Hamlet [DVD] [1996]

I started to watch this with dread - a movie that runs 3 hours 52 mins, in the original Shakespearean English, was a little daunting. I started to watch disc 1 and made it right to the end of the ~2.5 hours with no problems at all, and no desire to stop (ok, I had to leave disc 2 to the next day, but partly that was 'cos I was watching much later in the day than I should have done). Ok, I didn't understand every word, and I ended up writing down about 15 words/phrases to look up and find the meanings of (mostly they meant pretty much what I thought, but not always), but anybody would get the gist.The acting is great and sad parts got me in the feels - several tears lost. The cast is amazing - so many big names, some wasted on such small parts they were given, but wow, some of the people I was not expecting (perhaps bad of me) to deliver good "serious" acting did supremely well; Robin Williams was a nice surprise, as was Billy Crystal. The set design and direction was really great.If in doubt, buy it :-)

Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is not only the longest version (just under four hours, not counting the credits), but also the most sumptuous version of Shakespeare's great revenge tragedy on film. With exterior shots of Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, England, and interiors designed to reflect the English baroque style of that massive country house, Branagh's Hamlet shows the king and prince of Denmark in an opulent, luxurious setting.This Hamlet pulls out all the stops. Not only is the setting lavish, but the cast is full of recognizable names. In addition to Derek Jacobi as Claudius (Jacobi notably played Hamlet in the BBC's television version of the play, filmed in 1980), this film features Julie Christie as Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Michael Maloney as Laertes, Richard Briers as Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. The cast also includes such well-known actors as Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal, Rufus Sewell, Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, John Gielgud and Ken Dodd.So, with big names and a big set, does this Hamlet work? First, you need to settle down for the long haul. At just under four hours, this is a long film. There is an intermission (at around 2:38), so if you can't plan to see the entire film in one sitting, you can split it at that point. Branagh based this film on a conflated version of the Hamlet text. (There is a book version of the Hamlet Screenplay, though it has no notes on the text. The best standard version is probably the Arden Shakespeare edition.) There are three main texts of Hamlet, the First Quarto of 1603, the Second Quarto of 1604, and the First Folio of 1623. There are a number of differences among the texts, and each one contains some lines that are not in the others. Branagh used all of the texts, rather than editing a specific version.Branagh plays Hamlet splendidly, using the character's feigned (or real?) madness as a prop, and leveraging the luxurious sets and excellent actors. While there are some areas where you could call this film bombastic, it never quite goes over the top. Branagh is, at times, very moving (the graveyard scene), and a bit excessive (the play-within-the-play), but the overall impression is that of a character fully in control of his destiny, with no other option but to head toward his tragic end.The cast is generally magnificent. Derek Jacobi is brilliant as Claudius, and Julie Christie is excellent as Gertrude, especially in the cabinet scene where she see's Hamlet's madness up close. Kate Winslet is sublime as Ophelia, and some of the smaller roles feature fine actors, such as Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, and John Gielgud.One element that Branagh introduces that is not in the play is flashbacks. He shows Hamlet making love to Ophelia; Claudius killing King Hamlet; Yorick playing with young Hamlet; and a number of flashbacks and flash-presents of Fortinbras, particularly as his army is preparing to storm the castle. This makes the film much more cinematic, though it does alter the story a great deal. When reading the play, or seeing it on stage, it's clear that Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, but showing sexual relations lifts the veil on any ambiguity about their relationship, which isn't spelled out in the play. On the other hand, showing Claudius poisoning King Hamlet is simply an illustration of what the reader or spectator knows has happened, and serves as a counterpoint for the dumb show that precedes the play-within-the-play.Some elements of the play are a bit excessive. Kate Winslet, as Ophelia, seen in a straitjacket and padded room, seems to be a bit too much. Billy Crystal's New York accent - he's one of the gravediggers - is out of place. And the final sword fight almost jumps the shark, as Branagh kills Claudius by throwing his sword, then swings from a chandelier.But none of this detracts much from the overall impression one gets watching this version of Hamlet. This large-scale approach makes the story much bigger, and instead of the king and queen being the rulers of a handful of people (as is the case on stage), we see them in a more realistic environment. There are many ways to direct Hamlet, and this, a Hamlet of extremes, is the best example of one approach. You may prefer others; there are several on film. But if you like Hamlet, you probably won't be disappointed by this version.

This film is the only full length version ever made, running for 242 minutes. Hamlet may be the greatest play in the language, but in performance it is always cut - the most recent film version ends with Horatio's speech "Farewell, sweet prince..." leaving the earlier references to the activities of Fortibras meaningless. Minor characters have had their lines restored and scenes like Claudius'conversations with Laertes and the soliloquy "How all occasions do inform against me" are back in. The result is to paint in the important political externalities of the plot and provide a justification of seeing Hamlet as a man unwilling to act decisively rather than Olivier's view [announced at the beginning of his film] that it is the story of a man who was unable to make up his mind. The full text is played as a study in power politics without fanciful psychological interpretations. This approach is helped by beautiful set design [full of corridors, mirrors and secret doors] the wide angle photography and by the use of the rather sinister baroque Blenheim Palace in the exteriors. Branagh himself is the most believable and dramatically coherent Hamlet I have seen