Mention Shakespeare, and the first response you might get is Hamlet -- with someone making a crack about Olivier and Yorick's skull. Some of the best and most recognizable lines that Shakespeare wrote are in this play, from the famous To be or not to be, that is Hamlet's soliquiy in the first act, to Sweets to the sweet -- farewell! and Goodnight, sweet prince... at the end. In fact, I think you'll be surprised by the number of lines that you'll recognize in this.

Unfortunately, for the lovers of film, this version of Hamlet is the complete play, without a single scene uncut or dropped. Most modern productions of the play, whether in film or stage version, will drop some of the smaller characters and scenes. Some might call Kenneth Branagh's version a bit over the top, but for anyone who wants a complete view of the play, and for sheer spectacle, I say give this one a try and take a look.

The story is pretty simple: Hamlet comes home from college in time for his father's, the king of Denmark's (Brian Blessed) funeral, and worse yet, his mother, Gertrude (Julie Christie) has married her brother-in-law, Claudius (Derek Jacobi), who is now the king of Denmark. Sunk in a melancholy dispair over his father's death, and his own lack of inheritance, young Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) one night has a terrifying vision of his father, trapped in Hell because his murder has not been avenged. Young Hamlet, forced to swear, begins to set in motion a series of snares and entanglements to revenge his father, sort out his own anger/envy/desire for his mother's betrayal, and still prevent his country from being overrun by the warlike Norwegians, led by the taciturn and unspeaking Fortinbras (Rufus Sewell).

Along the way we get Hamlet's girlfriend, Ophelia (Kate Winslet before Titanic and even better in this), daughter of the sneaky Polonius (Richard Briers) and sister of Laertes (Michael Maloney), who is Hamlet's best friend, and soon to be his deadliest enemy. Polonius rigs trap after trap for Hamlet, using Ophelia as bait, and it is Hamlet's own murder of Polonius that causes the poor girl to go mad herself. It is her suicide that triggers the fateful duel at the end of the play between Laertes and Hamlet, and the eventual fate of Claudius and Gertrude as well. Will Hamlet avenge his father without getting killed as well?

So, what's the best part of the film? The opening, when Hamlet learns that his mother has remarried, and Claudius is king, dressed in black with all this merrymaking around him in a shower of rose-petals; Hamlet's confrontation with his mother; Ophelia's crazed state and the stunning end to the first half of the play -- Hamlet delivering an impassioned speech on his way to England while behind him the Norse armies are marching across the horizon. There's also the play within a play, with Heston and Rosemary Harris, and the dueling at the climax of the film.

Directed and with the screenplay partially adapted by Kenneth Branagh, many dismissed this as too long and bloated for any audience, but I don't think so. If you want the bare bones of the story, stripped down version, watch the 1990 Zefferelli version with Mel Gibson and Glen Close. Here we get the deeper motivations of the characters and a twisting turning plot that keeps doubling back on itself -- it took two viewings of this film to get it all straight. For those of you who are interested in the original Norse era tale, I'd suggest the film Royal Deceit with Gabriel Byrne and Helen Mirrin.

Too, the cast is simply huge in this, with cameos by the following legends: Judi Dench, Charlton Heston, John Giulgud, Richard Attenborough, Jack Lemmon, and Gérard Depardieu. Billy Crystal (as the first gravedigger) and Robin Williams (as Osric, the offical sent to summon Hamlet to the duel) provide some comic relief.

For those who love movie trivia, the exterior shots and a few of the interiors were shot in Great Britain's Blenheim Palace, and the owner, the current Duke of Marlborough, got a bit part in the film as well. Sumptuous score by Patrick Doyle, with Placido Domingo singing one aria in it. The setting is moved to the Victorian period with magnificent costumes and sets that are enough to take your breath away.

There is quite a bit of bloodthirstyness to this -- I counted one suicide by drowning, two deaths by poisoning, one impalement, quite a few stabbings, plenty of scenery chewing, wall-bashing, a little bit of nudity and implied sex (one theory has it that Ophelia was pregnant when Hamlet dumped her), one roaring ghost, and well, lots of psychology to make you wonder.

There is a shorter version that has been whittled down to one VHS tape instead of two, if you don't want the longer three hour play.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older