N - “Neoclassical Paintings”

In the “closet scene” when Hamlet and Gertrude finally have it out, the viewer is treated to several shots showcasing the elaborate wall decor. The bedroom is 360 degrees of murals featuring Neoclassical-themed trompe l’oeil (French for “deceive the eye“) imagery, a style and technique which was in vogue during the Renaissance. These types of paintings used photorealism and forced perspective to give the illusion of depth. In one shot, an easel displays an unfinished painting of a parrot, along with a table of paints and brushes beside it, implying that someone—very likely Gertrude—dabbles in painting as a hobby, and being of an artistic sensibility, also had a hand in commissioning the murals. 

Painting is starkly associated with deception in the text of the play, and it is very pointedly ascribed to women. Hamlet outwardly accuses Ophelia of lying: “I have heard of your paintings, well enough. God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another” (3.1.119). Claudius, in an aside, identifies his misdeeds in the same language:

The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plast’ring art,

Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it

Than is my deed to my most painted word. (Hamlet, 3.1.51-53)

Deceptive paintings have long been in the employ of filmmakers as well, who from the very outset of the invention, found ways to craft illusory scenery. The earliest techniques involved painting realistic backgrounds onto panes of glass and fixing the camera position so it lined up with the view in the frame, capturing an enhanced image that doesn’t require building an enormous set. This became known as matte painting—so called because the artists used matte paint that wouldn’t reflect light. Another method required blacking out parts of the glass, exposing the film to record the painting, then removing the black and re-exposing the film to capture the live action elements. This was all captured practically “in-camera” before the concept was adopted digitally, where “mattes” are added to blue- or green-screened sections in the shot. 

The “traveling matte” process was developed in the 50s using blue screens, allowing superimposition without the need to re-roll and re-expose film. In the 60s, Petro Vlahos refined the blue screening process for use in MGM’s Ben-Hur (1959) and afterward introduced motion-control, creating “colour-difference traveling matte,” which closely resembles what filmmakers use today. Big-budget epics throughout film history famously incorporated fanciful and elaborate matte painting, practically or digitally. From King Kong (1933) to Star Wars (1977) to the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) and beyond, this innovative trick has enabled motion picture storytelling on a grand scale. 

Later in Hamlet, the Prince is being led by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern across an icy plain in Denmark, where he sees the vast Norwegian army marching before snowy mountains in the distance. This was achieved on set, with practical faux snow and rocks in the foreground, green screen in the background, and a computer-motion-controlled camera movement set to match with the digitally painted matte footage added in post production. 

The Norwegian captain claims that Fortinbras is marching against “some part of Poland,” merely passing through Denmark on his way to battle, when he truly means to lead his men to Elsinore and reclaim lands his father previously lost to Old Hamlet. Thus, this “painted” scene before Hamlet leads to a greater political deception.

Sources:

Monaco, James. How to Read a Film: Movies, Media and Beyond (4th Ed.). Oxford University Press, 2009.

Wikipedia: Chroma Key