To Be or Not to Be: Branagh vs. Tennant

Kenneth Branagh's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7740lGif65Y&feature=related

David Tennant's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYZHb2xo0OI

When watching Branagh's performance of this famous soliloquy, the first thing I noticed was how slowly he recites the lines. He seems to be pondering the question of suicide/murder very logically and calmly, he has no urgency in his voice. He recites it the way I often read the words in my mind--slowly and as if relishing each and every word. I thought the choice to have Hamlet facing the mirror and speaking to his reflection was interesting though not very subtle, as he is in self-reflection (ha, ha, ha) at the time. I also noticed, though he is speaking clearly and slowly, he seems to have this glint in his eye, perhaps foreshadowing his dissent into semi-madness.

Tennant instead seems worried and almost sad in his portrayal, definitely less self-assured and arrogant than Branagh. He isn't looking into a mirror, instead he's kind of staring off into space, slumped up against a wall--which is definitely less cocky than Branagh. He speaks rather slowly as well (both renditions are about the same length though Tennant cuts out several lines), but he seems to have more urgency in his voice: he's kind of whispering and his rhythm isn't as smooth as Branagh's, indicating a more emotional and indecisive portrayal.


The most stark difference between the two performances is in their tones: Branagh's Hamlet seemed calm and cold, almost power-hungry and violent (particularly when he pulls out his dagger during the soliloquy), while Tennant's Hamlet was anguished and distraught about his situation. He speaks slowly, like Branagh, but he has more worry in the way he says his words and in his facial expressions: his eyebrows are constantly furrowed and his eyes are wide in confusion. Branagh on the other hand keeps his face rather still and always has an eyebrow cocked in a powerful arrogance (which, I feel is also amplified by the fact that he's staring into a mirror). Branagh portrays Hamlet as though he is reveling in the possibility of power (the power to decide to end a life, whether his or Claudius'), he seems angrier and more detached from the situation--which suggests to me that either Hamlet (or at least, his rendition of Hamlet) was a bit more aggressive and strong than I had previously imagined, OR that his madness has started to present itself as early as this scene.Tennant's Hamlet comes off as worried, weak and anxiety ridden, the way I would imagine anyone to be were they in his position. He seems to be looking into himself, into the abstract image of the world (since he is looking at nothing but the air when he speaks the soliloquy), which feels more contemplative than Branagh's arrogant mirror-gazing. Tennant's version also cuts out the "whips and scorns of time", "bare bodkin" and the whole dagger/flashback to Claudius thing that Branagh does. I think this implies that Tennant  Hamlet is a bit less aggressive and violent in his tendencies and is contemplating his suicide more than he is the murder of Claudius.