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Hamlet (2 Disc Special Edition) |
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Staring:
Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu, Charlton Heston
Director:
Kenneth Branagh
Average Customer Rating: 
List Price: £12.99
Our Price: £3.98
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Product Description
Kenneth Branagh's four-hour production of Shakespeare's full text for Hamlet is visually lush (shot in 70mm, which is rarely done) and full of fascinating story moments that normally get cut from shorter stage versions. (Your idea of what kind of fellow Polonius is may change quite a bit.) The unexpurgated approach is truly enlightening, and Branagh intermittently succeeds at giving familiar moments in the drama an original cinematic spin, including Hamlet's spooky confrontation with his father's ghost (Brian Blessed). (Branagh also imposes some Hollywood glitter on the proceedings by casting the likes of Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Charlton Heston and Jack Lemmon in the smaller parts.) The pre-Titanic Kate Winslet is very good as the doomed Ophelia, and Derek Jacobi delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance as Claudius, whose character is definitely filled out by the restored material. Branagh's own performance is a little revisionist--some viewers have quibbled with it while others seem fine. --Tom Keogh. Langages avialabel on the dvd are: English,Castillian Spanish,German,Polish & Portuguese,Subtitles: English,C/Spanish,German,Greek,Polish & Portuguese.Extra features including introductions/commentary by Kenneth Branagh & Russell Jackson,'Featurette,Film promo,Shakespeare movie trailor gallery.
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's the greatest work of literature, but nobody had ever filmed Hamlet uncut--until Kenneth Branagh went about the task for his lavish 1996 production. The result is a sumptuous, star-studded version that scores a palpable hit on its avowed goal: to make the text as clear and urgent as possible. Branagh himself plays the melancholy son of the Danish court, caught in a famous muddle about whether to seek revenge against his royal father's presumed slayer... the man who now sits on the throne and shares the bed of Hamlet's mother. (Or, as the song "That's Entertainment" summarizes the plot: "A ghost and a prince meet / And everyone winds up mincemeat.") As a director, Branagh (who shot the movie in 70 mm.) uses the vast, cold interiors of a vaguely 19th-century manor to gorgeous effect; the story might scurry down this hallway, into that back chamber, or sprawl out into the enormous main room. With its endless collection of mirrors, the place is as big and empty as Citizen Kane's Xanadu. That all works. What doesn't work is Branagh's tendency to over-direct the big dramatic moments. He indulges in quick cutting and flashbacks as though to fend off the audience's objections to the four-hour running time, and the style sometimes looks like wasted energy. The experienced Shakespearians in the cast come off nicely. Derek Jacobi's Claudius, Richard Briers' Polonius, and Michael Maloney's Laertes are just terrific. Julie Christie is a suitably attractive Gertrude, and Kate Winslet makes the most of Ophelia's mad scenes. Branagh's habit of folding in unexpected American performers is on the mark, too: Billy Crystal is surprisingly good as the Gravedigger, Robin Williams predictably camps up Osric, and Charlton Heston is an inspired choice as the grandiloquent Player King. The biggest irony here is that Branagh himself is not quite spot-on as Hamlet. Of course he speaks the lines beautifully, but Branagh's screen personality radiates certainty and clarity of vision. There's little of the doubt that might make him Hamlet-esque. Still, tremendous credit for fending off slings and arrows to get the movie made. --Robert Horton
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Coming from a non Shakespeare fan, 2010-05-20
Whether you are preparing for an exam like I was or just for pleasure, this film is very enjoyable and also very helpful in aid of understanding the play. I didn't understand it all, however the film really captures what is happening and gives you an easier understanding of each scene. Very well directed and very enjoyable. It is full length so nothing has been cut out - it contains the full play making it very long, but definitely all the better. I would recommend this to anyone studying English or anyone who is enthusiastic about literature or Shakespeare.
