Director Franco Zeffirelli and star Mel Gibson combine their talents for this full-blooded adaptation of the classic tragedy. The movie is a concise, trimmed version of the play, as Hamlet returns to Elsinore to finds his mother married to his uncle and his dead father's ghost demanding... [More]

Director Franco Zeffirelli and star Mel Gibson combine their talents for this full-blooded adaptation of the classic tragedy. The movie is a concise, trimmed version of the play, as Hamlet returns to Elsinore to finds his mother married to his uncle and his dead father's ghost demanding vengeance. Shot in Northern Scotland amid actual castles and foggy landscapes, the film has a very realistic, rugged feel courtesy of cinematographer David Watkin. Mel Gibson is superb in the title role, burying his movie star persona within a sulking, sometimes completely unsympathetic performance as the prince. Glenn Close as his mother is also disturbingly real--the two share some scenes that are nearly incestuous in their intensity--and Helena Bonham Carter lends Ophelia the perfect note of otherworldly pain. This is a perfect companion to Zeffirelli's earlier Shakespeare films, TAMING OF THE SHREW and ROMEO & JULIET, and proves that he is a true master of poetry and period realism. Shakespeare fans should be very pleased, and beginners will find no better place to start than this accessible and vibrant adaptation. [Less]