Hamlet
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Review by John Tognolini
Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is the 60th film version of Shakespeare's classic story of murder, revenge, madness, incest and abuse of power. Seeing the two-hour version makes me want to see the four-hour director's cut with Gerard Depardieu, John Gielgud and Richard Attenborough.
Karl Marx quoted Hamlet: "Well said, old mole! Canst work i' th' earth so fast? A worthy pioneer." Marx, of course, was referring to spectres rather than ghosts, but that's an indication of how much of Hamlet has become part of our everyday language.
Kenneth Branagh has played Hamlet 300 times in the theatre. He doesn't allow the task of directing as well to get in the way of an outstanding performance. His rendition of the mad Prince of Denmark is stunning and at times hilarious.
Of the role, Branagh says, "It's hideously difficult. So difficult as to be mad. Mad! This is the last time. Quote me on that, and throw it back in my face if I ever put myself in this position again."
Branagh has set his Hamlet in the late 19th century. For the exterior of Elsinore Castle, he used the ancestral home of the Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. He justifies the setting:
"This was a period in Europe's history when borders were changing and when royal families controlled large empires. In the story, the impact of the events of one royal family is felt right across Europe ... The story is full of crisp sensuality. The 19th century setting allows for an opulent, elegant and powerful look."
Branagh could also have set this story of murder most foul in the corporate boardroom of a multinational. You don't need to get done up in tights to talk about imperial power.
Ophelia is brilliantly portrayed by Kate Winslet, and her father Polonius is well done by Richard Briers. Derek Jacobi plays a powerful Claudius, and Julie Christie is Gertrude.
Some of the lesser parts are fleshed out with big name actors, which makes it sound like an Oscar night roll call: Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams all have small roles.
Patrick Doyle provides music magic after working with Branagh on Henry V, Dead Again, Much Ado About Nothing, and Frankenstein. If Shakespeare is again in season, clearly Kenneth Branagh deserves a lot of the credit.