As ambitious as this is, my favorite Branagh Shakespeare film (and one of my favorite films of all time) has got to be _Henry V._ He struck just the right balance between the well-meaning and the warmongering sides of Henry, he directed one of the greatest battle scenes AND one of the greatest long takes in film history, AND he got stellar performances out of a murderer’s row of acting talent - and all on his feature film debut.
Twenty years ago, my weekly clean-up-the-apartment routine was to pop in my dvd of Henry V, turn up my tv’s volume, and start dusting to Jacobi intoning, “Oh, for a muse of fire!”
It's too bad Branagh didn't film the entire text of HENRY V so that a later Director's Cut could be released, a full-text version to follow on the Theatrical Cut. As great as his film of that play was, a full-text Director's Cut of it would've been even more magnificent.
Tolstoi hated Shakespeare and published an essay claiming that all the admiration of him was a conspiracy of critics to promote a second-rate writer. George Orwell noticed that Tolstoi reserved most of his venom for King Lear --- and pointed out that the plot of King Lear closely parallels Tolstoi's own private life.
@@ashcross There's also the problem of translation. Some authors don't translate well into particular languages, or if they potentially could, the translators just aren't good enough to do it properly. Ask any Russian, and they'll tell you that Pushkin was their greatest --- but whatever it is that they see, it doesn't come across in translation, and very few English speakers read Pushkin except to briefly sample him. I've seen Shakespeare in French, and it felt totally flat. I'm a Canadian who was raised in both languages. Similarly, I've never been pleased by English translations of Moliere. Yet in Canada, French-language actors love their Shakespeare and give it their all --- probably because they also speak English and know the original. I think that in the case of Tolstoi, Orwell probably had it right. King Lear is about a powerful man who decides to give up all his power in order to find inner peace, but then discovers to his shock that if you give up your power, people stop obeying you. Lear finds his children turning against him. Instead of peace, he ends up tormented by rage. He just doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. Sound familiar? It's Tolstoi's own life story in a nutshell.
@@bun197 As a rule, Orwell was pretty good at separating his evaluation of the literary merits of a writer from his agreement or disagreement with his political or philosophical views. Not always, I suppose, but more so than was common during his lifetime. He also was aware of the subtle personal things that often underlie aesthetic judgments, and attempted to examine them in himself. Self-examination was his strong point. While he was, throughout his life, very hostile to organized religion, he remarked that he could easily have, in another time and place, been perfectly happy as a country clergyman, puttering around a vestry in some English village. His hostility was reserved for the "big shots" and those that sucked up to them.
“There’s something strangely ballsy about hiring Brian Blessed and having him only speak through whispers” 🤣 It’s so true! The man’s got a voice that can destroy buildings.
@@inganorden1816Right! "Is there anyone here who has not slept with my daughter?" And possibly the most extraordinary death scene ever filmed. The slow extinguishing of the light in his eyes as Livia says "Everything I did, I did for you. And for Rome."
Derek Jacobi played Hamlet in the BBC's landmark The Shakespeare Plays series in the late 1970's, and he plays Claudius here. In other words, he lived long enough to see himself play the villain. 😁
I am not an admirer of Branagh's Hamlet frankly, but this video of yours made me reevaluate my opinion! I still believe it's a self-indulgent movie because of its, maybe inflated runtime, but you made me rethink that as well, (and I love long movies; watching War & Peace all 4 parts, Les Miserables 1934 and LOTR extended editions and many more 4h movies once every year). Your arguments on the brilliance of 1996 Hamlet and the manner in which you're pouring them in this video are phenomenal 🤩😍🥰! So much wit, well-paced humour, informative and interesting points on details, an obvious knowledge within the realm of movies and love for them, and Shakespeare himself, admirable and exhilarating 😊 ! Would love to hear your narration and reviews on at least 1000 movies! You 'Moviewise' are THE TREASURE of youtube in regards to the 7th art! THE BEST, BY FAR THE BEST movie channel out there! 🙌🙏! Thank you sir!🙏👏
I heard the comment once that Shakespeare’s work was originally written for the stage- to be exhibited in front of a mostly illiterate audience. This is why no one should be forced to read a Shakespeare play before having seen it performed LIVE… Branaugh’s version of Hamlet is what unlocked the mystery of Shakespeare for me in high school after really struggling with 4 other plays I was forced to read in junior high. English teachers- please please please show your students this film before reading Hamlet. It will make all the difference for your students!
"Shakespeare's work was originally written for the stage." His works were ALWAYS written for the stage. Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet; none of these are novels, they are all written in the format of stage play scripts. That's the weird thing about Shakespeare, he's touted as a genius of literature, but he never intended for any of his stories to be read like books.
