Jack Smith: Hamlet, Mise-en-Scène

The publication brings together extensive material from ‘Hamlet, mise-en-scène’ presented at Portikus, along with recently restored as well as never-published stills, drawings, and writings by American filmmaker and artist Jack Smith, related to his film ‘Hamlet in the Rented World (A Fragment)’ (1970–73).

‘Hamlet, mise-en-scène’, directed by Mark von Schlegell, was an adaptation that retold Shakespeare’s most abused tragedy while channeling the ghost of Jack Smith. The two-night rendition of Hamlet was performed by members of Städelschule’s Pure Fiction seminar, presented here alongside a rare selection of works by Smith, both from private collections and from the Jack Smith Archive.