William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition) dvd movie.|
William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition) buy bestselling dvd movies, videos find reviews, ratings, prices |
 |
List Price: $26.99 Our Price: $19.99 You Save: $7 Features • AC-3 • Closed-captioned • Color • Dolby • DVD-Video • Original recording remastered • Special Edition • Subtitled • Widescreen • NTSC In Theaters : 25 December, 1996 DVD Release : 14 August, 2007 |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] | DVD : Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition) description It's the greatest work of literature, but nobody had ever filmed Hamlet uncut--until Kenneth Branagh went about the task for his lavish 1996 production. The result is a sumptuous, star-studded version that scores a palpable hit on its avowed goal: to make the text as clear and urgent as possible. Branagh himself plays the melancholy son of the Danish court, caught in a famous muddle about whether to seek revenge against his royal father's presumed slayer… the man who now sits on the throne and shares the bed of Hamlet's mother. (Or, as the song "That's Entertainment" summarizes the plot: "A ghost and a prince meet / And everyone winds up mincemeat.") As a director, Branagh (who shot the movie in 70 mm.) uses the vast, cold interiors of a vaguely 19th-century manor to gorgeous effect; the story might scurry down this hallway, into that back chamber, or sprawl out into the enormous main room. With its endless collection of mirrors, the place is as big and empty as Citizen Kane's Xanadu. That all works; what doesn't work is Branagh's tendency to over-direct the big dramatic moments. He indulges in quick cutting and flashbacks as though to fend off the audience's objections to the four-hour running time, and the style sometimes looks like wasted energy. The experienced Shakespearians in the cast come off nicely; Derek Jacobi's Claudius, Richard Briers' Polonius, and Michael Maloney's Laertes are just terrific. Julie Christie is a suitably attractive Gertrude, and Kate Winslet makes the most of Ophelia's mad scenes. Branagh's habit of folding in unexpected American performers is on the mark, too: Billy Crystal is surprisingly good as the Gravedigger, Robin Williams predictably camps up Osric, and Charlton Heston is an inspired choice as the grandiloquent Player King. The biggest irony here is that Branagh himself is not quite spot-on as Hamlet. Of course he speaks the lines beautifully, but Branagh's screen personality radiates certainty and clarity of vision; there's little of the doubt that might make him Hamlet-esque. Still, tremendous credit for fending off slings and arrows to get the movie made. --Robert Horton |
|
|
| ♥♥♥♥♥ | HAMLET, HOLLYWOOD STYLE |
| Branagh deserves credit for attempting an unabridged version of the play, but the film falls prey to too many of Hollywood's bad habits: the cumpulsory sex scene; gratuitous violence and gore; big-name stars hired to draw a massive audience (there are star appearances by Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Gerard Depardieu, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Richard Attenborough; they even got Placido Domingo to sing the theme song); bloated music that undermines the lyricism of Shakespeare's language; pretentious cinematography that serves only to look pretty and fill out the "widescreen" aspect ratio; unnecessary sound effects, and so on. I found the music particularly offensive. Not only was there way too much of it, it was that sappy-pompous Hollywood music designed to manipulate the viewer's emotions, which serves to shore up banal dialogue, but Shakespeare's genius does not require it.
The movie sets the play in the 19th century. The updating results in anachronisms, of course, but works pretty well overall. Anyhow, the anachronisms are glossed over. For instance, at one point in the play Hamlet mentions a "chopine." A chopine is a high, thick-soled shoe used in the theater in Shakespeare's day to add height to boys who were playing women, since at that time the stage was off-limits to women. So there's a somewhat saucy reference to cross-dressing. In Brangh's 19th century HAMLET, though, the troupe of Players includes women, so the "chopine" line is spoken not to a boy but to a girl who has grown "by the altitude of a chopine" since Hamlet last saw her. The scene, "cleaned up" of its reference to cross dressing, was rendered "family friendly" for Charlton Heston, who is known for his conservative politics. (Heston plays the patriarch of the acting troupe). Despite its many faults, the film ultimately manages to bring the play to life. There are some solid performances if not any truly great ones. At least, the lines are smoothly and cleanly delivered throughout, making them comprehensible. It sounds like the actors understand the words they are speaking. As for Branagh's performance, he overdoes Hamlet's antics, at times seeming a bit Steve Martinish. But he rises to the challenge, delivering a complex performance. Julie Christie is a good enough Gertrude, although I prefered Emma Thompson's Gertrude opposite Branagh in a version he did for BBC Radio. Derek Jacobi gives a wonderfully understated performance as Claudius. And Kate Winslet wasn't as bad an Ophelia as I expected. There are several versions of HAMLET on DVD. The best in my opinion remains Laurence Olivier's black and white masterpiece of 1948. Branagh's is a good second choice, especially since it preserves the fullness of what Shakespeare wrote. I liked this HAMLET better than the one by Zeffirelli starring Mel Gibson. I also like Branagh's Hamlet better than Richard Burton's, as Burton overacts even more than Branagh. By the way, Branagh's BBC Radio version of HAMLET is available on CD and works better than this film. |
|
|