Ghost Scene

In the first version by Zeffrelli, the scene is very dark. Zeffrelli uses the dark scene to keep the viewers intrigued with what the ghost is saying. When Gibson sees the ghost of his father for the first time, he is shocked to see him. After Gibson learns the truth about his father, he is very overwhelmed and angry. After the ghost disappears, Gibson shows his anger by hitting his sword against some rocks. The music in the background is sad when the ghost is talking. Zeffrelli’s choice of music makes the viewers sad about what the ghost is saying. In the second version, Branagh uses many special effects to get his point across. When Branagh is running through the woods to get to the ghost, the talking gets faster and faster. The woods are dark and smoke alone with other effects go off. This builds the suspense of what will happen next when he sees the ghost. The director use of flashbacks also help to better understand what the ghost is saying. Seeing and hearing what happened to the ghost helps reiterates what the director wants the viewer to understand. Also, the ghost’s voice is different then the other characters, making the view concentrate more when the ghost is speaking. In version three, Almereyda makes the scene very modern. Hawke is shocked and unsure what to make of the ghost when they first meet. Almereyda shows this by having Hawke sweat and fall down when the ghost gets close to him. The setting was very bright and almost normal even thought there was a ghost in the room. I think the second version was directed the best because Branagh emphasizes the key points that he wants the viewers to understand. The special effects and flashbacks help demonstrate what happen during the scene.