This version is filmed like the stodgy stage play it is with the occasional rough close-up, for which none of the actors except Jacobi seem prepared. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is uneven and in some scenes, dull. Jacobi’s voice has an extraordinary range of emotional colors, and his acting is often supple and subtle. Derek Jacobi: Hamlet 1980.ĭerek Jacobi plays Hamlet as amazed by his weakness, rather than desperate for strength, and is one of the few Danish Princes who feels like he could actually be the son of a warrior king. 95% Tomatometer and 80% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. And Olivier’s ditzy, hysterical Ophelia – played by Jean Simmons – not only offends contemporary tastes, but also begs the question, “What does Hamlet see in her?” The way his camera stalks the corridors of dark, Freudian Elsinore castle hasn’t aged particularly well. (Could an always-hesitating Hamlet improvise the murder of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern or jump into the middle of a battle with pirates?) Olivier edits the text so heavily that the story is unintelligible unless you know it. Olivier is the better actor, and gives a better performance, but his concentration on Hamlet’s indecision makes less sense than Branagh’s choices. 95% Tomatometer and 89% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. The ghost scene in 1.5 is unwatchable, and Branagh stages the climactic duel in action-movie land. Some of Branagh’s directing is very fine (the two-way mirror in “To be, or not to be”) and some of it is not. Branagh films the whole text, and so includes the essential framing character of Fortinbras and allows us to fully see how Laertes and Ophelia together serve as a double for Hamlet. This choice creates a satisfying Hamlet and turns Branagh’s conspicuous habit of overacting into a virtue. Kenneth Branagh: Hamlet 1996.īranagh’s performance swings wildly between Hamlet’s famous indecision and the Danish prince’s other signature (but often overlooked) characteristic: his recklessness. And all this outweighs the serious limitations director John Gielgud faced filming a live performance in a Broadway theater as well as some less than stellar acting in the other roles. The sheer physical stamina of Burton’s work is impressive. When he is funny, Burton is funny without the viciousness or condescension you often see in other performances. His transitions from line to line and emotion to emotion feel like the natural consequence of the previous idea and feeling. Burton plays all of Hamlet’s emotions with extraordinary conviction: grief, fear, doubt, anger, indifference, easy acceptance. Richard Burton wins the title “best Hamlet” with the range, insight, and power of his acting in this filmed stage production. I have also summarized the rankings of other critics from around the internet to give you more perspectives. Which is the best Hamlet movie? Here are my assessments of the film adaptations of Hamlet I’ve seen ranked in order of personal preference.

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