Hamlet

Year: 1949

Grade: A-

Country: UK

Director: Olivier

Review

i don’t think it was the best film of the year, but it is the best film version of a shakespeare work that i’ve seen. actually, i can’t imagine any rendition of the play being any better than this. olivier is old for hamlet, but he’s olivier and there probably isn’t anyone better at shakespeare than him. the language and plot are shakespeare’s so i won’t review that here. the film, though, is olivier’s and is the only thing that should be judged in this case. he moves the camera well and gives great breadth to hamlet’s character. i can’t recall the play very well, but it felt as though olivier played hamlet as more of a punk than the play let on. i’m not sure about the ending in the film, i think it differs slightly from the play in that he kills the king with his sword. could be wrong there. excellent use of depth of field and camera movement are what set the film apart as a film rather than just a filmed play.

i’ve seen all but three academy award winning best pictures at this point.

Watched on TV