A New Shakespeare Never Seen Before

Rony Lolano is a Kurdish-British Musician, film-maker and novelist թ§Չ-Չ I feel honoured that he discovered an incomplete copy of the feature-documentary about my theatre-production in Londonթ§Չ-Չ§s West-End (over 3 decades ago) of Shakespeareթ§Չ-Չ§s թ§Չ-ժFatթ§Չ-Թ Hamlet, by the most prominent Israeli film-maker Oded Beթ§Չ-Չ§eri, whose feature film is entirely original, both in conception and cinematic realization. I am also grateful to Rony for his introductory essay below թ§Չ-Չ Professor Hovhanness I. Pilikian.

A New Shakespeare Never Seen Before

Oded Beթ§Չ-Չ§eri is Israelթ§Չ-Չ§s great intellectual թ§Չ-Չ film and theatre-director, author, novelist.

Excerpts from this major documentary found recently in theatre-archives about his friend and colleague, (Professor) Hovhanness Israel Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s Fat Hamlet is Beթ§Չ-Չ§eriթ§Չ-Չ§s masterpiece թ§Չ-Չ a new genre of feature-documentary թ§Չ-Չ sui generis; impossible to categorize yet in film-history.

It re-constructs conceptually, virtually and visually a famous production (directed by Hovhanness I. Pilikian) a decade after its original premiere in Londonթ§Չ-Չ§s West End theatre-land over 2 decades ago (Produced by Emmanuel Gounalakis Management), it places on global circulation the most innovative and definitive presentation of the worldթ§Չ-Չ§s most famous play, Shakespeareթ§Չ-Չ§s Hamlet, proving Professor Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s scholarly contention that Shakespeare himself intended his character of Hamlet to be hugely fat.

The first performer of the role, the most famous Elizabethan actor, Richard Burbage, was physically overweight.թԹ թԹ And being Fat, because of Henry VIIIթ§Չ-Չ§s bulk, was the Elizabethan high fashion, not the anorexic slim-look, which is entirely modern and out of Shakespeareթ§Չ-Չ§s mind.

թԹ

Shakespeare loved fat men; Falstaff (also first enacted by Burbage) impersonates his reasons why թ§Չ-Չ they are jolly, loyal, and sensual/sexual, with presumed larger genitals, contrasted with Shakespeareթ§Չ-Չ§s immense dislike of թ§Չ-խthinթ§Չ-Չ§ men as exemplified by Julius Caesarթ§Չ-Չ§s comment on թ§Չ-ժYonder Cassiusթ§Չ-Թ, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (for example, in the Twelfth Night) թ§Չ-Չ the name is a pun on թ§Չ-խdiseased/infected buttocksթ§Չ-Չ§, in which form unfortunately Hamlet is still frequently performed throughout Britain (including Lawrence Olivierթ§Չ-Չ§s camp Hamlet, in the film directed by him).

Hopefully, the upload of Oded Beթ§Չ-Չ§eriթ§Չ-Չ§s masterpiece (even in bits) onto the Internet shall finally put թ§Չ-խthin Hamletsթ§Չ-Չ§ to bed, and open up new unpredictably radical and revolutionary paths and avenues in Shakespeare Studies all over the world, transforming and transmuting the worldթ§Չ-Չ§s most famous play into pure intellectual Pilikian-gold.

Beթ§Չ-Չ§eriթ§Չ-Չ§s feature also boasts the exclusive and only tele-visual appearance of two great intellectuals of the British theatre, Irving Wardle, the number one theatre-critic for many decades of the London Times, and the late Hugh Cruttwell, the most prominent Principal of the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Art (abbreviated as the world-famous RADA), married to the late Geraldine McEwan, a superstar of the British theatre.

It remains to add the epoch-making performances by Steve Varnom as Hamlet, and Janet Crawford as Gertrude.

Professor Hovhanness I. Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s work (in many fields of knowledge) is frequently թ§Չ-ժpropheticթ§Չ-Թ, as illustrated here, predicting 30 years ago the total socio-political corruption of todayթ§Չ-Չ§s societies shaken by the British MPթ§Չ-Չ§s expenses scandal robbing their citizenry, Banks stealing their saversթ§Չ-Չ§ accounts through 0% interest rates, Libor manipulation etc., paedophile child-rape and murder by prominent public figures etc. etc.

Rony Lolano, Film-maker, Musician, Author, Novelist

Bogazթ§Չ-Չ§da Kaybolmak թ§Չ-Չ the first novel (in Turkish, 2012) of a planned trilogy