Hamlet (1948)

Hamlet
Directed by Laurence Olivier
Written by William Shakespeare
1948/UK
Two Cities Films
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] [first lines] Narrator: … This is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind.[/box]

You couldn’t ask for a better traditional version of Hamlet than this one.  The acting is very big and stagey but I think that’s the point.

Hamlet Prince of Denmark (Laurence Olivier) is distraught after the death of his father the King, supposedly of snakebite. and the rapid marriage of his mother Gertrude to his uncle Claudius who now sits on his father’s throne.  Then his father’s ghost appears to him and asks him to avenge his murder, which was orchestrated by Claudius.  Hamlet promises to comply .  He dithers about it though, behaving very strangely and becoming suicidal at one point.

Polonius, advisor to the King, believes Hamlet has gone mad from heartbreak at rejection by Polonius’s daughter Ophelia (Jean Simmons).  In fact, Hamlet takes out his rage at his mother by lashing out at Ophelia. He confronts his mother for her role in his father’s murder and during the encounter stabs Polonius who is hiding behind a curtain.  Grief drives Ophelia mad and she commits suicide.

Laertes comes home from France determined to avenge his father and sister.  He plots with Claudius to arrange Hamlets death by poisoning during a fencing match.  Things go terribly wrong, leading to a suitably tragic and bloody finish.

Hamlet features far fewer innovations that Olivier’s earlier Henry VIII but is still a powerfully effective adaptation of the play.  One idea that works well is turning all of Hamlet’s many soliloquies into internal monologues.  The acting is excellent in the trained Shakespearean mode excelled at by the British.   I always forget just how many English sayings originate from this play.  Recommended for Shakespeare lovers.

Hamlet won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Picture; Best Actor; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White; and Best Costumes, Black-and-White.  It was nominated in the categories of Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Simmons); Best Director; and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.  These were first-time wins for an adaptation of a Shakespearean play and of an actor who directed himself. This was the first film in which Hammer horror stalwarts Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing appeared together, both in minor roles.

Clip – Hamlet’s soliloquy – “To Be or Not To Be”