The problem with that idea it is that it was written in the vernacular of the time. Nowadays you'd be basically asking kids to watch a foreign language film without subtitles. If they study it first they can actually understand the words when they see it performed.
This is possibly one of the best movie channels that covers everything that goes unnoticed normally. Personally When I get asked what is my favorite movie. I will immediately say “what genre specifically?” Then if they say Drama. I will immediately say The Trial (1962) it will forever be my favorite movie that depicts Bureaucracy and the red tape entrapping of the entire system. I hope one day he dives deep into the film. It is extremely and beautifully shot by Orson Wells.
@@fernandoparadacastillo5901 Yes, if you have read the novel then you will love it. The only thing that is different is the ending because in Welles’s own words he changed the ending from the original novel because Kafka died before the holocaust and he wanted it to end with some dignity.
Loved it, it was really majestic with huge scenes with tens of actors, a great example of Wells' style. I liked the controversial ending, it was interesting.
30 MINUTES of Kenneth Branagh greatness? I've been waiting for this @Moviewise! And this Moviewise treatment of Hamlet is glorious. Glorious! As a Branagh fan, I know he get's knocked for his long, uninterrupted takes as directing showboating (and that's not always a bad thing!), but Moviewise pointing out and analysing how purposeful these shots are, and delivers so well on the storytelling is fantastic. And I'm disappointed that many out there are just snobs who don't give Branagh their due. I hope we get some Moviewise talk on Henry V!
Long shots are directors who like actors or were actors. You can tell a play being shot as a movie by a good or great director by the length of the shots. Quick edits are for shitty movies and action films or bad acting. His directing of Thor was a great Marvel movie because it didn't have five second edits. When EVERY line of dialogue gets its own shot, you've got problems.
@@randomuser-xc2wr Much Ado about Nothing is almost perfect except Keanu Reeves and that other american guy really drag it down. The female lead as well. Basically proving that you need a lot of training in shakespeare to pull off shakespeare. Never saw the other one though, I'll check it out.
One of the best film review/dissection I have ever seen. I studied film at University and cannot believe that I have never seen this film. After seeing your vlog I immediately ordered a Blu-ray - I wish that there is a 4K - maybe it could be included on next 4k Columbia Collection box set. I see that you have made an episode on I Claudius which is one of my all time favourite TV series. Jacobi is a superb actor - he even appeared in my favourite TV series Dr Who as a recurring character - the master. Thank you so much for your inspiring review of Hamlet…
Your interpretation and explanation is exemplary.. a masterclass in understanding movie structure.. I’m 60, and never noticed the waltz between actors and cameras. I looked at the camera as a fly on the wall, not as the dance partner…. Highly appreciated..
I remember renting Kenneth Branagh's "Henry v" back I believe in 1990 after it came out on VHS. I was in my mid 20's and thought "looks like it might be a cool war film because I've heard so much about it in the news". I popped it into my VCR, and BOY was I disappointed! I knew nothing about William Shakespeare and didn't realize this was just one of his plays on film. For the first 20 minutes I had absolutely no idea what anyone was even saying! It was like watching a foreign film, they might as well have been speaking Russian or German. Then after around that 20 minutes time, the words began to seep into my mind, and weirdly, like an epiphany, I suddenly understood what they were saying! It was really strange. I was suddenly enamored with the story, and I can honestly admit, I started to well up with tears at the end of it. Might have to watch it again now that I'm in my late 50's just to see how its aged.
was so struck watching this film at a small art house theater down the street while in college that I returned to see it several more times for the swelling pageantry alone despite the length, quickly running out of roommates and random acquaintances to drag along that I ended up owning the double laser disk release and player just to share the most authentic experience of it with everyone I missed taking to see it on the screen originally. I was so completely smitten with Rufus’s understated performance of Fortinbras that I was certain between this and Dark City he would become a Hollywood leading man straight away yet sadly can only continue to enjoy him in every minor role he has engulfed since ❤ to me everything Branagh touches is gold
For me, Branagh was the only good thing in "My Week With Marilyn". After years of hearing him being compared, not always favourably by some critics, to Olivier, seeing him take on the role and make such a great spectacle if it was a joy to watch.
As he enters the later stage of his career, I do hope that Branagh gets to take on Lear, or The Tempest, or both. Thanks for this reminder of how remarkable a job he has done of bringing Shakespeare alive.
The integral HAMLET in 70mm and 6-track stereophonic sound! It's hard to imagine that someone's going to come with a better version than Branagh's. This one sort of ties with Bondarchuk's WAR AND PEACE when it comes to literary masterpieces on film. You definitely know what you're talking about. I look forward to your next offering with great anticipation even as I watch this latest one.
Ever seen Tony Richardson's 'Hamlet at the Roundhouse'? It's not going to compete with a full film production as it's basically a filmed stage play, but for what it is, it's bloody great.
