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Hamlet Customer Reviews (22 - 24 of 46 Reviews)

Since brevity is the soul of wit ...
I will be brief; though whether witty, too, as this production is ... why, I know not.
For 'tis not a trifle thing to take a play like Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and cut its length
Almost in half, without thus giving up half of its meaning. Yet, Signor
Franco Zeffirelli: even he, who aught already did for "Romeo
And Juliet," hath made his mark again here in most splendid fashion.

The Prince of Denmark's been portrayed by Thespian royalty near and far,
First among these the great Sir Laurence. Yet here now comes Mel Gibson: a most
Unusual choice, 'tis true; and better known for other roles. But although
Action star and ladies' favourite, this venture made him humble; justly so:
"The play's the thing," he says as Hamlet, and as himself, he adds: "Hamlet belongs
On stage." And he deplores that merely one of his enactments of each scene
Should be preserved on film forever, and that he never had the chance
To delve into the role anew from night to night. - Fear not, good Sir: I think
You did great honour to the Bard's intent; well understood unhappy Hamlet's
Scorn, his rage, his doubts, his terrible paralysis, all his tormented soul.

I also do agree that although ten years older than the prince when you
Took on the part, those extra years provided further insight of the kind
That's needed for this complex role. Hadst but maintained you this same sense of
Hamlet's gravitas until the end, of my full'st praise you wouldst have been assured.
Alas, the levity that you let creep into the final duel with Laertes
In my view ill becomes that scene, and although Hamlet on its eve hath had
A premonition of his death; hath spoke of providence and sparrows,
And looking at the sunset sighed, I doubt that when he meets Ophelia's brother,
He's so far gone beyond all caring that he'd make light of their encounter.
("The rest is silence," too, would have impressed me more without the lisp.)

But let that be. For I do join you in applauding those who
With you hearkened the appeal of Signor Zeffirelli; and who
Most heartily deserve to share this feature's laurels. Princes of
British theatre: the late, great Alan Bates - usurper Claudius -
All ruthless power, cunning, even carnal, brushing away his pangs of guilt;
Yet, reck'ning he doth not escape. Paul Scofield, next, th' ill-fated ghost;
Not bearing arms, as Shakespeare wrote, but verily a perturbed spirit,
As Hamlet calls him, in his pain. And Ian Holm as counsellor
Polonius: not ponderous, nor slow of tongue and eye but quick, and yet
Slain by the prince, in Claudius's place. They all have stood on stage a hundred times,
And brought to life the Bard's great plays, so well doth it behove one new, as Master Gibson
Is, to Shakespeare's world to credit them for lessons learned; and not just for their acting.

Also permit me, pray, to speak about the ladies in this male-dictated play:
Glenn Close's Gertrude, youthful queen, who gives the lie to Hamlet's chide
And his unmerciful reminder of her flesh's humbleness, and of her
Age. A bit too Freudian, perchance, her and her son's relationship
(That's an approach I've never liked). But a commanding presence, all be told.
Yet, even more praiseworthy is Miss Hel'na Bonham-Carter; her
Ophelia well-neigh impossible to replicate, she's *that* convincing.
Now rose in bloom, in love; now in distress, now finally in lunacy; she wails,
Her hair is tangled, clothes in rags, prophetic words she speaks disguised as
Songs and flower talk, before she drowns and thus propels this drama's end.

What else? Oh aye, of course: Kudos must also go to David Watkin,
In charge of camera, and Signors Ennio Morricone and Feretti
- by first name Dante - for this film's score and the design of its production.
Faithful reporting, too, would be amiss without a word on Hamlet's foils:
Horatio, his school fellow, in Stephen Dillane's able hands, as is
Laertes in Nathaniel Parker's; and Trevor Peacock as the gravedigger,
Spot-on: a diamond in the rough. As player king, moreover, have a
Look out for Pete Postlethwaite; and unlike the movie by Olivier
This one includes both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Michael Maloney and
Sean Murray. Fortinbras, though, you'll search in vain in this production, too.

The words, of course, are those of Shakespeare, though moved around a bit, but not in
Ways that by and large, methinks, the Bard would take exception to. Save, that is,
"Get thee to a nunnery," which doth assume a diff'rent connotation here:
A kinder, gentler Hamlet, who still contrives to show some care about Ophelia.
(But would he really? Nay, I think not.) "To be or not to be" not in the
Courtyard but the crypt, however, that is amazingly intense: both
The performance and the imagery. As generally Zeffirelli
In troth well uses film's ability to convey meaning visually, as
In the burial of Hamlet Senior, the prince's wordless visit to
Ophelia, and in the punishment of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

But let me close now. Brief I would be, that was my promise - well, there goes that.
Such is reviewing! Yet, what I wish, in faith, dear reader, thou hadst found
Within these lines is that I recommend this film. So go and watch it - presently!

