Hamlet (1948)

Director:

Laurence Olivier

Guionista:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

28 septiembre 1948 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

William Shakespeare's tale of tragedy of murder and revenge in the royal halls of medieval Denmark. Claudius...

Plot Keywords:

Men In Tights | William Shakespeare | Shakespeare's Hamlet | Castle | Cemetery

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

the great moody Dane

Cast

John Laurie	...	Francisco
Esmond Knight	...	Bernardo
Anthony Quayle	...	Marcellus
Niall MacGinnis	...	Sea Captain
Harcourt Williams	...	First Player
Patrick Troughton	...	Player King
Tony Tarver	...	Player Queen
Peter Cushing	...	Osric, Servant to the Court
Stanley Holloway	...	Gravedigger
Russell Thorndike	...	Priest
Basil Sydney	...	Claudius, The King
Eileen Herlie	...	Gertrude, The Queen
Laurence Olivier	...	Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Norman Wooland	...	Horatio, Hamlet's friend
Felix Aylmer	...	Polonius, Lord Chamberlain

También conocida como:

Hamlet (Argentina) [es]

Duración:

155 min

País:

UK

Idioma:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Clasificación:

USA:Approved (PCA #12473) | UK:U | South Korea:12 (2002) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Two Cities Films

Trivialidades:

Olivier played the voice of Hamlet's father's ghost himself by recording the dialog and playing it back at a reduced speed, giving it a macabre quality. Many references inexplicably credit the voice of the ghost as being performed by John Gielgud, but it has been said that Olivier actually disliked working with Gielgud in Shakespearean films, and turned down his request to play the Chorus in his film of "Henry V".

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: So oft it chances in particular men / That through some vicious mole of nature in them, / By the o'ergrowth of some complexion / Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason, / Or by some habit grown too much; that these men - / Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect, / Their virtues else - be they as pure as grace, / Shall in the general censure take corruption / From that particular fault... This is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

the great moody Dane

It stands to reason that Larry Olivier's version of Hamlet is one of the best, and even if he was a little old for the role (in his forties by this time) it really is the perfect role for him.

One or two things to note - the camera angles and shots are often stunning, from above, using angles and shadows, extreme close-ups, and so on. This gives the sometimes ponderous adaptation atmosphere and the black and white photography is gorgeous. Amongst the supporting cast Jean Simmons is a childish, doting Ophelia but this works well. Not working so well are the soliloquies largely within Hamlet's head (and therefore, voiceover). This seems a little gimmicky and only really makes sense with 'To be or not to be'.

That aside, this really is Larry's show and he is brilliant. Despite a few cuts it does the original play proud and is, like Welles' Macbeth and Othello, a truly cinematic reading.