@@JohnMoseley Is that the filmed version with Nicol Williamson? I've never seen that, but I will seek it out, as I'm a fan of Tony Richardson. I believe I've run across a streaming version of this on one of the services.
I think one thing objectively disqualifies this movie from being the best of all time: if it is so true to the original source, why would I watch it when I can read the real thing from the horse's mouth?
@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 You must be joking, or as pointed out by our narrator, dead inside. There are the interpretations, the production design, the photography, and last but certainly not least; the music. Shakespeare's text is only one aspect of this great movie.
I learn more in a single video on this channel than I have ever learned in the entire time I’ve spent in two film schools. Where were you moviewise 10 years ago? I could still have my life’s savings.
This is a real dazzler, alright. And what a cast!! You should have given a curtain call for every glorious star in it, but that would make this video twice as long! I loved your breakdown of the camera moves in tandem with the blocking.
I'm one of those King Lear punks. So let me proffer that the 1964 Soviet Hamlet directed by Grigori Kozintsev is actually the most cinematic Hamlet, and my favorite. No, it's not in English, but look at the thing.
Filmed in the Czar's palace in St. Petersburg. A marvelous setting. Restored to it's glory of the Czar's time, thanks to an IOWA FARMER who had made the "Czar's Palace" his hobby. Someone connected him with Russia around 1991 he flew over and when he walked up a carpeted stair case with a landing and a turn, he said, "In this corner there should be a MING VASE on display. His hosts immediately brought in a work crew and removed the carpet. THERE ON THE tile floor was the outline of the pedestal for the VASE. He was there just under 3 years directing the restoration. This film helped pay for that work.
When people ask me what is my favorite Shakespeare play, I immediately say Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." If Shakespeare was alive today and asked what is his favorite of all the plays he wrote, he would respond, "I wish I had written "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." In amazement, I would ask why?! He would probably say that he was not aware he had created two such lovable shmucks. He would probably add, "Tom Stoppard, in unparalleled philosophic brilliance, delivers a wonderful commentary on fate, lack of free will, and how each of us is merely a minor character in someone else's life." I say kudos to both Shakespeare and Stoppard!
1. Unironically, the bits of Stoppard's _Hamlet_ we do see are fantastic. 2. Every time Dreyfus shows up in the forest, I start to think, "Wait, why is he so wooden? Why is he overacting?" And then I remember he's the PLAYER... a classic Elizabethan actor. 3. The best GHOST I've ever seen was Sam Shepherd's. An image on a CCTV screen?! How insanely genius!... and then he showed up in reality for 90% of his scene and ruined it. Imagine the doubt it would have created in the audience, wondering, is a ghost really using NTSC CRTs? Or is this someone trying to manipulate Hamlet?
The most common mistake in written examinations, not answering the question/s. In your case, the first question is not answered by Shakespeare, and his imagined answer to the second question doesn't make any sense at all. The last statement put into Shakespeare's mouth is egocentric poppycock. This all begs the question, given how mysterious a historical figure Shakespeare is, where did you get the idea that you could anticipate his answers in such a preposterous scenario?
@@N_Loco_Parenthesis Let's just say that I took a little bit of poetic license and painted a hypothetical question and answer scenario intended to sing the praises of both Shakespeare and Stoppard. I don't think the Bard would have been offended, nor do I think Stoppard would have minded. They would both realize I meant no harm. Or to put it simply, as Sir John Falstaff, might say, "I am not only witty in myself, but the cause of wit in others!" (Part I, Henry IV)
@@richardromero6193Given what the Bard did to English history, he'd have no business being offended by someone putting forward their idea of what he might have said.
Wow, how excellent!! I learned so much from this commentary!! I love the line about Boothe and how he is the most famous theatre actor! yes! and how about "My face cries out!" Thank you, thank you and much love!!
I also feel that Brannagh's Hamlet is the best version. It brings out the deep, existential aspect of the play like no other I've seen. Idk if it's the greatest movie I've seen, but it's the best version of a play ever put in film, imo. It deserves more praises than what it receives.
As I recall, it got slated by purists who saw it as sacrilege to drop even one word of Shakespeare's text. But Shakespeare was writing for an audience who would turn up for an afternoon out more than to just see the play. They'd wander in and out, chat to their friends, eat, drink and occasionally pay attention to what was going on on stage. Much like the audience the last time I went to the cinema.
Kenneth Branagh is a genius, his understanding of Shakespeare is absolute. Hamlet is one of his strong points, but from Henry V to All Is True he has not stopped proving it. I can't wait to see his #kinglear at THE SHED in NYC this fall. Seeing him live in the theater is an electrifying experience.
