Saw Hamlet, Directed by John Gielgud, on a video player

Shocked and unable to communicate, Ophelia struggled, and as time went by, her father's death became an event to discuss with songs.  Hamlet's Ophelia, when it was directed by John Gielgud in 1964, played by Linda Marsh, received only mildly good responses.  According to the diary of rehearsals, John Gielgud had Ms. Marsh develop Ophelia's part, then chose ideas she had that he liked, so he was responsible for the character.  Ophelia must have been a strong reason Gielgud wanted the play performed in rehearsal clothes.  Ophelia has been a favorite theme of the wonderful Pre-Raphaelite painters who think her insanity makes her radiant.  Gielgud preferred an Ophelia whose liveliness is dull and chill with shock. 

This critical disinterest in the part of Ophelia may lead me to think that critics were quite stereotyped in their work in 1964, and that they had limited preparation to write about ideas that were different from a norm.  Theatrovision may not have gotten response from critics because of their own limitations.  If we can remember viscerally what it was like for there to be a Christmas tree in the 1960s, for example, perhaps some difficulty with change is not change, but remembering viscerally what the past was like.  I hope to search farther for some writing from 1964 about the Theatrovision Hamlet.  I found an article that September, before the event, in Senior Scholastic.

Today I watched the whole restored movie of the 1964 Theatrofilm, Electronovision Hamlet, directed by John Gielgud and starring Richard Burton.  It was interesting, I read the play recently.  I saw it on a video player with a medium-large screen.  If there were moments that called forth memories of the movie from the evening shown on my saved ticket, the only memory I still retain is a slight recollection of Richard Burton wearing the dark simple clothing.