Hamlet

Hamlet is a an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as Prince Hamlet. featuring Derek Jacobi as King Claudius, Julie Christie as Queen Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Michael Maloney as Laertes, Richard Briers as Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. Other cast members include Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, Jack Lemmon as Marcellus, Billy Crystal, Rufus Sewell, Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, John Gielgud and Ken Dodd.

The film is the first unabridged theatrical film version of Hamlet, running more than four hours. The setting is updated to the 19th century, but its Elizabethan English text remains the same. Blenheim Palace is the setting used for the exterior grounds of Elsinore Castle, and interiors were photographed at Shepperton Studios. Hamlet was the last major dramatic motion picture to be filmed entirely on 70 mm film until 2011, with the release of the documentary Samsara.

Branagh’s Hamlet has been regarded as one of the best Shakespeare film adaptations ever made. The film received four Oscar 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).

Some critics, notably Stanley Kauffmann, declared the film to be the finest motion picture version of Hamlet. Online film critic James Berardinelli gave the film a four-star review and declared that the Branagh Hamlet is the finest Shakespeare adaptation, rating it as the best film of 1996… I have seen dozens of versions of this play, and none has ever held me in such a grip of awe.