Hamlet Movie Analysis: From the small page to the big screen.
Hamlet (1996) (1,155). But this movie is the full script of Hamlet, and if you really payed attention to the words, you would have a laugh. I think it's William. There is early in Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' a wedding celebration, the Danish court rejoicing at the union of Claudius and Gertrude. The camera watches, and then pans to the right, to reveal the solitary figure of Hamlet, clad in black. It always creates a little shock in the movies when the foreground is unexpectedly occupied. We realize the subject of the scene is not the wedding, but. In the only unabridged film version of the classic play, here updated to the 19th century, Prince Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) is traumatized by the revelation that his father was murdered by the present king, Claudius (Derek Jacobi), with the aid of Hamlet's mother, Gertrude (Julie Christie). Hamlet considers a plot for revenge and mistakenly kills Polonius (Richard Briers), the father of his. Kenneth Branagh ('Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,' 'The Road to El Dorado') writes, directs and stars in this four-time Oscar-nominated classic Shakespeare saga about the melancholy Dane. With an all-star cast, including Oscar-nominee Kate Winslet ('Iris,' 'Titanic') and Oscar-winner Julie Christie ('Dragonheart,' 'Dr. Zhivago'), as well as appearances by Charlton Heston, John Gielgud.
You have to give Kenneth Branagh props for his sheer audacity. When he set out to deliver a whole new Hamlet, he promised to deliver the end-all-be-all, throw-out-your-other-versions take on Shakespeare's beloved play. So how'd he do?
What's the Same
This bad boy presents the whole text unabridged. Yep, all 4,042 lines. Most versions of Shakespeare's longest play drop at least a few lines or even a few scenes to keep the running time down. Not so for Branagh. He keeps every 'dost thou' and 'pray forsooth' right where it should be. The result? Four hours of movie.
What's Different
So the words are all the same. But that doesn't mean it's your great-grandma's Shakespeare. No, Branagh—like every other fancypants person on the planet—has an opinion about this play, and it definitely comes through in his adaptation.
Branagh seems to stress the hidden secrets and other goodies lurking just below the surface. In his mind, the court's corruption has been papered over with pretty pictures, and people are doing their best to ignore it. So we (here in the audience) focus on all the prettiness of the surfaces themselves and slowly become aware of what's really going down. For example, the main hallway is decorated with mirrors that lead to hidden rooms, and the sets have all sorts of filigrees and sculpted edges that stress their appearance. Sometimes it's pretty heavy handed, too. Dressing screen, anyone?
This version stands out from the rest because it's not all gloom and doom. Everything is bright here: people wear colorful outfits, confetti falls from the ceiling, and the party never ends. (Considering that the old king just died and Fortinbras is marching on the palace, that's probably a mistake. Just sayin'.) Only Hamlet wears black, serving the role of the honest man in the room to remind everyone of the way things really are. Very passive-aggressive, Hammie.
Branagh also ups the epic factor here—and why not, when you're working on the silver screen? Denmark here looks a lot like Russia in the early 20th century, when the royal family under Nicholas II lived large and spent heavily. (Those jeweled Faberge Easter eggs? Those were Nicholas's.) Everything here is big and bold: the palace, the parties, even the train that brings Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a'calling.
And the way Branagh shoots it is no exception. Just take a look at the ghost, played by noted Very Large Man Brian Blessed. Every time he speaks, the ground shakes, and his voice promises unholy damnation to anyone who hears it. He's scary, in the same way that King Kong is scary. You're not sure if he's going to yell at Hamlet or swallow him whole. That's called raising the stakes.
What's Up to Date
Branagh likes casting big stars in his movies, to help the audience better identify with the text. That's why you see people like Billy Crystal as the Gravedigger or Robin Williams as Osric. These are small roles that big shots like them normally never play, but it adds a bit of gravitas and whimsy to the whole project. (He also cast Kate Winslet as Ophelia, who wasn't a huge star then but became one a year later with Titanic; way to predict the future, Ken.)
Add that to a 'you'd better pack a lunch' running time and you get a Hamlet that's been supersized and modernized for an audience that likes all things big and bold. Branagh's Hamlet wants to show us how important the play is by making it as huge as possible, while still keeping the faith with the original text. In fact, he respects the play so much that he doesn't change a single word.
Other Adaptations
Shmoopers, it's Hamlet—arguably the most important play, you know, ever. Microsoft windows server 2008 r2 x64 torrent. So it should be no surprise that if you're on the lookout for silver screen adaptations, you've got about a zillion to choose from.
There's Laurence Olivier's 1948 version, in good old-fashioned black and white. Hinomoto tractor engine manual. This version nabbed the Best Picture Oscar, and Olivier himself snapped up a Best Actor statuette.
Then 1969 rolled around and Tony Richardson tried his hand at a version that played up all the nasty head games in a major way. Starring Nicol Williamson, this take was shot entirely in close-up, so get ready for a lot of sweaty pores. Fsdreamteam geneva serial.
Next up, we've got the ever-awesome Captain Picard, trying his hand at the role of Claudius in the BBC's 1980 adaptation. If Patrick Stewart is in it, well then you know it's gotta be good.
In 1990, Franco Zeffirelli of Romeo and Juliet fame got in on the Hamlet game. Mel Gibson starred in this version, back when he was a big star who didn't get into shady scrapes at traffic stops.
Ten years later came Michael Almereyda's Hamlet, starring the ever angsty Ethan Hawke. This version is set in modern-day New York, which means he gives the whole 'To be or not to be' speech in the 'Action' section of a video store. Oh the irony.
The Royal Shakespeare company tried their hand at Hamlet in 2009, when David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) teamed up with Patrick Stewart (here he is again) to do a modern version for the BBC. This version digs heavily into the paranoia theme, with cameras posted all over Elsinore, and Big Brother watching all the time.
And finally, there's the gory, violent, sometimes awesome, sometimes terrifying television show called Sons of Anarchy. While it's not exactly a faithful adaptation, the show parallels many plot points of the original play, while setting the characters in a motorcycle gang, rather than royal Denmark. A bold choice? Yep. But it totally works.
Hamlet 1996 full movie, online, free
So, Shmoopers, which movie takes the cake? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
Kenneth Branagh Hamlet Watch Online
Need to watch 'Hamlet' in the comfort of your own home? Discovering a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Kenneth Branagh-directed movie via subscription can be a challenge, so we here at Moviefone want to do the work for you.
Below, you’ll find a number of top-tier streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'Hamlet' on each platform. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'Hamlet' right now, here are some details about the Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner Pictures (I) drama flick.
Released December 25th, 1996, 'Hamlet' stars Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Richard Briers The PG-13 movie has a runtime of about 4 hr 2 min, and received a user score of 75 (out of 100) on TMDb, which put together reviews from 273 respected users.
Curious to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: 'Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother now marrying the murderer.. his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.'
'Hamlet' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on YouTube, Google Play, DIRECTV, Microsoft Movies & TV, FandangoNOW, Hoopla, iTunes, VUDU, Amazon, and Redbox .
Below, you’ll find a number of top-tier streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'Hamlet' on each platform. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'Hamlet' right now, here are some details about the Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner Pictures (I) drama flick.
Released December 25th, 1996, 'Hamlet' stars Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Richard Briers The PG-13 movie has a runtime of about 4 hr 2 min, and received a user score of 75 (out of 100) on TMDb, which put together reviews from 273 respected users.
Curious to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: 'Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother now marrying the murderer.. his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.'
'Hamlet' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on YouTube, Google Play, DIRECTV, Microsoft Movies & TV, FandangoNOW, Hoopla, iTunes, VUDU, Amazon, and Redbox .