Year: 1996
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Country: UK
Language: English
There are many great screen adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, such as Throne of Blood, Ran and The Bad Sleep Well. My next three reviews will regard film adaptations of the tragedy known as Hamlet. The first will be Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version, the second will consist of Mel Gibson's 1990 version and finally the third will be Sir Laurence Olivier's 1948 version. I first saw Branagh's version in my High School English class, my first impression was that it was a bold and epic vision of one of the greatest of Shakespeare's plays.
Hamlet is about the son of the king of Denmark, who is named Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) He is summoned home for his father's funeral and his mother's wedding to his uncle. In a supernatural occurrence, he discovers that his uncle, whom he doesn't like that much anyways, murdered his father. He must plot and then unplot against the uncle, while directing a play within a play in order to exact revenge.
Branagh's version of Hamlet is the longest and most complete onscreen version of the play that exists. At 242 minutes (4 hours) one would think that this may be incredibly slow, but it is extremely well paced. You will find yourself glued to the film from start to finish by this deep film that is not particularly difficult to follow. This version does lack the pessimism and dreary mood of Laurence Olivier's Academy Award winning version, which some people (like myself) may find as a fault, while others see it as an advantage. This film balances complete and utter doom with moments of light humour and even joy.
There is no doubt that Branagh's Hamlet is a bold enticing vision that is quite epic in scope. The length of the film holds many advantages that the shorter version's don't, such as a larger character study. Every character's motives in this film become increasingly understandable, every character is incredibly human. Branagh himself plays the title character quite different that Gibson and Olivier. Hamlet is not a depressed man-child, nor is could he be considered "tough" by any means. His acting is remarkable, though I wish I could say the same for Robin Williams in his odd cameo.
In conclusion, it is understandable that many people feel Branagh's Hamlet is far superior to Gibson's and even Olivier's. This version is quite spectacular and incredibly detailed. It also features some interesting cameos by Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal and Charlton Heston, though I wouldn't consider those cameos to be "great" by any means. I feel this film suffers from a lack of unhappiness and depression, though it is still great. Praise it! 4.5/5
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