This was long. 4 hours of uncondensed Shakespeare and I must say I enjoyed it. Kenneth Branagh is perhaps the Laurence Oliver of our times. A great actor obsessed with the work of Shakespeare. And this is his masterpiece, Hamlet (1996), a free uncondensed version with every line of what Shakespeare has written, on the last movie ,besides The Master, filmed on 70mm film.
If you've graduated high school, you probably know the story of Hamlet. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, who request the he kills his uncle, the new king of Denmark, because he murdered Hamlet's father. What I love about this adaptation is the things Kenneth Branagh does because he's using the medium of film. The use of Flashbacks in events is a great use that the stage adaptations could never do, same with the scenery. Elsinore Castle comes alive. It was genius for him to set the story in the 19th century. It gives a beautiful touch to the movie and costumes and set design were appropriate. THe final thing he does great is how he plays Hamlet. My English teacher taught him more as a mopey Dane, but he plays him as a cunning but indecisive genius which I believe is more interesting. His soliloquies have great touch to them, using visual elements and artful expression to make them interesting instead if Rambling.
The cast is great too. No weak link in the acting, and everyone holds their own. The guest appearances of famous actors, Charlton Heston, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal add moments of freshness to secondary characters. The Cinematography shows off the world well and fits most scenes, same with the music.
The problem is the length. It drags in places and with trimming could've been a masterful movie.
Overall great adaptation (better than the Mel Gibson one) and shows off to a new generation the beauty and power of something written 400 years ago. If you have the time, check it out.
8/10
If you've graduated high school, you probably know the story of Hamlet. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, who request the he kills his uncle, the new king of Denmark, because he murdered Hamlet's father. What I love about this adaptation is the things Kenneth Branagh does because he's using the medium of film. The use of Flashbacks in events is a great use that the stage adaptations could never do, same with the scenery. Elsinore Castle comes alive. It was genius for him to set the story in the 19th century. It gives a beautiful touch to the movie and costumes and set design were appropriate. THe final thing he does great is how he plays Hamlet. My English teacher taught him more as a mopey Dane, but he plays him as a cunning but indecisive genius which I believe is more interesting. His soliloquies have great touch to them, using visual elements and artful expression to make them interesting instead if Rambling.
The cast is great too. No weak link in the acting, and everyone holds their own. The guest appearances of famous actors, Charlton Heston, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal add moments of freshness to secondary characters. The Cinematography shows off the world well and fits most scenes, same with the music.
The problem is the length. It drags in places and with trimming could've been a masterful movie.
Overall great adaptation (better than the Mel Gibson one) and shows off to a new generation the beauty and power of something written 400 years ago. If you have the time, check it out.
8/10