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Hamlet Customer Reviews (28 - 30 of 46 Reviews)

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The movie Hamlet directed by Franco Zefferelli is a historical drama, based on the popular Shakespearean Tragedy. Zefferelli decided to retain the name Hamlet, which I think could be modified to be more effective. Theoretically, a title is a microcosm of the theme, which 'Hamlet' doesn't really accomplish; a title that can foreshadow the theme of the play will be more formidable. Perhaps the director could have excerpted one of the dominant quotes out of the play, the most famous being "To be or not to be". This would have at least given a foreshadowing to the indecision seen by the tragic hero throughout the plot. Generally speaking, the movie was well done and I comment the director for his concise but accurate representation of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
On the whole the actors depicted the roles of their characters quite well. Hamlet played by the Australian, Mel Gibson took command of his part, and captivated the viewers with his emotional conversations, as well as addition of humor and a masculine vigor to Hamlet. He portrayed his part with a great deal enthusiasm, bringing the play to life. The royal couple played by Alan Bates and Glenn Close, as king Claudius and queen Gertrude respectfully, were able to capture the conduct of a monarchial leadership, of the middle ages with little difficulty. Claudius displayed an exceptional representation of a lusty, murderous king. The minor characters such as Ian Holm as Polonius, Nathaniel Parker as Laertes, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia gave considerable support to the leading characters, as they were subtly but effectively able to dictate the plot.
Hamlet is noted as one of Franco Zeffirelli's best productions as he recreated yet another Shakespeare masterpiece. He took a conventional approach to this production of Hamlet as he kept with the mindset most people would have to character and setting, in other words he tried not to give any surprises. Zeffirelli's main goal was to create a lighthearted enjoyable movie that would appeal to the general public who don't have the time and stamina for Branagh's four-hour version. In keeping with typical Shakespearean movies the director chose a soundtrack consisting of classical pieces, which is suitable for what he was trying to achieve. Little special effects were used, which may be a major flaw when trying to grasp the attention of modern day viewers, perhaps he could have included some more dynamic effects, especially with the ghost who appeared almost as though he was a living character.
This movie is a concise version of the original text and has left out and/or shortened many scenes keeping only the ones necessary to tell the story. I really liked the way he incorporated old Hamlet's funeral in the beginning and the voyage to England. However, there were a few scenes like the fight between Laertes and Hamlet in the graveyard, which could have been further accented. The major flaw I observed in the movie when compared to the book was the exclusion of the sub-plot with Fortinbras and the Norwegian influence. This led to the ambiguity the viewers were left in once the movie ended, as there was no hint to the outcome of Denmark.

A great BRIEF history of The Bard's greatest Play
There are two main versions that currently work the best in getting a feel for this play, Gibson's & Brannaugh's. Gibson's is very much stripped down to focusing on the three main character's. It does loose a lot by this device, but it does gain considerably in that the viewer doesn't have to shift through all the sub-plots. Brannaugh's, however is far more complete & I would consider it far more the best " study " version of the play. If you've read the play ( & this is the reason I give it 5 stars ), Gibson's version is great beause you can fill in the blanks quite easily & nothing is lost. The Ghost is by far better in Gibson's version ( remember, this is not a ghost in the modern sense, so it's important not to judge by appearences ), & the interplay between them in their first meeting is just amazing. However, the politics of the play suffers badly, in my opinion, becuase many of the characters in the sub-plots are missing, especially Polonius' machinations....however, he certainly DIES better in Gibson's version. I personally like this version & I am impressed with all the actors. If this had been the entire play, I think it would definitely have given Brannaugh's version a run for it's money, but being so stripped down, I feel the actuall story suffers greatly. As one reviewer put it, a CLIFT NOTES verion, with which I must agree.

A Gutsy Hamlet
This has been called by one movie critic "a visceral Hamlet" with Mel Gibson giving a gutsy or macho performance. Other versions by other actors I have seen play the character as tame and weak, not at all the powerful obsessed character I imagined in Shakespeare's play. Even Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet is meek - compared to Mel Gibson's, with Olivier giving little hint as to the torment of a man intent on avenging his father's death. The scenes with Ophelia, Gertrude, Polonius,and Claudius all require projection and expression of sincerely felt emotions to make the play work. The very talented cast that has Helen Bonham-Carter, Glenn Close, Ian Holm, and Alan Bates respectively in these roles compliment Gibson's performance admirably. Mel Gibson is a great actor who makes his roles believable and sincere. He would have made a great Captain Ahab in the re-make of Moby Dick.

Well directed with a beautiful landscape by Franco Zeffirelli, this version makes the play understanable to anyone who watches it. Franco Zeffirelli has a great talent for taking two dimensional characters and difficult stories and turning them into three dimensional real people and events one can relate to. This he did superbly in JESUS OF NAZARETH, ROMEO AND JULIETTE, and the TAMING OF THE SHREW. Those who complain that he took too much (erring) poetic license should know that many actors and directors do the same thing. For example, Lawrence Olivier who is Jewish and played Hamlet, had the execution trick with Rosencranz and Guildenstern (Jewish names) removed and replaced with a pirate ship attack. In Zeffirelli's version, much of the wordy and unneeded material such as Hamlet's instruction to the players are removed, making what had been a 3 hour play into a two hour movie. All in all this is the best version I have ever seen.

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