From Slate Magazine · Sam Adams · · 2m
Andrew Scott's Hamlet film is Oscar bait
Elsinore tells the true story of an actor who chose to play Hamlet while dying of AIDS.
In brief
Elsinore tells the true story of an actor who chose to play Hamlet while dying of AIDS. A film about choosing art and life over safety, starring Andrew Scott as a real actor who made that choice. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
Another Hamlet film wins TIFF
For the second year running, Toronto's audience prize may go to a movie about staging Hamlet. Last year it was Hamnet. This year it's Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott.
The real Ian Charleson story
Elsinore follows actor Ian Charleson, who took the lead in a National Theatre production of Hamlet weeks before he died of AIDS-related complications in 1989.
Charleson's impossible choice
Charleson discovers his first Kaposi's sarcoma just as director Richard Eyre offers him the lead in Hamlet. His doctor urges him to fight the disease instead. He chooses the role.
“I'd rather die of Hamlet than AIDS.”
Why Hamlet, why now
The film's irony: Hamlet is about a man who wants to die. Elsinore is about a man determined to live, choosing art and meaning over prolonging a diminished life.
The ghost of Daniel Day-Lewis
Charleson is envious of Daniel Day-Lewis's rising fame. When Day-Lewis abruptly leaves a Hamlet performance mid-show, the role suddenly opens up for Charleson.
Remember me becomes the refrain
The film circles back to Hamlet's line "Remember me," which becomes Elsinore's refrain for Charleson and the era when AIDS patients were abandoned and coming out meant career death.
“Remember me.”
Derek Jarman's criticism
Gay director Derek Jarman criticizes Charleson for staying closeted and prioritizing Hollywood over his community. The film invents a reconciliation between them that never happened in real life.
Scott avoids the Oscar trap
Scott doesn't play Charleson as a tortured, regretful gay man. Instead, he shows a man at peace with his choice, prepared for what comes next, finding clarity in his own death.
“The readiness is all.”
Scott's own Hamlet connection
Scott played a lauded Hamlet himself in 2017 and drew comparisons to Charleson as a young stage actor. Now he reimagines the role through Charleson's perspective.
A lock for Best Actor
Based on the standing ovation at Toronto, Scott is expected to earn a Best Actor nomination for his performance as Charleson choosing life, art, and readiness over fear.
The short version
A film about choosing art and life over safety, starring Andrew Scott as a real actor who made that choice.
