What is notable is that, even though these gowns are simple, there’s a lot of detail packed into them. The other costumes are on screen for far less time than either of the two I just mentioned, so I guess I can’t be blamed for not remembering them. I honestly only remembered two: her all white outfit and her pink and white outfit, both of which are fairly faithful to the styles seen in the early 14th-century Manesse Codex that I mentioned above. Upon re-watching the film in preparation for this post, I realized Ophelia has a surprising number of costume changes. The only other female character in Hamlet is, of course, Ophelia, played by Frock Flicks favorite, Helena Bonham Carter. The only really historical element is in the nod to a barbette and fillet on her head, which is a 13th-century conceit. The outfit Gertrude wears for the staging of “The Mousetrap” is not seen very clearly, except from the waist up, though its design is clearly more fantasy than historical. Then there are a few gowns that are more of a fantasy nature with some elements of a particular era incorporated. I’m mostly curious to know how it was constructed in order for the bias to be on the sides and with no visible seams on the sleeves. You could make the argument either way for it being a 12th-century bliaut (dig that rectangular construction) or 15th-century Burgundian (the pleating in the front lends it a strong houplande-y vibe). I got stuck in a Pinterest-Google feedback loop instead.Īlso, this red gown is intriguing. Here, it appears that the pendilia are interpreted as earrings in most of the scenes where Gertrude is shown wearing them.Īnnoyingly, I wasn’t able to track down the source of this illumination. I am always grateful when my huge network of medieval nerdists can deliver me the accurate term for some obscure thing in under five minutes. BTW, pendilia is what you call those hangy-down bits that frequently accompany Byzantine crowns. The elements of many of Gertrude’s outfits could be summed up as “Byzantine by way of the 12th century.” The heavily jeweled and embroidered gowns feature pendant sleeves (12th century), a strong bliaut vibe in terms of fit (late 12th century), and long earrings/pendilia. So, let’s examine the costumes! Gertrude – Glenn Close I say “roughly” because, as you will see, there are elements in the clothing that could go either way. Costume designer Maurizio Millenotti, long-time collaborator of Franco Zeffirelli, clearly drew inspiration from other eras as well, such as the Byzantine and Burgundian, pulling together a surprisingly cohesive look. His Hamlet is set in medieval Denmark and based on the clothes it is reasonable to assume the date is roughly 12th- to 14th-century. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I think Zeffirelli achieved the ideal balance between sacrificing accuracy (in terms of script and the overall aesthetic) and being faithful to both history and the overarching story. Hell, I’m 38 and I am still hesitant to watch Branagh’s Hamlet (1996) because I don’t know if I commit to 240 minutes of anything, let alone Shakespeare. He wanted to create a leaner, meaner, sexier Melancholy Dane that would draw in kids like me, whose ADD attention spans might not have been totally up for the four-hour slog of Hamlet the unexpurgated, but were still smart enough to not be pandered to with a dumbed-down pap. I’m not sure if we should thank Zeffirelli or not…Īnyway, I loved this version of Hamlet as a teenager and that was pretty much Zeffirelli’s intent with this film. Yes, the director everyone loves for giving us the definitive screen version of Romeo and Juliet (1969) also delivered unto us the first Serious Actor Mel Gibson vehicle, paving the way for Braveheart and The Patriot (which are essentially the same movie).