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I like Kenneth Branagh’s two-disk version of “Hamlet” a lot. It is the only way I know of to see the whole of Shakespeare’s most famous play. It runs for well over four hours, where stage versions and other movie versions usually cut bits out to make it around three hours. Not only does Branagh show us the whole play, but he plays the lead character, Hamlet. Branagh is one of the finest living Shakespeare actors and directors. If you want to see Shakespeare’s masterpiece expertly done and in full, this is the one to see. Also, of course, being on DVD means you can take a break when you want to.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I got this dvd from NetFlix but there were so many glitches where it would stop indefinitely and then jump ahead minutes away. That's why I bought it, but even the brand new one has the same problems. I don't know if it's the production of the DVD or what, but I'm very disappointed. I saw this film many years ago without these issues. Might have been in a movie theater. It began my appreciation for Shakespeare because it made the language so comprehensible. The complaints about its anachronisms was typical blathering by people who can't comprehend the usefulness of artistic license.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Shakespeare's greatest tragedy and arguably the finest of his plays, is usually produced in a redacted version. This is the complete play, assembled from the Second Quarto and the Folio. The impact of the play and it's pacing are well worth the four hours it takes to view it. Within those four hours you get a scary ghost story, and a tale of: Ambition, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Deceit, Treachery, Betrayal, Murder, Filial Piety, and Revenge. What more can you ask of an evening's entertainment? The production is superb, with a stellar cast. Filmed at Blenheim Palace (the Duke of Marlborough makes a cameo appearance as one of Fortinbras' Generals)with lavish costumes. Rooms with secret passages, mirrors everywhere, and a cold, snowswept environment provide a bleak setting in contrast to the lavish interior, well suited to the play. I was a bit put off by the brief steamy make-out scenes between Hamlet and Ophelia, and the invasion of the Palace by Fortinbras' army, something not suggested in the play, but these are quibbles. "The Play Is The Thing...", and it gets better with later viewings. Get it. Watch it. You'll be glad you did.Read full review
I've had this movie for years on VHS, but the clarity of the picture is so much better on DVD! As for the movie itself, there is nothing to compare with the cast of this movie, nor with the words of Shakespeare himself. My hat is off to Kenneth Branagh, who did not cut or edit the dialogue at all, but made the movie true to the original play. The more I watch this movie, the more of the author's hidden double meanings I comprehend. There are so many life lessons, so many famous quotations, and so many wonderful moments in this movie... my life is definitely richer for having it captured on DVD so that I may enjoy it again and again. If I have not yet convinced you, I need say no more than this: Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Charlton Heston, Robin Williams, Brian Blessed, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu, Jack Lemmon, Rufus Sewell!Read full review
This version of Shakespeare's HAMLET was superbly directed and edited. In order to keep a cohesive story for 242 minutes (4 hours), direction and editing must be done by masters! However, four hours of Hamlet is a bit too much Hamlet for today's attention span of audiences—particularly if in the audience there is a high school student, for whom I ordered the DVD. The sets are lavish, the costumes are rich, and the time and setting were conveniently updated; that all works in favor of the film. I'm not too sure about the choice of some cast members, but the ensemble works in the end. It is my impression, judging from my godchild's viewing experience (and my own, even), that the subtitles have to be ON all the time. We resorted to subtitles mostly because the dialogs are so heavy (true to the original) as well as because the nature of the accents. I do not find this to be the situation with Zeffirelli's HAMLET with M. Gibson and G. Close, which is understandable to American ears most of the time. If for no other reason, it's a good DVD to have in one's collection for comparison purposes and to justify making popcorn to last for hours and hours.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned