Hamlet (1996)

Shakespeare needs no introductions. Nor does Hamlet. Nor does Kenneth Branagh. And the three of them melt into 4 hours of the most opulent, ground-breaking, lavish, perhaps more powerful, true, but yet accessible of all adaptations of the masterful play by the bard. Branagh was the boy wonder of the British stage in the 80s, and in 1989 he took Hollywood by storm with the fabulous "Henry V". He returned to Shakespeare in 1993 with "Much Ado About Nothing", for me an amazing film, but which the critics didn't took seriously, accusing Branagh of using his all-star cast, lighter touches and Hollywood formula, as a sell out of the Bard's true values. But considering that he stays true to the text, gives a dynamic and a rhythmic pace to the movies, and in the end delivers a quality product without exploiting the modern values and the modern stars (yes, I am pointing at you Baz Luhrmann, and the like), how can this be a sell out? Ok, Branagh likes a bit of the dramatic, and more than often he dives into heroic speeches at the sound of Patrick Doyle's magnificent notes, but the essence is there, and no-one making Shakespeare's films today (or perhaps in any other decade) gave as much thought and as much love to its products as Brannagh. His performances (and of the other actors) cannot be the most pleasing for the stage purists, but impart to a modern audience a mixture of the magic of the most beautiful words ever written with the magic of making movies. In "Hamlet" Branagh just went over the top in a bravura of an homage, not only to the Bard, but to Branagh himself, in an eccentric tour de force which amazes and delights, in glorious 70 mm. There have been Hamlets before, off course. Laurence Olivier won Best Picture and Best Actor Oscars in 1948 in a daring stage/noir-like filming style, and more recently Zefirelli presented a darker middle-ages Hamlet with Mel Gibson (?!) leading the cast. But never had the entire Hamlet (even on stage) been attempted. Just 6 years after Zefirelli's movie, Branagh took and all-star cast to a beautiful Palace location in Germany and literally shot the entire Hamlet. The result is an impressive production, that has its faults, but never ceases to amaze. With 3h50 min of length it never is boring, the music, the fast paced acting, the editing style and camera movements and most of all the impressive lavish sets, all are treats to the eye that never make it dull. The story, of course, relates to Hamlet, the danish prince whose father was murdered by the uncle, who ceased the throne and married his mother. His revenge comes only at the end, in the meantime descending into a spiral of madness (faked or not), which eventually also affects Ofelia, his love-interest. Along the way there are deaths, a lot of soliloquies, and an array of side characters and plots, that this version, for the first time, aptly shows. Branagh's Hamlet is emotional, and his vocal range knows exactly how to whisper or speak boldly according to cue and to the music, but his dramatic range cannot be denied. He has it, and to enormous quality. The rest of the cast ranges from cheer masterful (Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Charlton Heston absolutely amazing as the actor, Derek Jacobi and Julie Christie as the kings), to the downright bizarre (Gerard Depardieu, awful in his only scene, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal as the gravedigger). Branagh was clever enough to give the major roles to more experienced stage actors, but many small characters are played by famous actors, whose point was probably to sell this hard to finance film. Some of them hit the mark and surprise (as Crystal), but some just give a strange feeling (and accent! - like Jack Lemmon's) to the Shakesperean words. Branagh also makes some judgments, probably to allow for a clearer understanding of the story, but which take out some of the mystic of the play. For example, a "sex scene" flashback between Hamlet and Ophelia clearly states that they had a relationship before, which the written words of the play never explicitly make clear. But think what you may of Shakespeare, think what you may of Branagh, 1996's 4 hour "Hamlet" is a pivotal film in film history. It is made with such fine bravura, with such cunning beauty, added by a beautiful 70mm photography and sumptuous locations, that you spend 4 hours in awe. It is said that Shakespeare is all about the words and the way they are said, but Branagh shows that an impressive staging and the full use of cinematic techniques can also give it an extra flavor. A milestone in filmmaking and the Hamlet to see, if you are looking for him in the big screen. It may end in glory and not in melancholy, but a perfecter match of image and words is seldom seen. And what a towering effort it is! Brannagh's Shakesperean efforts after that: the magical flop "Love's Labour's Lost" (2000) and TV-movie "As You Like It" (2006) are enchanting and attempt the same kind of formula, but don't reach the higher quality of the 90s products.