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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 source)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Not since Akira Kurosawa's Ran (a Japanese King Lear) has there been such an energetic, visually exciting presentation of a Shakespearean play.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

Standing apart from virtually all other movie fare this season, Hamlet makes for a fertile promontory.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kim Williamson
Kim Williamson
Boxoffice Magazine

Brave, yes, but undeniably excessive.

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

Branagh's version moved me, entertained me and made me feel for the first time at home in that doomed royal court.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Uma versão à altura (senão melhor) do clássico de Laurence Olivier.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/31/02
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

This version of Shakespeare's masterpiece is definately worth the length, and is a masterpiece in its own right.

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

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
08/14/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.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

A magnificent effort.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in a vibrant, full-text, full-hearted film from Shakespeare's most complex tragedy.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

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

...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

A few cameos seem out of place, but the rest is pure magic.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

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

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

A true accomplishment.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine

No review available.

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