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

• Mel Gibson - Hamlet
• Glenn Close - Gertrude
• Alan Bates - Claudius
• Paul Scofield - The Ghost
• Ian Holm - Polonius

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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