Hamlet (1996)William Shakespeare is unquestionably the single most significant writer in the history of the English language, with a body of work encompassing dozens of plays, over a hundred poems, and more. His sonnets are so perfect in form and meter that this style of English sonnet carries his namesake, and his dramatic works include breathtakingly diverse themes--works of love and romance, comedy and drama, history and fantasy, death and revenge. As a student of English and a writer and poet, I have always had a special fondness for Shakespeare; Hamlet is my undisputed favorite of his works.
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Books upon books have been written about William Shakespeare's Hamlet, so I'll go no further on the infinite interpretations and themes of the work itself, but restrain myself to discuss the film exclusively. However, for those who have not been privy to the story, here is a brief synopsis of the plot: The young Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) is morose at the passing of his father, the elder Hamlet (Brian Blessed), while his mother, Gertrude (Julie Christie) has married his uncle, Claudius (Derek Jacobi). When news is imparted unto Hamlet by his dear friend, Horatio (Nicholas Farrell) that a ghost resembling his father has been seen stalking the courtyard, Hamlet seeks it out. When the ghost informs Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet vows vengeance. From here, he and his lover, Ophelia (Kate Winslet) break up their relationship, a move prompted by the contrivances of her father, Polonius (Richard Briers) shortly after bidding farewell to his son, Laertes (Michael Maloney). Hamlet spins a web of madness, confusion, and deception that ensnares the inner circle of Elsinore, and events build to a devastating conclusion. Directed and adapted for the screen by Shakespeare virtuoso and lead, Kenneth Branagh, the film is an epic tour de force. For the first time in major motion picture history, Hamlet is presented in its entirety; it has often been cut and truncated for film due to its length, but Branagh ambitiously opts to preserve the Bard's tale completely. While this approach might lead one to think that this would make for an arduous viewing experience, it is quite the opposite. Hamlet is full of bold vision and action, plots and intrigues realized by a cast that is the absolute pinnacle of Shakespearean cinema. It should not be forgotten that Hamlet is a play first and foremost, so that the direction is the artistic flourish of the film, that the tenor and tone of the delivery give weight to lines that might suffer in the custody of less talented craftsmen. Even for those who find the language of 17th century blank verse archaic, the masterful skill of Branagh's cinematic aptitude makes the movie a fully comprehensible and riveting experience.
It would be no real stretch to proclaim Hamlet to be the single greatest play ever to grace the stage. So, perhaps out of tribute, perhaps out of grandeur, one might assume that Branagh's approach to the presentation was one of "go big or go home". Shot on wide, high-resolution 70 mm film, Hamlet often resembles a grand vista, like an awe-inspiring canvas on display in London's Tate Gallery--where it is worth mentioning, a gorgeous painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, "Ophelia", is on display depicting Hamlet's lover's tragic final moments--and I was thrilled to have seen it in person. In fact, I was also pleased to have seen Hamlet in the theaters when I was in high school, part of a field trip to Severance Hall in Cleveland with my eleventh-grade English class--rather perfect timing, given we were reading Hamlet around that time. I cannot say that Hamlet was my first love of literature--that honor belongs to Dante's Inferno--but in time, I found myself enthralled by the exciting and complex tale of revenge and despair, the battle of action and inaction. Branagh's performance as Hamlet is full and complete, giving us a turn of the Danish prince that walks that line of madness and cunning, a manic depressive hero who whirls about in the tempest of his soul. Shot principally on location at Blenheim Palace--John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, has a small cameo in the movie which was filmed within his home--the set design employs a significant amount of mirrors and hidden doors, a nod to the underlying deception and dominant duplicitousness in the play, while also allowing for directorial flourishes otherwise ill-suited to a traditional stage but appropriate for the mise en scene of a film. While Branagh's adaptation of Hamlet is set in the 19th Century--the dress, the technology, and so on--this decision is interesting because it highlights that Hamlet--like many of Shakespeare's plays not strictly based in history--lend themselves to virtually any period of time, provided the talent can deliver it with verisimilitude. The era also gives a kind of air of being rooted in the past without being antiquated. But there may still be some who find the prospect of Shakespeare to be daunting, a task relegated to English class, to dry performances of powdered wigs and pointed shoes...to those who have had the greatest works of literature poorly served like an overcooked steak, I would implore them to seek out this film, and know the joy that is this masterpiece.
Recommended for: Fans of Shakespeare, sure, but fans of rich, exciting action and drama, complex characters and Machiavellian plots and intrigue, battles of wits and swords, of tragic love and the folly of vengeance. I promise, you will lose those four hours as if they were but a quintessence of dust.
It would be no real stretch to proclaim Hamlet to be the single greatest play ever to grace the stage. So, perhaps out of tribute, perhaps out of grandeur, one might assume that Branagh's approach to the presentation was one of "go big or go home". Shot on wide, high-resolution 70 mm film, Hamlet often resembles a grand vista, like an awe-inspiring canvas on display in London's Tate Gallery--where it is worth mentioning, a gorgeous painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, "Ophelia", is on display depicting Hamlet's lover's tragic final moments--and I was thrilled to have seen it in person. In fact, I was also pleased to have seen Hamlet in the theaters when I was in high school, part of a field trip to Severance Hall in Cleveland with my eleventh-grade English class--rather perfect timing, given we were reading Hamlet around that time. I cannot say that Hamlet was my first love of literature--that honor belongs to Dante's Inferno--but in time, I found myself enthralled by the exciting and complex tale of revenge and despair, the battle of action and inaction. Branagh's performance as Hamlet is full and complete, giving us a turn of the Danish prince that walks that line of madness and cunning, a manic depressive hero who whirls about in the tempest of his soul. Shot principally on location at Blenheim Palace--John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, has a small cameo in the movie which was filmed within his home--the set design employs a significant amount of mirrors and hidden doors, a nod to the underlying deception and dominant duplicitousness in the play, while also allowing for directorial flourishes otherwise ill-suited to a traditional stage but appropriate for the mise en scene of a film. While Branagh's adaptation of Hamlet is set in the 19th Century--the dress, the technology, and so on--this decision is interesting because it highlights that Hamlet--like many of Shakespeare's plays not strictly based in history--lend themselves to virtually any period of time, provided the talent can deliver it with verisimilitude. The era also gives a kind of air of being rooted in the past without being antiquated. But there may still be some who find the prospect of Shakespeare to be daunting, a task relegated to English class, to dry performances of powdered wigs and pointed shoes...to those who have had the greatest works of literature poorly served like an overcooked steak, I would implore them to seek out this film, and know the joy that is this masterpiece.
Recommended for: Fans of Shakespeare, sure, but fans of rich, exciting action and drama, complex characters and Machiavellian plots and intrigue, battles of wits and swords, of tragic love and the folly of vengeance. I promise, you will lose those four hours as if they were but a quintessence of dust.