Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh), Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
The film received four Academy Award nominations for the 69th Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (Tim Harvey), Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne), Best Original Score (Patrick Doyle), and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Kenneth Branagh).
However, it was not a box office success, grossing just under $5 million on a budget of $18 million. This is hardly surprising. The film is what might be called "an achievement", and certainly the new, definitive version for scholars and fans of Shakespeare. But to get a general audience to a Shakespeare film is hard (unless you disguise it as "10 Things I Hate About You") and to sit for a daunting four hours is also a challenging task.
The film received four Academy Award nominations for the 69th Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (Tim Harvey), Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne), Best Original Score (Patrick Doyle), and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Kenneth Branagh).
However, it was not a box office success, grossing just under $5 million on a budget of $18 million. This is hardly surprising. The film is what might be called "an achievement", and certainly the new, definitive version for scholars and fans of Shakespeare. But to get a general audience to a Shakespeare film is hard (unless you disguise it as "10 Things I Hate About You") and to sit for a daunting four hours is also a challenging task.