I think one of the more surprising aspects of Discovering Hamlet is there is no actual video of the performance on either of the two discs. There are snippets from opening night, though you'll never see the entire performance. Instead, the focus is clearly on the process of bringing Hamlet to the stage. For theatre people, it's a great opportunity to see two masters, Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh, ply their craft. For outsiders, it's a unique insight into the goings on of a major stage production.
Discovering Hamlet jumps back to 1988 and focuses on Kenneth Branagh's fledgling company, The Renaissance Theatre Company. As part of its second performing season, Branagh decided to put on a production of Hamlet. In order to help bring his vision to life, he tapped Derek Jacobi, who had a famously successful run as the play's title character, to direct. As part of the production, the duo allowed filmmakers to film rehearsals and conduct interviews with the cast.
The actual documentary, which is narrated by Patrick Stewart, offers an interesting glimpse into the production process. The entire feature lasts less than an hour, but culls all of the best parts of practices and interviews. Each section focuses on different aspects of Hamlet and tries to really push the underlying ideas that exists around the text as opposed to just showing "play practice." The documentary is great for teachers who might need another approach to reaching students and serves as a fascinating introduction to the nature of performance.
As interesting as the documentary gets, the real meat of the package is in the extras. Discovering Hamlet's extras run nearly three hours and expand on the ideas introduced in the main feature. A bulk of the features revolves around Jacobi and his career. Over the course of several interviews, Jacobi discusses his process for working with the text and how he approached working as a director for the first time.
Although Jacobi discusses his time as Hamlet, he also spends a lot of time discussing the actual role. Among other things, he discusses the multiple interpretations of the role and the little wrinkles he wanted to introduce to the show.
Nearly all of the extras are made up of footage that was shot, but never used for Discovering Hamlet. There's rehearsal footage, stage combat practice, notes... everything you could possibly think of. There's even a short clip from the opening night party.
If you're at all interested in acting, the stage or Shakespeare, Discovering Hamlet is a must-own. It's a great chance to see what happens behind the scenes and shows it's about more than standing on a stage and reciting lines.
