An idea born during the Covid-19 pandemic, now available as a documentary on Mubi: Grand Theft Hamlet is a successful experiment on the conviction of art through video games.
The catalog of Mubesthe platform dedicated to the author’s cinema, has welcomed a few days ago Grand Theft Hamlet. It is a Shakespearean theatrical performance within the online mode of GTA 5the Rockstar video game that continues to generate interesting numbers (hundreds of thousands of users per day only on PC) and surprises like these. A title known for its irreverence, focused on robberies, chases by car and clashes with firearms.
At first glance, the Los Santos by GTA 5 It does not therefore seem the stage suitable for such an experiment. Instead it is precisely the surreal and chaotic character of the game that makes the actor’s project even more effective Samuel Cranefriend and colleague Mark Oosterveen and of the documentary director Pinny Grylls. They are all three British. Through Avatar in computer graphics, the three try to stage William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, despite the sudden arrival of other players ready to shoot or alter the performance. A mix of chaos, improvisation, acting and gameplay sessions.
The result is an experiment that has managed to combine different media languages - videogame, cinematographic, documentary and theatrical – to center art and its sharing within alternative spaces, involving external actors such as players and players. This ambition was appreciated by critics, so much so that al South by Southwest of 2024, Grand Theft Hamlet has been awarded the best documentary.
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When the video game becomes a stage
It is not the first time that video games become places for artistic performance. Indeed, there is a term to indicate the production of audiovisuals through the graphic engine engines of video games, and it is “Machimina“, born from the crasi of machine (machine) and cinema. Among the most famous examples there is the Red Vs series. Blue, made with the graphic engine of Halo and dating back to 2003. In the case of Grand Theft Hamlet, it is interesting to note when the idea was born, that is, during the pandemic started in 2020.
At that time, Crane had lost work due to social restrictions due to Covid-19. Hence the idea of using a video game to continue creating art with the help of supermented colleagues. In this speech, it is interesting to note the centrality of Videogame as expressive, social and artistic means During the years of Lockdown, replacing cinema, theaters and musical stages such as spaces of social and cultural aggregation. Grand Theft Hamlet It is also available on Mubi Italia.
