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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

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Reviews for Hamlet

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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 >> >|
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Stars Kenneth Branagh as a vigorous man of action who sets out to accomplish his mission with firm resolve.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/21/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

With his handsome and compelling Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh brings the Bard's greatest tragedy passionately alive on the screen.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
08/15/02
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles 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 Hamlet may not be perfect, but it is perfectly engrossing.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/12/02
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Not many filmmakers would dare to film and then market a four-hour film like this, but Branagh pulls it off marvelously.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

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

An irresistible Hamlet.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

Branagh's performance as the tired, troubled prince of Denmark is one of the great achievements in modern cinema.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

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

Yes, it's long, but you'd be surprised how fast it goes by, a testament to the incredible source material Branagh got to work with.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

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

His reach extends his grasp and the film stumbles along the way, but Branagh's audacious vision, coupled with Shakespeare's dazzling prose, delivers many substantial rewards.

Full Review Source: NUVO Newsweekly | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Johnson-Ott
Edward Johnson-Ott
NUVO Newsweekly

A true accomplishment.

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

I have seen dozens of versions of this play (either on screen or on stage), and none has ever held me in such a grip of awe.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As star and ringmaster, Branagh gets to the heart of Hamlet and goes to admirable lengths to take his audience there, too.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

By looking to the box office and the classroom with equal respect, [Branagh] has kept himself a friend of Shakespeare.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Moviegoers who applauded the vigilante justice in such recent films as Joel Schumacher's A Time To Kill and Barry Levinson's Sleepers should be totally in sync with the action and have no trouble surmounting the verbiage.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

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

The film equivalent of a lushly illustrated coffee-table book.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Lloyd Rose
Lloyd Rose
Washington Post

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
 
 
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