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Movies / On DVD / Hamlet
Hamlet

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Hamlet (1996)

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Reviews Counted:52

Fresh:49

Rotten:3

Average Rating:8.1/10

Consensus: Kenneth Branagh's sprawling, finely textured adaptation of Shakespeare's masterpiece lives up to its source material, using strong performances and a sharp cinematic focus to create a powerfully resonant film that wastes none of its 246 minutes.

Runtime: 4 hrs 26 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Director Kenneth Branagh returns to Shakespeare following his ground-breaking HENRY V and whimsical production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. This classic tale tells the story of Hamlet (Kenneth... Director Kenneth Branagh returns to Shakespeare following his ground-breaking HENRY V and whimsical production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. This classic tale tells the story of Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh), the prince of Denmark, a man suffering from grief at the death of his father, the king. His mother (Julie Christie) has quickly married Claudius (Derek Jacobi), Hamlet's uncle, who now reigns as the new king. Late one night Hamlet is visited by his father's ghost, who comes to tell him that Claudius poisoned him in his garden to win the crown, and that Hamlet, as his son, must now avenge his death. The prince's course of action sets the wheels of this great tragedy in motion, as the corruption of the Danish court begins to engulf everyone around it, including, finally, Hamlet himself. Branagh has assembled a stellar cast (including Kate Winslet, Billy Crystal, and Robin Williams) for this titanic enterprise, which presents HAMLET in its four hour entirety. Shot in 70-millimeter film, Branagh's HAMLET takes on the epic sweep associated with the films of Cecil B. DeMille or David Lean. By restoring Shakespeare's tragedy to its full length, Branagh has created a film of striking size and scope. [More]

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Charlton Heston, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Charlton Heston, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, John Gielgud, Rosemary Harris

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Composer: Patrick Doyle
Story: William Shakespeare
Screenwriter: Kenneth Branagh
Producer: David Barron

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 14, 2007

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Hamlet

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Simply gorgeous to look at, and a number of the performances are outstanding...

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/02/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Brave, yes, but undeniably excessive.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/02/08
Channel 4 Film

Die-hard Bard students may quibble, but this gargantuan and glorious Hamlet is a movie-lover's paradise.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/17/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

...four hours go by quickly when you're having fun. It's a class act all the way.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
08/25/07
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Branagh has one-upped Olivier again by making his Hamlet a bold spectacle: big and loud and colorful.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/16/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
08/14/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Fine version of one of The Bard's best plays.

comment Comment
12/08/06
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

If you're willing to sit through Branah's 4-hour Hamlet, you'll be rewarded with a lavishly mounted, full-bodied version that brings new dimensions to the time-honored play, done before by Olivier (among others) in a 1948 Oscar-winning film.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/15/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/23/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
08/27/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
08/25/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

The few missteps, mostly in casting, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to this adaptation.

comment Comment
07/14/04
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

Viewers patient enough to sit through four hours of this film are going to be rewarded with a memorable experience.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
06/01/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
04/21/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
01/12/04
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

La cinta de Branagh evitó rescatar momentos cumbres y optó por dar fuerza al guión original.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
01/12/04
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

No review available.

comment Comment
06/20/03
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

A great film; a timeless epic.

comment Comment
04/10/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

There are many ... instances when you want to run screaming from Elsinore Castle.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/25/02
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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