Hamlet Rating: Release Date: 24 February, 2004 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $9.99 You SAVE: $4.99! Cast: Mel Gibson Glenn Close Helena Bonham Carter Paul Scofield Complete Cast (14 total)

Hamlet Reviews

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Zeffirelli rocks
Being a big Shakespeare fan, I believe this is the best version of Hamlet. Franco Zeffirelli really knows his stuff. I also really love the 1968 version he does of Romeo & Juliet

A Great and Easy Version
My kids really enjoyed this version and actually, so did I. I have to say that Mel Gibson verged a little too strongly on that dippy character he played in all those Lethal Weapon movies - but that's probably my bad. If I hadn't watched those dumb movies all those years ago, I probably wouldn't have been expecting Mel's Hamlet to suddenly dislocate/relocate his shoulder.

Anyway, Mel was pretty good. And Helena Bonham-Carter was REALLY good. After Hamlet stabbed Polonius behind the tapestry, Ophelia came unglued in a really spooky and satisfying way. Her big crazy scene was full of energy from every actor on the set - you could FEEL their "Ew! Keep away from me!" emotions jarring around with their terrible grief and pity for what poor, pretty Ophelia had descended into. It was very spine-tingly.

I liked Glenn Close a lot as Gertrude. That was definitely a different spin on the role I'd ever seen before, with the guilty queen swanning around with wide, innocent eyes, so happy with her big, strapping new hubby (ick) and so pleased when her darling boy makes the effort to cast off his gloominess and embrace his new daddy (ick more.) Hamlet's "gotcha" scene with Gertrude was also very good.

Because so much has been cut, this is a great version for kids to watch. Mine sat on the edge of their seats for the whole two hours and never mentioned popcorn. The ending threw me for a loop - Fortinbras? - so I couldn't give it 5 stars, but Rosencrantz and Guildenstern got their comeuppance, so I was somewhat reconciled.

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