To be or not to be,” of course.
The imagining of Shakespeare before “Shakespeare” is done with a lot of invention of his and Agnes’s family life, especially from her point of view. Though she is from much higher birth than her husband, Agnes is a woman of the wild and lives her life that way. While he represents the intellectual side of the marriage, she is the emotional heart and soul of the family and Buckley does it well. Her love for her kids, especially Hamnet, is strong and believable.
While Pascal gives proper energy to his Will Shakespeare, he does not resemble the Bard even a little bit. Not that matters. The pleasure is watching both the imagining of his early life and the creation, over time, of his famous masterpiece.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 4K UHD Blu-Ray Collector's Edition:
“Hamnet,” the now Oscar-nominated film, with eight including Best Picture, is available before the Academy Awards in 4K UHD Blu-ray, which is worth the money with its ultra-clarity. Besides the movie itself – an interesting watch a second time around - we get:
* A running commentary of the film by director Chloe Zhao with blow by blow descriptions and insight into the film’s making.
* “Family is Forever,” a featurette with the director and the cast praising each other to the hilt.
* “Cultivating Creativity” about the chemistry between actors and director, the ecosystem of the set and…praise for the actors and director.
* “Creating the Tudor Period” about recreating Shakespeare’s famous Globe Theatre both from the stage and from the cheap seats. You believe you are there. Costume designer Malgosia Turzanska talks about her creation of the characters’ dress, particularly Jessie Buckley’s organic costumes.
While I appreciate the effort in turning out a special edition high-def version with extras, “Hamnet on 4K UHD Blu-ray” is very pedestrian. The director’s commentary is okay and sometimes insightful but I have heard better for other films.
Of the extras, only “Creating the Tudor Period” offered any actual Shakespearean experience of culture, architecture and dress. I found costumer Turzanska’s descriptions of her work and the characters’ costumes the most interesting.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's 4K UHD Blu-ray of "Hamnet" streets on 3/3/26. It is also being released on Blu-ray and DVD.
