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Rating: ****
Genre: Shakespeare Review #: 4 MPAA: PG-13 Cast: Directed by...Kenneth Branagh Writen by...William Shakespeare(play) Written by...Kenneth Branagh Attendant to Claudius...Riz Abbasi English Ambassador...Richard Attenborough Attendant to Claudius...David Blair Ghost...Brian Blessed Hamlet...Kenneth Branagh Polonius...Richard Briers Priest...Michael Bryant Attendant to Claudius...Peter Bygott Gertrude...Julie Christie First Gravedigger...Billy Crystal Charles Daish...Stage Manager Hecuba...Judi Dench Reynaldo...Gérard Depardieu Guildenstern...Reece Dinsdale Yorick...Ken Dodd Attendant to Gertrude...Angela Douglas Lucianus...Rob Edwards Horatio...Nicholas Farrell Francisco...Ray Fearon Doctor...Yvonne Gidden Priam...John Gielgud Player Queen...Rosemary Harris Player King...Charlton Heston Cornelius...Ravil Issyanov Claudius...Derek Jacobi Attendant to Gertrude...Rowena King Fortinbras' Captain...Jeffery Kissoon Attendant to Gertrude...Sarah Lam Marcellus...Jack Lemmon Barnardo...Ian McElhinney Laertes...Michael Maloney Fortinbras' General...Duke of Marlborough Old Norway...John Mills Sailor Two...Jimi Mistry Prologue...Sian Radinger Prostitute...Melanie Ramsey Second Gravedigger...Simon Russell Beale Young Lord...Andrew Schofield Fortinbras...Rufus Sewell Rosencrantz...Timothy Spall Young Hamlet...Tom Szekeres First Player...Ben Thom Valtemand...Don Warrington Second Player...Perdita Weeks Osric...Robin Williams Ophelia...Kate Winslet Sailor One...David Yip |
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Review:
This movie RULES! There's really nothing else to say, but I'll try. Every scene is a feast for the eyes. Massive sets and detailed costumes abound in the most complete version of Hamlet that I've ever seen. The Plot goes like this: Shortly after the death of the King of Denmark, his wife Gertrude marries his brother Claudius. Soon after, a ghost that resembles the dead king begins to walk past the guards at the same time each night. They get the young prince Hamlet to speak to the ghost, and the ghost tells Hamlet that he was killed by Claudius, and he wants Hamlet to get revenge. Hamlet begins to act insane in order to get Claudius' guard down. Hamlet is still not sure if the ghost was genuine or just a projection of the Devil. How can he prove the King's guilt? And what effect is all of this madness having on the fair young Ophelia, whom Hamlet loves? And what about the army of Prince Fortinbras of Norway, which is waiting for any excuse to invade Denmark? |
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| The plot is much more complicated than that, and I've only done a bare-bones outline of Act 1. Every single performance in this movie is top-notch, with the exception of Jack Lemmon. Although he's only in one or two scenes, Lemmon manages to stick out like a sore thumb in a big batch of finger sandwiches. Of special note is Billy Crystal as the First Gravedigger. He brings a special flair and pinache to the role that I've never seen. Of course, this whole movie was full of new takes on old scenes, and everything is fresh, exciting and innovative. Not enough can be said about the actors in this movie, there are many scenes full of long dialog and thousands of extras who are always in their places. Even Robin Williams seems like a Shakespearean actor, but he's no Billy Crystal. |
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With a running time of over four hours, it's no walk in the park, but
it's oh so rewarding. Walk, don't run to the video store and rent this
one. If your rental place doesn't have it, then buy the movie. I'm going
to be buying it as soon as I can scare up the cash! Interested yet? You'd
better be!
Did you ever imagine Hamlet giving his 'To Be or Not To Be' speech while standing in front of a two-way mirror, holding a knife, while Claudius and Laertes watch in awe and fear from the other side? It certainly beats that funky catacombs set where Mel Gibson delivered the same lines. All hail Kenneth Branagh! All hail Hamlet! I'll leave you with tons of gorgeous images to gawk at and drool over. Enjoy! |
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