Branagh's Hamlet

Very much so. Great, precise and compelling.

Very well done, all things considered, despite Branagh's being too old, and the awkward performance of Jack Lemmon, of all people. Good cast otherwise, and good score by Patrick Doyle. Worth seeing.

Hammy, self-indulgent shit show

I found it quite sterile and unmoving when I saw it in theatres during its initial release. Plus it goes on forever.

I prefer Zefferelli's 1990 version with Mel Gibson. It is raw, moody, sexually charged and moves at a ripping pace. Mel is surprisingly good, but he and everyone else is outshone by Helena Bonham Carter, who is simply phenomenal as Ophelia. Her 'mad' scene is devastating. Every Ophelia I've seen since (including Kate Winslet in Branagh's film) has disappointed me.

I'm one of those people who loves watching him and this role is a perfect fit with everything he's good at: Intensity in onscreen presence, unexpected comedic timing, a gift for understanding the context of the lines. Worth it.

R4 It's great at capturing the isolation of place, though, where Branagh is the biggest energy in the space.

Shakespeare is shit. All the lines are in English but no one understands what the fuck anyone is saying.

R4 Also, Bonham is exceptional in this at portraying an impetuous teenager who is experiencing her first heartbreak really well. But Winslet portrays a damaged, young woman with an "aged" experience better. She's believable as someone who would quietly commit suicide, which makes her contained portrayal very creepy.

Julie Christie is the best thing in it, but otherwise I was disappointed. I much prefer his Renaissance Theatre production on audio book, and the R & J is sublime. I did like the Zeffiirelli-Gibson adaptation--the latter's closet scene with Close is thrilling. My fave versions of Hamlet are the Hallmark Hall of Fame production with a superb Richard Chamberlain (much abridged and moves like lightning); the other is a Russian film from the 60s that is superb. Both are on YouTube.

Thanks for the recommendations, R9.

Oddly, the best Hamlet I've ever seen (performance) isn't even in a production of Hamlet. It's Iain Glen in Tom Stoppard's film of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He is superb at handling the dialogue, full of nervous energy, and manages to be both scary and poignant.

Sorry, poor quality video at R10.

Better footage.