Film #32 of No Rewatch November

I'm a little undecided on this. On the one hand it is probably too long. It drags in many parts, mainly because there are large parts of the dialogue which I don't understand. On the other hand there are magnificent moments here. Intimate moments between two characters and epic scenes with hundreds of extras. The music is the reason these scenes work. It is beautiful and greatly enhances the emotion of the acting.

The second part of the movie, after the intermission, is easily the best. Everything escalates and ends dramatically and fittingly.

I have seen many versions of my favorite Shakespeare play but this is the one that has stuck with me. Shot in 65mm film, it was lush and beautiful with sweeping visuals that mesmerized me. The cast was amazing and star-studded. As the first "full-length" version of Hamlet filmed, it was long but it was 4 -hours well spent.

This is by far Kenneth Branagh's best Shakespeare film to date. Just his power to use everything from the play and make it a 242 minute epic is astonishing. This film is over four hours long but I does not feel like it. I wonder never of thought a four hour film would have a great pace and feel. Only Lawrence of Arabia has that kind of feel.

Lush scenery to fit a lush adaptation of Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece. While Branagh is definitely self-indulging, he proves himself an excellent director and one of our time's greatest Shakespearean actors. Presenting the complete text was definitely an excellent (if slightly exhausting) move, and it allows fans of the play to see scenes which are often neglected in staged adaptations. The early 20th-century setting doesn't do much to enhance the plot, but it allows for the stunning set and costumes (and facial hair).

If you want to hear more, I discussed this film on the latest episode of the Wrong Opinions About Movies podcast, here: wrongopinionsaboutmovies.com/2013/03/82-dead-man-down-hamlet-1996-with-guest-zoe-eckman/

I don't agree with all of Branagh's choices here, but good golly is this film magnificent.

Absolutely overwhelming. This was my first experience watching/reading the play. Admittedly, it helped to be walked through it in English class over the course of several weeks.

This is by far Kenneth Branagh's best Shakespeare film to date. Just his power to use everything from the play and make it a 242 minute epic is astonishing. This film is over four hours long but I does not feel like it. I wonder never of thought a four hour film would have a great pace and feel. Only Lawrence of Arabia has that kind of feel.

Lush scenery to fit a lush adaptation of Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece. While Branagh is definitely self-indulging, he proves himself an excellent director and one of our time's greatest Shakespearean actors. Presenting the complete text was definitely an excellent (if slightly exhausting) move, and it allows fans of the play to see scenes which are often neglected in staged adaptations. The early 20th-century setting doesn't do much to enhance the plot, but it allows for the stunning set and costumes (and facial hair).

If you want to hear more, I discussed this film on the latest episode of the Wrong Opinions About Movies podcast, here: wrongopinionsaboutmovies.com/2013/03/82-dead-man-down-hamlet-1996-with-guest-zoe-eckman/

I don't agree with all of Branagh's choices here, but good golly is this film magnificent.

Finally got to see this in the theatre in 70. An unabridged version of the Bard's opus, this sure was a ballsy move by Branagh-It turned out pretty great. The Blu and dvd have the same cut, but it's not the same being trapped in the dark in the Music Box with no rewind button when you don't understand the iambic pentameter. All the players are good, But I took away a half star for the stunt casting that really does not work out in some scenes-Crystal is there cause he's part of the US distribution company, etc. The PD by Tim Harvey, costumes by Alexandra Byrne and the amazing dolly-operated camerawork by Alex Thomson are all first rate. The blocking alone deserves an ASC award. This is a must for any Shakespeare aficianado.

With the exception of poor Jack Lemmon, the acting and casting in this film were stellar. Robin Williams as Osric and Billy Crystal as the Gravedigger were especially delightful.

This movie gets 4 stars for the floor alone.