Hamlet (1996)

Cast, Etc.
Dir. Kenneth Branagh, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Brian Blessed, Kate Winslet, Nicholas Farrell, Richard Briers, Gérard Depardieu, John Gielgud, Rosemary Harris, Charlton Heston, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Jack Lemmon, Rufus Sewell, Richard Attenborough, Reece Dinsdale, Timothy Spall, score by Patrik Doyle, rated PG-13, 1996

Synopsis
A prince of Denmark deals with his father's death and his uncle's ascendancy to the throne.

Review
Holy moly. Get comfortable. There's a reason they jokingly and affectionately refer to this version as the "eternity" version (242 minutes). This is the first (and so far only) time that the entire text of Shakespeare's greatest play has been brought to the big screen. For this reason alone, the movie is worth watching. Need another movie? Look at the cast list. That's only a sampling. For those unfamiliar with the story of Hamlet, shame on you. But, here it is: The king of Denmark has died. Soon after his funeral, his brother Claudius (Jacobi) assumes the throne and marries the queen, Gertrude (Christie). Prince Hamlet (Branagh) is in deep mourning when his friend Horatio (Farrell) brings news that a few guards have seen a ghost-like figure about the castle that bears resemblance to the deceased king. Hamlet goes to investigate and it is indeed the ghost of his father (Blessed), who informs the prince that he was murdered by Claudius. Hamlet vows to right this wrong, but doesn't go about it in a straightforward way. Depending on your view, he either goes nuts or pretends to go nuts in order to gain time to work out a way to bring the murder to public knowledge and do something about it. Throw into the mix (along with just about everything else) the beautiful Ophelia (Winslet), Hamlet's love whom he suddenly treats as if he doesn't love her; the shady characters of Rosencrantz (Spall) and Guildenstern (Dinsdale), who pretend to be Hamlet's friends to discover why he's nuts, but who are actually working for Claudius; a threat from Norway in the person of Fortinbras (Sewell), who may or may not be trying to increase his holdings; and a band of actors who come along, giving Hamlet the idea to have them put on a play depicting a similar situation as the king's death to see if Claudius reacts in a way he can point to. What follows is, quite simply, an astonishing movie that brings what can be argued to be the greatest play ever written to life in a way never seen before. Branagh hits a high note here in his Shakespeare adaptations; he continues to make the Bard accessible. While you may not catch every single word spoken, the acting and direction make it certain that you will get the gist of what's going on and be able to follow the action. The cast is superb, including the great Derek Jacobi and John Gielgud, both of whom played Hamlet to great esteem themselves. It's a stroke of genius to have Brian Blessed play the ghost, having someone with such a great voice whisper. The rest of the cast reads as a Who's Who of British classical actors and if you're familiar with Branagh's other adaptations, you'll recognize many of the actors. Kudos especially to Kate Winslet playing the tormented Ophelia in her first try at Shakespeare, and to the American actos who blend seemlessly with Branagh's international cast (Billy Crystal or Robin Williams in Shakespeare?). The inclusion of Charlton Heston as the player king is genius; that man has such a great voice and presence he dominates his scenes, but also defers to the character of Hamelt. Not only does Branagh do a fantastic job at Hamlet himself, he deftly makes the dramatic parts dramatic and just as easily makes the comedic parts very funny, weaving them into a cohesive whole. It was hard to find a stopping point (it is a four hour plus movie) since just about every scene is incredibly important and the lines of dialogue dense and full of imagery. The fact that it is so long is about hte only drawback; allow plenty of time or two nights to get through it. Shot on location in Blenheim Palace in England, Branagh uses the beautiful building and some great sets to wonderful effect, giving us some absolutely stunning shots. The main room containing the myriad mirrored-doors is used to great effect, geniusly so in the "to be or not to be" scene, in which Branagh knocks that speech out of the park. Incredible movie.

Highlights
Branagh; supporting cast; the coronation; the ghost; "to be . . ."; the players; the play; Ophelia; the duel

Rating
I give this film a red wine rating; this movie has everything in it and it's hard to top this great play. As a Shakespeare movie, it's excellent. The villain of Claudius, the guy in charge, is excellent. The score by Doyle is suprisingly restrained and sparingly used, all the more so to great effect.