HAMLET (1996)
A film review by antpage@aol.com
Copyright 1997 antpage@aol.com
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Direction............................Kenneth Branagh Writing..............................William Shakespeare Adapted for Screen by................Kenneth Branagh Kenneth Branagh......................Hamlet Derek Jacobi.........................Claudius Julie Christie.......................Gertrude Kate Winslet.........................Ophelia Brian Blessed........................Ghost/Old Hamlet Richard Briers.......................Polonius Michael Maloney......................Laertes Cinematography.......................Alex Thomson Music................................Patrick Doyle Film Editing.........................Neil Farrell Costume Design.......................Alexandra Byrne Production Design....................Tim Harvey (I) Nicholas Farrell.....................Horatio Timothy Spall........................Rosencrantz Reece Dinsdale.......................Guildenstern Charlton Heston......................Player King Billy Crystal........................First Gravedigger Robin Williams.......................Osric Rufus Sewell.........................Fortinbras Produced by..........................David Barron
After seeing the 4 hour version of Hamlet, I feel I ve seen something special. Kenneth Branagh shines when doing Shakespeare ( a shine that s not so bright for his other films ) and this film is certainly an accomplishment. To do a Shakespeare play is not something to take lightly. A Shakespeare film can be either very inspiring or very painful. But Kenneth Branagh does it well and with understanding, aiding in understanding, inspiration and humor.
Kenneth has put to film the other Shakespeare plays Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing, the later being my favorite except maybe till now. Many things make this film special, the rich sets, the costumes, the interracial superb actors, the humor ( of which there is a lot of in Shakespeare plays including the tragedies ), but most of all the full text version of Hamlet. It s great to see Fortinbras, and hear Hamlet realize how insignificant his worries are when these other horrors exist ( this was an impressive and fantastic way to start the intermission ). To see what happened after Hamlet died. To see Fortinbras place himself on the throne, signifying that the tragedy did not end here but extended out to the whole kingdom. To hear the confirmation from Horatio and Fortinbras that his story would be told and heard by all including those in power, England included. ( did these people exist? Was this play based on history? Was all the text used? It seems to me that some of the text is missing. antpage@aol.com )
Although it s almost the longest movie in history ( Cleopatra still holds that title ) I feel the time passed by quickly ( I heard people say this in the theater too ), as a matter of fact, I felt it needed to be longer. Because through out the film it seems that everyone is running through the text, some of it expressed well, some not. That s why I feel this play is best suited for video or mini-series, to give enough time to express the play the way it deserves. Clearly this was another time, maybe people loved to hear the words, had longer attention spans. I like to imagine how they might have done it back in those days, gracefully expressing their emotion, story, poetry and musings on life, taking there time unworried about the length. I don t think they had there noses in the air with too much nobility and flair and strong voices going through an emotionless play, Branagh included the scene were Hamlet instructs them in how to give the play, an intriguing and fascinating look into Shakespeare s mind on how he might have done it back then. But I thought it was innovative the way Branagh would show them going through the first part of the text in one scene and then fade out to another and finish the text suggesting time had passed between ( the scene with Laertes and Ophelia before he leaves ). Also the rich location were they shot the film was an aid, if it got to be to much your eye would dwell on the rich surroundings, the beautiful furnishings, which would bring you back to the story. Also the movement of the camera.
But I feel that Branagh may have catered to much to the general public, and may not have given the play full justice by running through the text and not fully expressing all the words and emotions involved in the text. A good example of someone who took their time was Franco Zeffirelli, his Hamlet released in 1990. Although he had to cut out quite a lot of it. If you like Branagh s I highly recommend you see this one too, available for rent.
All in all this is a fantastic film. I was surprised Branagh could play Hamlet with such humor. The location and costumes were an excellent idea for the play. The acting top notch. The music beautiful, in synch with the film and unobtrusive. Billy Crystal s scene was one of the most hilarious scene s in the film. Many scene s brought tears to your eyes if not streaming down your checks ( like the scene with Hamlet describing his father to his mother ). A wonderful film I hope it does well. In a rating of 1 to 5 stars ( 1 being avoid it, 4 being excellent and 5 being all time classic ) I give this 4 stars.
-- E-mail: antpage@aol.com Web Page at: http://members.aol.com/antpage Hamlet Review: http://members.aol.com/antpage/antswebpg/brhamlet
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