Synopsis:
When Prince Hamlet of Denmark (Laurence Olivier) returns home to Elsinore, he is distressed to learn that his recently widowed mother (Eileen Herlie) has married his father’s brother (Basil Sydney), and becomes even more agitated when his dead father’s ghost appears and explains how he was murdered by Sydney. Lashing out in grief and anger, Hamlet feigns to be mad, and spurns his would-be lover, Ophelia (Jean Simmons), whose father Polonius (Felix Aylmer) and brother Laertes (Terence Morgan) are understandably upset by this turn in events.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anthony Quayle Films
• Grown Children
• Jean Simmons Films
• Laurence Olivier Films
• Peter Cushing Films
• Play Adaptations
• Revenge
• Royalty and Nobility
• Shakespeare

Review:
Peary doesn’t discuss Laurence Olivier’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Shakespeare’s play of the same name in his GFTFF, but he does comment on it in his Alternate Oscars, where he writes:

“What true movie fan wouldn’t prefer watching John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre for the hundredth time to squirming through [this film]? But prestige-minded Academy members were blinded by the imposing specter of Shakespeare, Olivier, and a British cast that dressed in royal garb and didn’t trip over difficult lines.”

He concedes, “Hamlet isn’t without merits, of course — not with Olivier himself in the lead.” But he argues that “Olivier’s direction isn’t imaginative, he pretty much ignores the other actors, his visuals have little thematic relevance (it isn’t enough just to move the camera), and much of the production looks no better than a kinescope of some fifties American television drama.” Ouch! I disagree with each of these points. Olivier’s direction and visuals (aided by DP Desmond Dickinson) are highly atmospheric and innovative throughout:

… and the supporting actors all do a fine job:

Numerous scenes are quite haunting, including Hamlet seeing his father’s ghost:

… and the discovery of the jester Yorick’s skull:

(Complaints have been made over Olivier casting a woman 11 years younger than him as his mother in the film, but this age difference isn’t all that noticeable; we simply believe Queen Gertrude was a young-ish mother, and Hamlet may have aged a bit prematurely due to stress.)

Peary further asserts that “until Hamlet’s swordfight with Laertes:

… the picture drags,” and he notes that while “Olivier deleted almost two hours from the play,” “it still seems too long.” I’ll agree the film feels long at points, but it’s hard to determine how Olivier could have made too many more cuts given how much flack he already received over removing the supporting characters of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Fortinbras, as well as a couple of key soliloquies. We see just enough here to get the strong gist of the tragic storyline, and are treated to the cast’s expressive handling of the dialogue throughout.

Finally, Peary argues this film “doesn’t equal either [Olivier’s] earlier Henry V or his later Richard III.” I haven’t seen Richard III recently enough to comment, but I prefer this over Henry V, which is visually innovative but lack’s Hamlet’s narrative depth and inherent interest. This adaptation remains well worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Laurence Olivier as Hamlet
  
• Highly atmospheric cinematography and sets
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as a still-powerful, Oscar-winning adaptation.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Important Director
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Criterion Essay