The Serpent that Rules, 2010-04-16
One of the main reasons for watching Kenneth Branagh's production of Hamlet is to see Derek Jacobi's remarkable portrayal of yet another Claudius--in this case the venomous usurper of Denmark's throne. Jacobi makes this often-forgettable part his own, to such an extent that he practically runs away with the show; and in Branagh's stellar cast, which includes Julie Christie as Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, and Branagh as Hamlet, this is no mean feat. The dynamics between Claudius and Gertrude as their relationship subtly deteriorates during the course of the play are fascinating. Far from being one-dimensional, Jacobi's portrayal of Claudius is as vital as it is nuanced, and one finds oneself waiting for his entrance with great anticipation.
Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare productions are always innovative in respect to interpretation, settings, and cast. For example, he makes the subtext of the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia explicit in such a way that elucidates the rather salty lyrics of the songs in her mad scene. Most of Branagh's innovations work in this production with its opulent Edwardian costumes and mirrored sets, which make use of the exterior of Blenheim Palace as a background. While the manufactured snow sets a wintry mood for Shakespeare's metaphor for the sickness of the State, one must suspend one's disbelief when it comes to Ophelia's drowning with "fantastic garlands . . . of crow-flowers nettles, daisies" and other "weedy trophies," since Shakespeare's "weeping brook" as Branagh presents the mise-en-scene would have been frozen solid (But in an otherwise excellent production, who cares about such picky details?). One wonders, however, whether the rose-petals with which Branagh showers the actors in the court scene, as well as in "Much Ado About Nothing" and "As You Like It," are to be regarded as a signature, or as a cliche? The third time around, they are no longer an innovation. And although the swinging chandelier in the fencing scene seems rather Zorro-ish, since the scene calls for spectacle, why not?
Branagh always takes chances in his casting, and in most cases in "Hamlet", they pay off. Billy Crystal plays a delightful comic-relief gravedigger along with Simon Russell Beale (aka George Smiley), and Robin Williams in his role as Osric serves a similar purpose in relieving the tension before the duel; Rosemary Harris and Charlton Heston are convincing as the player Queen and King; and Jack Lemmon's appearance as a guard is charitably short. Richard Attenborough brings outstanding dignity to his brief appearance as the British Ambassador, and I was blown away by the glimpse of Judy Dench as the grief-stricken Hecuba and John Gielgud as the dying Priam in the vignette about the Trojan War. Branagh's imaginative use of sundry theatrical luminaries both contributes texture to the play and adds interest to what might otherwise be a very long evening, since he presents Shakespeare's play almost in its entirety.
The diction of the actors is superb, and the English subtitles ensure that every word of Shakespeare's text in this two disc-production will be understood. There is a lot to enjoy in Kenneth Branagh's highly inventive production of "Hamlet: Prince of Denmark."
Every Word!, 2010-08-09
There are faster-paced, more fun versions of Hamlet, but students still need to wtach this version simply because it is so true to the text. This DVD is well worth the outlay for any Hamlet fan.
 Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, 2010-05-28
An absoulte must for anyone studying Hamlet; it's the only version out there that is uncut and as a result essentially the only version worth buying. To my mind this and a copy of the Arden Shakespeare Hamlet are 2 things no A-Level student taking English should be without!
Aside from this it's an amazing movie. Well acted, well directed, there are very few ways in which the film could actually be improved upon.
A Great Screeenplay, with one problem..., 2010-07-13
This is a fantastic cinematic production of Hamlet, let down by the fact that Branagh is far too old to play the young, mad prince. Being the age he is, he injects an older man's passion into the role, an older man's diatribe of the fortunes and misfortunes of youth. Branagh should have cast a younger man in the role of Hamlet and concentrated on his excellent directorial skills.
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Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Parental Guidance
Binding: DVD
EAN: 7321900826839
Format: PAL, Dolby, Digital Sound, Widescreen, Colour
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Model: Z1C2683
Number Of Discs: 2
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 2
Release Date: 2007-09-24
Running Time: 232
Studio: Warner Home Video |
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