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Plot

Franco Zeffirelli directs his third Shakespeare adaptation (after Romeo and Juliet and Otello) with this film version of the tragedy Hamlet. The titular prince of Denmark (Mel Gibson), returns home to his family's castle of Elsinore after years of attending school in Germany to find out his father has died and his uncle Claudius (Alan Bates) is the new king. To make matters worse, Claudius has married Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Glenn Close), whom he has unusually strong feelings for. Hamlet is visited by his father's ghost (Paul Scofield), who asks him to seek revenge for his murder. In order to find out who the real killer is, Hamlet stages a theatrical scene resembling his father's death. Claudius is upset by the production and leaves to arrange for Hamlet's murder. In the ensuing confusion, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonious (Ian Holm) instead of Claudius; Hamlet's lover, Ophelia (Helena Bonham Carter), goes mad and commits suicide; and eventually Hamlet and Claudius both meet their fate. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Review

Frequent Shakespeare interpreter Franco Zeffirelli gives Hamlet a go with this gritty and unglamorous version, starring Hollywood actors like Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. Gibson may have struck some viewers as quite the wrong choice, destined to be overmatched, but he displays surprising subtlety and range, not to mention wearing the cropped hair and scraggly beard to good effect. The actor's playful flickers of madness (his calling card in the Lethal Weapon movies) translate quite well to the scenes in which Hamlet gleefully toys with those he's trying to confuse. Close and Helena Bonham Carter are effective in the smaller roles of his female tormentors, with Carter offering a particularly touching breakdown scene. Ian Holm is also a scatterbrained standout as Polonius. As he has done in his other adaptations of the Bard, Zeffirelli (the first to filmmaker to cast actual teenagers as Romeo and Juliet in 1968) aims for accuracy in his production design, forgoing the anachronisms some directors use to amplify themes. Hence, the dank Danish castle feels like the genuine article, purposely lacking in grandeur. But the director continues to betray Shakespeare in familiar ways, too; not only does he truncate the text, but he even commits the cardinal sin of blending several scenes, which is usually avoided. It's decisions like this that rob the film of some depth and emotional resonance, not to mention scholarly respect. In fact, this Hamlet was likely an important motivator for Kenneth Branagh in his decision to film an elaborately unabridged, four-hour version of the play six years later. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast

Helena Bonham Carter - Ophelia; Stephen Dillane - Horatio; Nathaniel Parker - Laertes; Sean Murray - Guildenstern; Michael Maloney - Rosencrantz; Trevor Peacock - The Gravedigger; John McEnery - Osric; Richard Warwick - Bernardo; Christien Anholt - Marcellus; Dave Duffy - Francisco; Vernon Dobtcheff - Reynaldo; Pete Postlethwaite - Player King; Christopher Fairbank - Player Queen; Marjorie Bell - The Player; Justin Case - The Player; Roy Evans - Player; Roger Low - Player; Ned Mendez - Player; Sarah Phillips - Player; Pamela Sinclair - Player; Roy York - Player; Joyce Nettles

Credit

Vincenzo Cerami - Art Director, Michael Lamont - Art Director, Alan Tomkins - Art Director, James Morahan - Art Director, Maurizio Millenotti - Costume Designer, Franco Zeffirelli - Director, Richard Marden - Editor, Ennio Morricone - Composer (Music Score), Dante Ferretti - Production Designer, David Watkin - Cinematographer, Dyson Lovell - Producer, Bruce Davey - Producer, Francesca Lo Schiavo - Set Designer, Christopher de Vore - Screenwriter, Franco Zeffirelli - Screenwriter, Robin Clarke - Music Editor, William Shakespeare - Play Author

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Hamlet

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Hamlet (1990 film)

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Hamlet

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli
Produced by Bruce Davey
Dyson Lovell
Written by Franco Zeffirelli
Christopher De Vore
Based on The play by William Shakespeare
Starring Mel Gibson
Glenn Close
Alan Bates
Paul Scofield
Ian Holm
Helena Bonham Carter
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cinematography David Watkin
Editing by Richard Marden
Studio Nelson Entertainment
Icon Productions
Carolco Pictures
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) December 19, 1990 (limited)
January 18, 1991
Running time 130 minutes
Country United States
United Kingdom
France
Language English
Box office $20,710,451

Hamlet is a 1990 drama film based on the Shakespearean tragedy of the same name directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the titular character. The film also features Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, and Nathaniel Parker. It is notable for being the first film from Icon Productions, a company co-founded by Gibson.

Contents

Cast

The cast includes three actors - Paul Scofield, Alan Bates, and Ian Holm - who had themselves played Hamlet on stage or film. It also features two actors - Stephen Dillane and Michael Maloney - who went on to play Hamlet onstage.

Production

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Blackness Castle and Dover Castle were used as locations in the film.

Adaptation and interpretation

Film scholar Deborah Cartmell has suggested that Zeffirelli's Shakespeare films are appealing because they are "sensual rather than cerebral", an approach by which he aims to make Shakespeare "even more popular". To this end, he cast Gibson — then famous for the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films — in the title role. Cartmell also notes that the text is drastically cut, but with the effect of enhancing the roles of the women.

J. Lawrence Guntner has suggested that Zeffirelli's cinematography borrows heavily from the action film genre that made Gibson famous, noting that its average shot length is less than six seconds. In casting Gibson, the director has been said to have made the star's reputation part of the performance, encouraging the audience "to see the Gibson that they have come to expect from his other films".[citation needed] Indeed, Gibson was cast after Zeffirelli watched his character, Martin Riggs, contemplate suicide in Lethal Weapon.[1] The fight between Hamlet and Laertes is an example of using Gibson's experience in action movies; Gibson handily depicts Hamlet as an experienced fencer.

Reception

Critical response

Hamlet was well-received by most critics and currently holds a 76% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus, "It may lack some of the depth and complexity of the play, but Mel Gibson and Franco Zeffirelli make a surprisingly successful team."[2]

Noted critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, calling Mel Gibson's portrayal of the Danish Prince "a strong, intelligent performance."[3] Caryn James of The New York Times praised Zeffirelli's "naturalistic, emotionally-charged" direction and also commended Gibson's "visceral" performance, describing it as "strong, intelligent and safely beyond ridicule."[4]

Despite a mostly positive response, some critics such as Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film a negative review, calling Gibson's performance "an earnest but pedestrian reading."[5]

Accolades

The movie received two Academy Awards nominations, for Best Art Direction (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo) and Best Costume Design.[6]

References

External links


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