Hamlet (1996)

Directed by

Kenneth Branagh

Genre

drama film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

3h 53m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 513 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A prince returns home to find his father dead and his mother remarried to his uncle. He sets out to uncover the truth about his father's death.

epicintensetragicslow-burnmelancholicvisually lushcerebral

What happens

Hamlet is a 1996 epic historical drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, adapting William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. It stars Branagh in the title role, along with Derek Jacobi as King Claudius, Julie Christie as Queen Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Michael Maloney as Laertes, Richard Briers as Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. Other cast members include Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal, Rufus Sewell, Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, John Gielgud and Ken Dodd. The film is the first unabridged theatrical film version of Hamlet, running more than four hours. The setting is updated to the 19th century, but its Elizabethan English text remains the same. Blenheim Palace is the setting used for the exterior grounds of Elsinore Castle, and interiors were photographed at Shepperton Studios. Hamlet was the last major dramatic motion picture to be filmed entirely on 70mm film until 2011, with the release of the documentary Samsara. Branagh's Hamlet has been regarded as one of the best Shakespeare film adaptations ever made. However, it was a box-office bomb, mostly due to its limited release, grossing just under US$5 million on a budget of $18 million. The film received four Oscar nominations for the 69th Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (Tim Harvey), Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne), Best Original Score (Patrick Doyle) and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Kenneth Branagh). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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