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.
2 Comments
12/12/06
Hamlet (1948)
92
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:24
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.1/10
Consensus: 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.
Runtime: 2 hrs 35 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Before Kenneth Branagh, before Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier gave the definitive portrayal of "the man who could not make up his mind." In 15th-century Denmark, young Prince Hamlet is racked by... [More]
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Basil Sydney, Felix Aylmer
Director: Laurence Olivier
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Reviews for Hamlet
Top CriticDespite winning several Oscars, Olivier's (condensed) version of Shakespeare's masterpiece makes for frustrating viewing.
02/20/08
Hamlet has been filmed many times, but few can hold a candle to Olivier's portrayal of the Danish prince in 1948.
02/20/08
The feature is certain to live forever as a screen classic.
06/13/01
Sir Laurence Olivier's masterful version of the classic.
02/18/09
Olivier always felt that each different Hamlet is an essay, subject to the individual's interpretation.
12/12/06
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.
10/23/02
The matter is settled; the filmed Hamlet of Laurence Olivier gives absolute proof that these classics are magnificiently suited to the screen.
12/12/06
No review available.
08/22/03
No review available.
03/05/04
Olivier's classic and personalised version of the troubled Prince of Denmark is still highly atmospheric and intriguing.
02/20/08
One of the best versions of the Bard's.
08/30/07
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.
07/15/06
a bold, well-paced tragedy that helped expand audience notions of what Shakespeare on screen could be like
02/27/01
Olivier's direction of the film is inspired.
01/01/00
No review available.
08/08/02
A valuable classic.
07/21/04
While I don't know if Olivier's is the best (I'm inclined to go with Branagh's), it certainly bears the indelible stamp of its director/star's personality.
01/01/00
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.
01/30/04
If you want to study Shakespeare, and how it should really be done, then watch Laurence Olivier.
09/18/02
Latest News for Hamlet
July 21, 2008:
Brush Up On Your Shakespeare With Our List Of The Bard's Best Films
Friends, readers, Tomato-fans, lend me your ears. Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty, we at RT humbly present to you the Greatest Shakespeare Movies, a list of the Bard's... More...
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