Directed by:
Franco ZeffirelliCinematography:
David WatkinComposer:
Ennio MorriconeCast:
Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, Nathaniel Parker, Christien Anholt, Pete Postlethwaite (more)VOD (1)
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Master Director Franco Zeffirelli brings Shakespeare's classic story of ultimate revenge to the screen in Hamlet. Mel Gibson stars as the tortured Prince battling with his sanity and his conscience to avenge his father's death. Hamlet returns to Denmark when his father, the king dies. His mother Gertrude (Glenn Close) has already married Hamlet's uncle Claudius, the new King. They urge Hamlet to marry his beloved Ophelia. But soon the ghost of Hamlet's father appears and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius and Gertrude. Hamlet must choose between passive acquiescence and the need for a vengeance which might lead to tragedy. (Icon Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
A very successful Shakespeare adaptation with excellent actors. I was pleasantly surprised by Mel Gibson, whom I had never ever before imagined playing the Prince of Denmark, but in fact he did an excellent job with the role of Hamlet. Along with Branagh, Zeffirelli is one of the few directors who know how to bring Shakespeare to the movie screen in a way that the end result doesn’t seem just like a recording of a theatre performance. But they manage to retain the spirit of the play. Slightly short of perfection, but even so, this Hamlet is a very respectable example of a Shakespeare movie.
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It's fine. But that's about it. There are interesting actors here, with Glenn Close essentially not delivering much, and Ian Holm having too little space similar to Helena Bonham Carter, so it all depends on Mel, who shows that he can play every emotion, but still doesn't elevate this version of Hamlet.
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