Do you want to see ‘Hamlet’?

Hamlet (1948)

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Average Rating: 8.1/10
Reviews Counted: 26
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 2

A well-executed labor of love from star and director Laurence Olivier, Hamlet not only proved that Shakespeare could be successfully adapted to the big screen, it paved the way for further cinematic interpretations.

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Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 1

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Movie Info

Although criticized by Shakespeare devotees upon its release because of director, producer, and star Laurence Olivier's decision to excise large portions of the text, his cinematic version of Hamlet is widely considered the best out of several dozens (and counting). Hamlet (Olivier) is a medieval Danish prince who's still melancholy over the sudden death of his father and the quick, subsequent remarriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude (Eileen Herlie) to his uncle, Claudius (Basil Sydney).

Unrated, 2 hr. 33 min.

Drama, Classics

Directed By: Laurence Olivier

Written By: William Shakespeare, Alan Dent

In Theaters: May 4, 1948 Wide

On DVD: Sep 19, 2000

Cast

Laurence Olivier
Hamlet
Eileen Herlie
Gertrude
Basil Sydney
Claudius
Jean Simmons
Ophelia
Norman Wooland
Horatio
Felix Aylmer
Polonius
John Laurie
Francisco
Niall MacGinnis
Sea Captain
Terence Morgan
Laertes
Peter Cushing
Osric
Esmond Knight
Bernardo
Stanley Holloway
Gravedigger
Tony Tarver
Player Queen
Russell Thorndike
Priest
Patrick Troughton
Player King
Harcourt Williams
First Player
John Gielgud
The Ghost
Christopher Lee
Patrick Macnee
Anthony Quayle
Marcellus
Anthony Bushell

Critic Reviews for Hamlet

All Critics (26) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (2) | DVD (6)

Sir Laurence Olivier's masterful version of the classic.

February 18, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comment

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

This is picture-making at its best, and its showing must be done with the dignity it deserves.

February 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

The matter is settled; the filmed Hamlet of Laurence Olivier gives absolute proof that these classics are magnificiently suited to the screen.

December 12, 2006 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Top Critic

Laurence Olivier's famous 1948 interpretation of Shakespeare's play suffers slightly from his pop-Freud approach to the character and from some excessively flashy, wrongheaded camera work.

December 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comments (2)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Olivier's classic and personalised version of the troubled Prince of Denmark is still highly atmospheric and intriguing.

February 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

Hamlet has been filmed many times, but few can hold a candle to Olivier's portrayal of the Danish prince in 1948.

February 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

Despite winning several Oscars, Olivier's (condensed) version of Shakespeare's masterpiece makes for frustrating viewing.

February 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

One of the best versions of the Bard's.

August 30, 2007 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Olivier always felt that each different Hamlet is an essay, subject to the individual's interpretation.

December 12, 2006 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Olivier's Hamlet is terrific to watch and his performance is great but, like the play, the film is somewhat tedious.

October 31, 2006 Full Review Source: Oscar Guy

| Comment

Wesley Lovell

Oscar Guy

Done in different style than Henry V, based on Olivier's metaphor that Hamlet is more like an engraving than a painting, the play was hauntingly shot in b/w, dwelling on the Castle and its massive and gloomy corridors where the action takes place.

July 15, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

A valuable classic.

July 21, 2004 Comment

Jules Brenner

Cinema Signals

Of the four versions of Hamlet that I've seen, this one is the most psychological, the one that truly delves into Hamlet's mind and psyche.

January 30, 2004 Comment

Matt Easterbrook

Matt's Movie Reviews

The best ever adaptation of Shakespeare's best ever play. Olivier is mesmerising.

February 10, 2003 Comment

Shannon J. Harvey

Sunday Times (Australia)

For its time, one of the best Shakespearean adaptations, even though a lot of the text has been omitted. Olivier's psychological take on Hamlet could be debated today.

October 23, 2002 Comment

Bob Bloom

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

If you want to study Shakespeare, and how it should really be done, then watch Laurence Olivier.

September 18, 2002 Full Review Source: Zap2it.com

| Comment

Michael Szymanski

Zap2it.com

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Audience Reviews for Hamlet

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I didn't particularly like this adaptation mainly because of Laurence Olivier's acting. In my perspective, he delivers his lines without emotion and at times seems bored with what he is saying. In several scenes, the music seems to be intruding rather than adding drama to the film. Or maybe it was the angles of the

July 11, 2011

Wildaly M.

Super Reviewer

Some consider this to be the definitive screen version of Hamelt, and, while I don't agree with that (and also don't think it should have necessarily taken top honors at the Oscars), I do think this is a very enjoyable and well done take on the story.Olivier might have been a bit too old to play the lead, and the woman

June 15, 2011

Chris Weber

Super Reviewer

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