Olivier's classic and personalised version of the troubled Prince of Denmark is still highly atmospheric and intriguing.
Comment
02/20/08
Hamlet (1948)
92 %
Reviews Counted: 26 Fresh: 24 Rotten:2 Average Rating: 8.2/10
Consensus:
A well-executed labor of love from star and director Laurence Olivier, Hamlet not only proved that Shakespeare could be successfully adapted to the big screen, it paved the way for further cinematic interpretations.
Runtime: 2 hrs 35 mins
Synopsis: Before Kenneth Branagh, before Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier gave the definitive portrayal of "the man who could not make up his mind." In 15th-century Denmark, young Prince Hamlet is racked by torment and indecision after seeing a vision of his deceased father. The late king's ghost informs... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Basil Sydney, Felix Aylmer, Norman Wooland
Director: Laurence Olivier
Screenwriter: Alan Dent
Story: William Shakespeare
Composer: William Walton
Producer: Laurence Olivier
Screenwriter: Alan Dent
Story: William Shakespeare
Composer: William Walton
Producer: Laurence Olivier
Reviews
Top Critic
Hamlet has been filmed many times, but few can hold a candle to Olivier's portrayal of the Danish prince in 1948.
02/20/08
Despite winning several Oscars, Olivier's (condensed) version of Shakespeare's masterpiece makes for frustrating viewing.
02/20/08
This is picture-making at its best, and its showing must be done with the dignity it deserves.
02/20/08
Top Critic
The matter is settled; the filmed Hamlet of Laurence Olivier gives absolute proof that these classics are magnificiently suited to the screen.
12/12/06
Top Critic
Olivier always felt that each different Hamlet is an essay, subject to the individual's interpretation.
12/12/06
Laurence Olivier's famous 1948 interpretation of Shakespeare's play suffers slightly from his pop-Freud approach to the character and from some excessively flashy, wrongheaded camera work.
12/12/06
Olivier's Hamlet is terrific to watch and his performance is great but, like the play, the film is somewhat tedious.
10/31/06
Done in different style than Henry V, based on Olivier's metaphor that Hamlet is more like an engraving than a painting, the play was hauntingly shot in b/w, dwelling on the Castle and its massive and gloomy corridors where the action takes place.
07/15/06
Of the four versions of Hamlet that I've seen, this one is the most psychological, the one that truly delves into Hamlet's mind and psyche.
01/30/04
Top Critic
For its time, one of the best Shakespearean adaptations, even though a lot of the text has been omitted. Olivier's psychological take on Hamlet could be debated today.
10/23/02
If you want to study Shakespeare, and how it should really be done, then watch Laurence Olivier.
09/18/02
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