Hamlet comes alive
I watched this with my 16 year old daughter a month ago, and we both agreed it was excellently done. She studies Shakespeare, and had studied Hamlet, but said she never understood it as well until she had seen the DVD. I think Shakespeare is best when acted, not when read. Mel Gibson never looked better, and he plays Hamlet with his usual depth of acting. Mel's eyes simply flicker with emotion, and his ability to project emotion thru his expressions adds a lot to this production. Even if you're not a big fan of Shakespeare nor of Mel Gibson, this is worth viewing. Very well done!!

Homage To Sir Laurence Olivier Works, But Misplaces Lines
Franco Zeffirelli's ("The Taming Of The Shrew," "Romeo And Juliet," "Jesus Of Nazareth," "Othello") third stab at transferring Shakespeare to the screen works very well, with the casting of Mel Gibson ("Mad Max," "Lethal Weapon" and pre-"The Passion Of The Christ" noteriety) in the role formerly owned by Sir Laurence Olivier (and rightly so; see my review on his "Hamlet," arguably the best interpretation of one of the Bard's timeless [and most quoted] tragedies.) Joining the "Lethal Weapon" star are Glenn Close ("The Big Chill"), Paul Scofield ("A Man For All Seasons"), Alan Bates, Ian Holm, Michael Maloney (who would be cast as Roderigo opposite Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Fishburne in Oliver Parker's "Othello" [see my review of Olivier's "stage" version of the tragedy, though he only starred in it] and who Branagh would cast as Laertes in HIS 3-hour version of "Hamlet" [a proper homage to Sir Laurence Olivier and his classic version of the play; see my review on that one as well] 5 years later), Nathaniel Parker (who would be cast as Cassio in his brother's version of "Othello" 4 years later) and Helena Bonham-Carter.

Zeffirelli intended this movie as a homage to Sir Laurence Olivier (who had died 2 years prior to this movie) and it works pretty well, for the most part. What I was slightly uncomfortable with was Zeffirelli's misplacing a lot of lines and in one scene, he gives one of Hamlet's lines to the Ghost. Also, Helena Bonham-Carter DID NOT convince me as Ophelia. She was too dull and unreal, whereas Jean Simmons (who had immortalized the role in Olivier's version) and Kate Winslet (who did an acceptable job in Kenneth Branagh's uncut, epic revisionist reworking of "Hamlet") were good in the role, with Jean Simmons being the BEST Ophelia ever, that's why she was nominated for Best Actress in 1948 (she didn't win-what a shame). Ian Holm said his lines too quickly, not slowly as I expected him to, in a scene with him, Laertes and Ophelia. But then again, I'm more used to Felix Aylmer and Richard Briers' interpretations of the role and I think that they did better jobs than Holm in their respective versions of "Hamlet" (both done by great directors, actors, text-editors, producers AND stars of all their versions of the Bard's work) as Polonius.

The rest of the cast, however, was excellent. The scene where Hamlet confronts his mother was very well done, but Olivier and Branagh heightened the scene to better lengths to create even more emotional intensity and suspense that the scene required.

I recommend this version just to pass the time, but it's ideal as a teaching tool for 12th-grade English teachers (I recommend showing Olivier's version first, then Branagh's and finally this version). Despite the film's "PG" rating, there was really nothing objectionable in the movie. Only what the play called for.

The Best Versions Of "Hamlet" Are:

#1 Sir Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh. Both were so good that I can't decide which one was the best. See my reviews on these versions for more information.

#2 Franco Zeffirelli. This one was alright. It started out alright with a scene not in the play, but should've then progressed to the actual beginning of the play, where a guard cries out "Who's there?" "Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself!!" That scene scares the hell out of you because you're sitting quietly and then-bam!!, you almost jump out of your skin. In short, that scene sets the tone for the rest of the play. HUGE blunder on Zeffirelli's part to omit that scene. It also misplaced a lot of lines (and cut others that I think should've been put in), such as the line where Hamlet says to Ophelia "Get thee to a nunnery, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?"; that line was supposed to have occurred in THAT scene, NOT where it was placed in the film. This version struggles between cutting out too much or too little. Kenneth Branagh would remedy that 5 years later with his uncut version of the tragedy, making HIS version a more fitting homage to Sir Laurence Olivier, as several of the actors (aside from him) had performed "Hamlet" on stage/or on film many times on different occasions. However, Zeffirelli's take on "Hamlet" IS faithful to the play and THAT's what I was looking for. The setup for the final act duel was the same as in Olivier and Branagh's versions, only that the denouement in Branagh's version was more violent than the denoument of the previous two faithful versions and stuck more closely to the play, with Branagh throwing in a few harmless touches of his own.

This version is Not Rated.

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