Dragging on past four hours, even the short intermission, which is devoid of any musical interlude, feels like too little to break up the tedium. Being so incredibly faithful to the source, however, is partly the film’s undoing. The sumptuous 19th Century setting takes us out of the original play’s 16th Century climes, but that distinction is quickly lost as we’re pulled beautifully into the melancholy and tragedy of the Bard’s most performed work. Three of the more prominent adaptations were all under three hours. At four hours and two minutes, this version is easily the longest yet produced and is unlikely to be topped. It’s a massive work that seems both unnecessarily and fittingly lengthy. Winslet was also strong in one of the few other significant roles in the production.īranagh’s lavish adaptation of one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays is fiendishly faithful, incorporating all of the dialogue from the most prominent edition of the text along with more bits of dialogue from other editions. Branagh delivers a fiery portrayal, his best to date, ably leading this all-star cast. Timothy Spall, Billy Crystal, Brian Blessed, and Rufus Sewell also star.

Oscar nominees included John Mills, Rosemary Harris, Gérard Depardieu, and Branagh. Among the prominent cast making appearances are Oscar winners Christie, Richard Attenborough (for directing), John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, and Jack Lemmon along with future Oscar winners Judi Dench, Robin Williams, and Kate Winslet. The venerable tale gives a raft of major British actors plum roles in performances that are terrific, albeit brief. Hamlet is a tale of revenge as Prince Hamlet (Branagh) seeks revenge against his uncle Claudius (Derek Jacobi), who murdered his father and married his mother Gertrude (Julie Christie). This edition, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh and released in 1996, is one of the most well regarded of such works. Among his most celebrated works, Hamlet has been turned into 30 films with a handful becoming well known. WarnerBros.One of the most widely read and translated authors, William Shakespeare’s collected works have been translated thousands of times and have been adapted on the stage, television, and big screen far too many times to count.

Hamlet full movie 1996