Three Days

What starts out as a story about a father and his sons becomes a treatise on life, death and all in between. Using "Hamlet" the play as a starting point, which is unveiled during intense rehearsals and one performance over a three day period, we enjoy the stories of the actors behind the scenes (including Richard Chamberlain, Stefanie Powers, the remarkable Iva Hasperger, Peter Woodward and Joseph Culp) and watch them "hold the mirror up to nature." Human nature is the stuff of great drama, never moreso in this unexpected independent movie. A wonderful sense of discovery is in store for the viewer, particularly in the funny on-camera commentary of method actor (and teacher) Tom Badal, who plays Claudius in the play. The troupe come together, much in the same way that "troupes" always have, under actor/manager Alex Hyde-White, whose unique vision enabled this story to be told. Obviously benefiting from terrificly diligent editing (Sharon Rutter, Edo Brizio are credited), this film is highly recommended. Documentary filmmaker Louis Yansen is credited as a producer. Strong recommend, look out for "Three Days (of Hamlet)" at festivals. You will be in for a treat. It makes Shakespeare easy to understand.

Pacino's "Looking for Richard" documentary was an amazing film and an inspiration to try Shakespeare for me so I was very interested to see another documentary/film about putting on Shakespeare. While not the deep exploration of the Bard that Pacino's film was Three Days of Hamlet brought a surprising personal touch that turned into a touching reflection on family and show biz.

In my experience the film had a gradual start that didn't quite capture the crazy pressure of putting up Hamlet in three days however it builds nicely and you really connect with the experience as the days progress. The parallels of Hamlet haunted by the ghost of his father and the actor performing the role living in the shadow of his was particular powerful.

As an actor I was particularly interested in the performances challenges of such a large undertaking with so little preparation. Some performances come together more than others, Iva Hasperger the "over achiever" who memorizes all her lines really connects with the material and goes all in. Alex Hyde-White's passion as the creator of the project really shows in his acting. Despite being burdened with a huge amount of text and having to work off the page, his smooth naturalism punctuated by spontaneous outbursts of energy is very engaging.

The film concludes with very honest and heart warming moments. I don't like a lot of documentaries but this one was very enjoyable.

What an amazingly brave, imaginative and brilliant idea! I have to give it a massively, enthusiastic "WOW! For someone more romantically inclined like my teenage self, studying 'The Scottish Play' playing Banquo, at school with a less than inspiring teacher, was reason enough to feel less than enthusiastic about another of the tragedies, except of course for Romeo and Juliet, which was dreamily elevated to the sublime, helped along enormously by a deeply romantic crush on Laurence Harvey, the Romeo of the day and heart-throb of all my fellow classmates at my 'girls only' Cotswold Grammar School.

Not difficult to understand then that Hamlet wasn't high on my bucket list until many years later, when seeing it performed in the open air by the Tour de Force Theatre Company in an atmospheric production, set against the splendid back-drop of Arundel Castle in West Sussex, brought it energetically alive. Yet, still, even then, the real spirit of Hamlet evaded me, that is, until I had the amazing good fortune to watch the crazy, chaotic, arguably insane, but incredibly imaginative and totally inspirational production of 'Three Days of Hamlet'. Only then did I first begin to magically hear and unravel the music of the language, to understand and become enthralled by the endlessly rich story of the noble Prince of Denmark in a production which eclipses anything I have ever seen.

Alex Hyde-White has created a uniquely compelling, profound, frantic, exhausting, exceptionally brave and brilliant portrait of this deeply emotional play which will, without doubt, open up the minds and hearts of school children the world over who are studying Hamlet; it could change their world if only they had the opportunity to see it. The multi dimensional concept of this ingenious production is totally captivating as we see two stories running parallel, giving us a fascinating and intimate insight into the real lives, vulnerabilities, insecurities and strengths of the phenomenal cast as they take on their roles and tell the story. As always, Richard Chamberlain is powerfully magnificent, Stephanie Powers, Iva Hasperger, Alex Hyde-White Tom Badal all superb as is the whole cast. 'To thy own self be true!' Alex Hyde-White, your father would be so proud; your vision of Hamlet is a triumph! You, and your wonderful cast have enriched my life making me adore Hamlet and for that, I salute you.

Fascinating and adeptly handled. Alex is very engaging as are the other cast members. It is quite a fascinating project to observe. Highly recommend.The editing is of particular interest and the historical flashes of father and son and Alrx with his own sons makes it all the more interesting. Done with a very gentle and respectful hand. While I would have substituted Chamberlain for Claudius and the actor in that for I do hope Mr. Hyde-White will continue to apply his rather intelligent and ...nuanced touch again and again. I remember seeing him play Romeo in which he was amazingly on target scene after scene. His sense of the texts in both renditions is quite natural and brings out a unique side of the characters in both roles that is fresh and touching. One can only hope that this is not his farewell to cinematic offerings as he has so much indeed to offer, based on these pieces.

This interpretation intertwines fantasy, reality, family dynamics, comic relief and accomplished actors in unusual personal and professional interactions. The actors were required to read Hamlet by William Shakespeare in only three days without the usual tools they are used to. This included time for rehearsal, wardrobe, scenery, and personal assistants. It all seemed stressful at first in the dymanics between the actors. However, after a brief period of time they became more connected with each other and the material. This was due to the genius of the creator, producer, director and lead actor, Alex Hyde-White. I would recommend this movie to all those students and professionals who are interested in movies that are uniquely adapted.