Actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen recorded hundreds of hours of in-game performances of Hamlet within GTA Online, creating a feature-length documentary that has won awards and critical acclaim.
In 2021, actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen were passing the time during Covid lockdowns in GTA Online when they came up with an idea: 'Why not stage Hamlet inside the game?' They recorded hundreds of hours of in-game attempts to perform Shakespeare amid the chaos of GTA 5 and put together a feature-length documentary, Grand Theft Hamlet , which has now won multiple awards, earned a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, and will premiere in US theaters on January 17.
It was first shown at SXSW back in March, where it won Best Documentary Feature. Crane and co-director Pinny Grylls also picked up a couple of British Independent Film Awards. The juxtaposition of a violent, chaotic videogame and Hamlet creates an obvious tension, though the amphitheater in GTA 5's Los Santos isn't necessarily all that different from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, says Grylls. 'There's a certain thing, the irreverence of the fact that the people we were meeting didn't really give a shit,' Grylls said in a recent interview. 'You said to me very early on, 'It feels like I went back in time to the Globe 500 years ago where people would just throw apples at you ... or there were prostitutes coming and going, and people were selling stuff.' The theater in Shakespeare's time was like that. It was popular entertainment. It wasn't a dark room where everyone had to be quiet.' We already know, of course, how much meaning and comedy can be found in the ways players interact in online games, and GTA Online has been a particularly fertile ground for dramatic roleplaying. Perhaps PC Gamer contributor Joe Donnelly didn't approach 'Grand Theft Hamlet' website Outside of Red vs. Blue, I can't think of another obvious instance of machinima getting a theatrical release, and reviews for Grand Theft Hamlet called the film a 'riotously funny, unexpectedly poignant ode to gaming, Shakespeare, the indestructible nature of art, and the benefits of befriending bazooka wielding extraterrestrials
GTA Online Hamlet Documentary Gaming Shakespeare
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Grand Theft Hamlet interview - Shakespeare’s magnum opus brings GTA 5 to cinemasGrand Theft Hamlet is the first, and maybe only, GTA movie as it documents a performance of Shakespeare's epic within GTA Online.
Read more »
Newest GTA 6 report says GTA Online 2 will be a thing as wellGTA 6 will reportedly come with a GTA Online 2, while it's claimed other publishers are avoiding committing to launch dates for their games.
Read more »
Games Inbox: Will GTA Online be shut down when GTA 6 launches?Wednesday’s Inbox wonders what happens to GTA Online when GTA 6 comes out, as one reader hopes for Luigi’s Mansion 4 news soon.
Read more »
Rockstar accused of trolling GTA 6 fans with new GTA Online teaserGTA 6 fans are convinced Rockstar is intentionally leaving breadcrumbs towards the next trailer, this time through water reflections.
Read more »
GTA Online Snow Coming December 19th - GTA 6 News Still QuietGet ready for a wintery GTA Online experience as snow is expected to arrive on December 19th! While we await more details about GTA 6, fans can enjoy the return of the holiday season in GTA Online with the winter update.
Read more »
GTA 6 map brought to life by YouTuber and it's much bigger than GTA 5A YouTuber has calculated how big the GTA 6 map is based on leaks, as fans hope the next trailer is around the corner.
Read more »