Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

evanston_dad Heresy as it may be for someone like me, with a Masters degree in English, to admit, I've decided that I just don't care for Shakespeare. I can appreciate his supreme place in the annals of literature, and can acknowledge that just about every aspect of modern literature owes some debt to him, but I'm fairly bored silly when trying to actually watch any of his plays on screen.This adaptation of "Hamlet" is thought to be by many one of the best, but I found it to be a bit of a plodding snoozer. Laurence Olivier directed himself to a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as the brooding Dane, and he brought a satisfyingly stark and chilly look to the film that fits its tone and themes, but despite his immense efforts to prove otherwise, the film more than anything proves that Shakespeare belongs more on stage than it does on screen. The suspension of disbelief and the acceptance of certain plot contrivances that work fine in the illusion of theater can't survive under the minute scrutiny of the movie camera. I don't know that a newbie to "Hamlet" would be able to make any sense of the play or the main character's motivations, let alone his dilemma, from this version."Hamlet" ushered in a period of backlash against foreign influences in Hollywood when it won the Best Picture Oscar in 1948, piquing those in the industry who felt only home-grown products should win the big prize. It also won Oscars for its black and white art direction and black and white costume design in the first year that the latter category existed. Olivier was not able to turn his Best Director nomination into a win (no one has ever won both Best Director and Best Actor for the same film), nor were Best Supporting Actress nominees Jean Simmons (as the doomed Ophelia) or William Walton, who provided the film its score.Grade: B

Eric Stevenson I really feel bad, seeing as how I have seen so few screen adaptations of not just Hamlet, but Shakespeare's work in general. I think my introduction was an episode of MST3K that showed a bad 1961 version. I am extremely happy that I managed to see this wonderful version. Now, I'm not going to talk about spoilers or anything, because we should all know the story. Even if you don't, you generally don't give spoilers to something over 500 years old. Modern folks wouldn't even care about that.I believe this deserved its Best Picture and Best Actor. It's great to see someone as talented as Laurence Oliver in his most well known performance. There's not much else to say other than the acting is great, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the pacing is wonderful. It's fairly long, but still trimmed from the original play. It seems like nothing is wasted and they really did put a lot of detail into all the plot points and had really great characters. I'm glad at least one character in this entire thing lived. Looking back, a lot of pop culture that referenced "Hamlet" makes a lot more sense.Of course, I heard "The Lion King" was loosely based on it, just with the main character living. I guess you could technically call that the best version, but this is certainly a must for anybody. ****.

thinker1691 Among the great plays supposedly written by William Shakenspear, but are in actuality attested to by modern scholars as being written by Edward DE Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford is this Play called " Hamlet. " The play performed on Stage and later adapted to the Silver Screen, is highlighted as the supreme accomplishment of the writer. First performed in 1948 by the late great Lawrence Olivier is of such magnitude, it later received Monumental honors as to mark him as the greatest Shakespearean of the era. The gist of the story is of a lonely depressed Danish prince named Hamlet (Lawrence Olivier) who is sorely troubled by the untimely death of his father and the otherwise hasty remarriage of his mother. So troubled is he that he along with other friends, begin to experiencing ghostly apparitions of his late father. Convinced that his father's death was no accident, Hamlet sets about to avenge his father's death which results in a the accidental death of Polonius, chief counselor to the king. From there on, everyone assumes that Hamlet has gone complete mad, further resulting in his banishment to England and the death of Ophelia (Jean Simmons). The movie was filmed in Black and White to the wishes of the director and star of the film. To date few actors have garnished as many accolades as has Olivier. Although the film is listed a bit long, it was indeed originally longer until edited by Olivier. Many actors got their beginning in this movie. Among them are the following. Anthony Quayle, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Any collection of great films is not complete without this movie. Recommended to one and all. ****

sashank_kini-1 Reading Shakespeare is not an easy job. Not only do many readers get confused with the Old English, paranoid with the mythological references and cryptic metaphors and at times, tired with the flowery style, but also get bogged down by the lack of sympathy with the characters. I feel that Shakespeare is not one of my favorite writers, even though I do admire his Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet and The Tempest. I would rather read the Oedipus trilogy by Sophocles because there is an imminent tension in the play. Shakespeare relies more on grand and sometimes arcane soliloquies – there is so much he is telling but he deliberately wraps it so that interpretations may differ. I revere this quality, it makes him a genius and gives great pleasure to analyze his play but to read his plays for leisure is something I wouldn't really be interested.I read Hamlet first when I was 16; it was a magnum opus but I couldn't grasp its immense power. On viewing this film after almost 3 years, I noticed one thing about the play. The character of Hamlet is purposely given less characterization so that the reader/the actor may interpret him in his own way. In Oedipus the King, one can get a clear picture of Oedipus' torment not only by his dialogs but also by the singular focus of the play. Hamlet, however leaves up to the readers to decide how Hamlet really is or can be. Therefore, he is given such monologues and scenes that reveal the physical and part psychological element of the play but not in entirety. Even now, a writer/director can twist Hamlet's tale by putting in new conditions – that's one special virtue of the play.I still am puzzled about the ghost in the play. How is it that the guards, Horatio and Hamlet are able to see it while Gertrude cannot? This is the apparition of Hamlet's dead father, who wanders the castle at night and vanishes with the crowing of the cock. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark mourns his father's untimely demise and scorns his mother's incestuous marriage with his uncle. After an encounter with the spirit who informs Hamlet about Claudio, his uncle's spineless deed, the prince feigns madness to extract vengeance.Acting wise, Laurence Olivier gives the most unaffected performance that works most of the times, except when Hamlet has to feign madness. Olivier seemed too calm to look or sound mad. Eileen Herlie is very convincing as Hamlet's mother, generating the right passion and perplexity for her character. Her scene with Hamlet in her room is very well acted by both the actors. Basil Sydney as Claudius was good but his character's motives remained unclear on a deeper level. Jean Simmons played her part well, but again, I didn't care much for her Ophelia. Here is where I am confused whether the actors are not truly reaching the depth of their characters or am I not yet floored by Shakespeare? Terence Morgan was the bad apple here.The film has a theatrical feel throughout; I could see many stage techniques applied, especially 'emphasis'. But Olivier brings a great camera technique during the ghost encounters where the sound of drum beat / heart beat is heard and the camera zooms in menacingly. But I was unimpressed with a few aspects in the film. For example, the somewhat forgettable 'Be not too tame but let your discretion….' soliloquy. The scene with the actors where Claudius guiltily storms off was rushed and should have been shot in an elaborate, more Hitchcockian style. And the "man who cannot make up his mind" is vague. On a positive note, the scenes between Hamlet and ghost, Hamlet and mother and Ophelia, and the final scenes are shot and acted very well. The best part is that the play is much easier to understand and the script has been well adapted here.Most people consider "To be or Not to be" to be the definitive quote. My personal favorite, the one which can be said for olden tragedies is "Divinity shapes our ends. Rough-hew them how we will" And Olivier says it marvelously.My Rating: 7 out of 10