New film revisits Ian Charleson’s final Hamlet performance
Elsinore, a film about Ian Charleson’s final performance as Hamlet, is set to premiere at Telluride this weekend before opening the London film festival in October. Directed by Simon Stone and starring Andrew Scott as the Scottish actor, the film revisits Charleson’s 1989 staging of Shakespeare’s prince while he was terminally ill with Aids.
Ian Charleson played Hamlet in 1989 while terminally ill with Aids, completing the performance months before his death. Richard Eyre remembers the production as an extraordinary final performance by one of his generation’s finest actors.
Elsinore, a new film about the episode, is directed by Simon Stone and stars Andrew Scott as Charleson. It will have its world premiere at Telluride this weekend before opening the London film festival in October.
Charleson was also described as an important figure in the fight for gay rights. The film has been heavily tipped for awards, according to the supplied source.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What aspects of Charleson’s experience are left out when the production is presented primarily as a final performance?
How might casting Andrew Scott shape audiences’ understanding of Charleson and his work?
What conditions made it possible for Charleson to continue performing while terminally ill?
Who controls the story being told about Charleson through the new film?
How could the film’s awards attention affect the way the production is remembered?
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