When Laurence Olivier came to the rescue of the morale of British soldiers during World War II with Henry V, he became the unofficial guardian of Shakespeare on film. This film has been considered a classic since its release, and earned Olivier an Oscar for his performance. However, by today's standards, Olivier's Hamlet seems stiff and a bit stodgy. Olivier delivers a Hamlet that is very introverted and psychologically unstable. A psychiatrist friend who believed that Hamlet suffered from an Oedipus complex, so named because the eponymous hero of the ancient Greek play kills his father and marries his mother had influenced Olivier. In Olivier's film, Hamlet is very much a 'Mama's boy', and spends an inordinate amount of time on the ramparts of a studio Elsinore talking to himself in voice-over which gives the audience access to his thoughts. Done in traditional costume, the film is dark and sobering, and Jean Simmons's performance as Ophelia is a landmark in film presentation of madness. In the 'nunnery' scene, it is hard not to hate Hamlet for rejecting Ophelia's love. The film cuts the entire Fortinbras thread of the play, which places the focus of the screenplay entirely on Hamlet, but even so, it gives a bird's-eye view into an acting style of the early 20th century meeting the still-young medium of film. It also was one of the first times that an actor directed, wrote, and produced his own film. - J.R. Costa
Cast: Hamlet: Laurence Olivier; Gertrude: Eileen Herlie; Claudius: Basil Sydney; Polonius: Felix Aylmer; Laertes: Terence Morgan; Ophelia: Jean Simmons; Horatio: Norman Wooland; Osric: Peter Cushing; Gravedigger: Stanley Holloway; Priest: Russell Thorndike; Francisco: John Laurie; Bernardo: Esmond Knight; Marcellus: Anthony Quayle; Sea Captain: Niall MacGinnis; First Player: Harcourt Williams; Player King: Patrick Troughton. uncredited: Bit Part: Anthony Bushnell; Voice of Ghost: John Gielgud; Spear Carrier: Christopher Lee; Player Queen: Tony Tarver.
Director: Laurence Olivier; Writers: Alan Dent, Laurence Olivier; Producers: Reginald Beck, Anthony Bushnell, Laurence Olivier. Music: William Walton; Production Companies: Pilgrim Pictures, Two Cities Films Ltd. (UK).
Black and white. Runtime: 155 mins.
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