Hamlet
1990
Acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli teamed with Mel Gibson for this energetic, earthy adaptation of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. From study abroad, the young Prince of Denmark returns home to find his mother has married his uncle, and his father's ghost is urging him to action; but what action? Gibson brings real gusto to .. Read more
| Starring | Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield |
|---|---|
| Director | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Genres | Drama |
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Hamlet
Acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli teamed with Mel Gibson for this energetic, earthy adaptation of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. From study abroad, the young Prince of Denmark returns home to find his mother has married his uncle, and his father's ghost is urging him to action; but what action? Gibson brings real gusto to Hamlet's anguish, and makes this full-blooded translation roar with life. Glenn Close, as his mother, and Helena Bonham Carter, as Ophelia, both lend excellent support. This is Shakespeare with teeth; it should please both students and casual filmgoers.
| Starring | Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ian Holm |
|---|---|
| Director | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Studio | Optimum |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 9 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 26 Dec 2005 Production year: 1990 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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After mixed reviews for his 1968 Romeo and Juliet, Franco Zeffirelli waited over 20 years — not counting his 1986 version of Verdi's opera Otello — before tackling the Bard again. Closer in spirit to Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet than Kenneth Branagh's meticulously faithful Hamlet, this is a surprisingly vigorous rendition of a play essentially about indecision and hesitancy. Mel Gibson is the screen's most muscular Prince of Denmark, but he gives a good account of himself, as does Helena Bonham Carter as the abused Ophelia. Yet it's Alan Bates who most impresses as the villainous Claudius. Not one for the purists, but a laudable attempt to introduce Shakespeare to the blockbuster generation.
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...Fluid and atmospheric....Gibson is a serious and compelling Hamlet for today...
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Most helpful member's review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Excellent - Mel Gibson and just a really good film
You really don't have to be a Shakespeare buff to enjoy and appreciate this masterpiece of a film. Mel Gibson and/or Shakespeare fans will love it.
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli and a star line up of
Mel Gibson bringing energy and good looks (1991 bit younger mmm!) Glen Close as the Queen and Helena Bonham Carter, as Ophelia are excellent in there role.
The period costumes and the scenery are beautiful and filmed with colour and vibrance, not an air of stuffiness you might expect from a Shakespeare adaptation. In fact forget the Shakespeare bit (if it helps) and enjoy a gritty tragic tale of honour, betrayal and revenge that can rival any modern day blockbuster action movie.
A cracking good film - A great way into Shakespeare -
Most recent members' review
View all -
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Excellent - Mel Gibson and just a really good film
You really don't have to be a Shakespeare buff to enjoy and appreciate this masterpiece of a film. Mel Gibson and/or Shakespeare fans will love it.
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli and a star line up of
Mel Gibson bringing energy and good looks (1991 bit younger mmm!) Glen Close as the Queen and Helena Bonham Carter, as Ophelia are excellent in there role.
The period costumes and the scenery are beautiful and filmed with colour and vibrance, not an air of stuffiness you might expect from a Shakespeare adaptation. In fact forget the Shakespeare bit (if it helps) and enjoy a gritty tragic tale of honour, betrayal and revenge that can rival any modern day blockbuster action movie.
A cracking good film - A great way into Shakespeare -
News and features
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Daniel Day-Lewis: The Essential Performances
- 01 Feb 2008
Great performances come in all shapes and sizes, but there is nothing as thrilling as an actor bigging it up, striving for the epic, and pulling it off. The risks are obvious: larger-than-life can easily translate as ham, and the one can be mistaken for the other. Some of the most acclaimed performances from the past - by Laurence Oliver, or Charles Laughton, for example - now look so theatrical it's difficult to take them entirely seriously. Even so, we appreciate the effort. Al Pacino has... Read more
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Hamlet
Acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli teamed with Mel Gibson for this energetic, earthy adaptation of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. From study abroad, the young Prince of Denmark returns home to find his mother has married his uncle, and his father's ghost is urging him to action; but what action?...
-