What an outstanding review! This movie has long been one of the most underappreciated triumphs of cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare. It's really the perfect marriage between the "larger-than-life," extroverted feel of the original play (and its inimitable main character) with the over-the-top and extremely extroverted style of Kenneth Branagh, as both and actor and a director. They just work so well together here. In many of his other films, Branagh's usual directorial tricks feel forced, or overdone, like the endless, tedious circular camera movements in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or the overuse of cuts and closeups in his more recent Agatha Christie movies. (Not to mention how his overly dramatic acting style sticks out like a sore thumb in those and other movies, such as Dead Again or Harry Potter) In such cases, it's just too much bombast for the material. But Shakespeare -- and especially Hamlet -- is so massive, so big, so uncontainable, that it needs something extravagant to reveal its full power -- and this film does exactly that, from the sets to the music to the casting choices (Charlton Heston as the First Player? Amazing!) and everything in between. Thanks for explaining all of this so eloquently in your video!
This is simply brilliant. You've made it seem trivial for me to simply say I completely agree with you. The truth is that you've given voice to much about this film which I've struggled to verbalise. It's certainly as close to perfect a work of cinema as I've ever seen. And I dearly love a good film, though I'm no expert. Brannagh's Hamlet is my go-to example of great film living up to great literature. I truly appreciate your sharing this - now I have another excuse to rewatch this grerat movie. Cheers!
This is the gold standard of interpreting Shakespeare, in my mind. Every production decision is made to serve and illuminate the story, the actors deliver the dialogue in a way that allows the audience to really comprehend what's being said, the characters are complex and can challenge your sympathy, and it treats the audience with intelligence. It proves that everything in the original text served a purpose.
King L ... oh :D I appreciate your points, good sir. But Lear was the first Shakespeare I saw in the theatre and, like a duckling imprinting on the first thing it sees, it will always have a special place in my heart.
Your love for this film came through loud and clear at volume 111. It was a deliciously entertaining video essay, that cheered me up no end. Thank you.
your commentary is worthy of more generous accolades than I can presently muster~ Sir, you are an entertaining and informative master of film analysis. Love your wit and learned a lot and appreciate the kindness in the rare criticisms; ie Jack Lemmon. BRAVO! and many sincere thanks for the joyous ride through your favourite film!
Excellent essay. A great blend of art appreciation and technical knowledge. I truly hope you have put the wheels in motion to make money from your channel. To be selfish, more money for you means more content for me.
9:12 A cousin of mine, Micheal Maloney...in many of Kenneth Branagh's movies, including Henry V and his most recent, Belfast. Was also in Notes on a Scandal, Young Victoria, the Crown and Truly, Madly, Deeply.
he played the prime minister ..name escaping me. he played ted heath in the crown and in the iron lady he was Margaret thatchers doctor. so he's been around downing Street a lot as an actor anyway.
@@imixmuan9081 You're right. Sir Robert Peel. I've seen the scene at William IV's birthday party - where they announce Robert Peel and his wife, as Baron Stockmar tells Prince Albert that he, Peel, will be the next prime minister - about a dozen times. I can't believe I didn't remember that.
I love the Henry V adaptation with Kenneth Branagh. Fun fact. JRR Tolkien despised Shakespeare. He wrote the story of Éowyn and the Witch King as a subversion of the prophecy from Macbeth.
Thats cool, Tolkien was a great story teller but his dialogue always needed a little work, maybe there was some of that in there. My favourite is Gandalf at the bridge turning to his mates "Look, there is the bridge, it is dangerous and narrow".
@@elnick1000 It is 45 years younger and not made at the height of the world's most devastating war for morale purposes. It is also, unlike Hamlet, heavily edited with whole scenes missing or re-purposed and other scenes imported from Henry IV Pts and 2 as flashbacks. They were made for different audiences and for different purposes. In this case defining "better" is basically just defining personal taste and ignoring timeframe.
@@aaronleverton4221 You have a point, but even if we ignore the changes made to the text, Olivier's version demonstrates how the actors had little experience with film, and how Olivier, for all his genius, still thought of film as the same as stage but with a camera. That is obviously the case during the part of the film in which we're in the re-creation of the Globe, but it continues even when the action shifts to France (really Ireland). For example, just before the St. Crispin's Day speech, all the other nobles are talking about the upcoming battle. They are lined up, facing the camera directly, exactly as if they were standing at the edge of the stage. It doesn't make any sense. Olivier had a basic understanding of cinematography; he could do a crane shot and elevate the camera during the speech's climax or a dolly shot during the cavalry charge (though the close-ups of the horses' mouths always get a laugh when I show the film in my courses). But for the most part, it was just "you guys perform your lines here and I'll set the camera up where I can get all of you in the frame." He also had no idea of the effect color film would have. That's why, in the midst of that speech, we can see he's wearing green eye-shadow. Sorry, but that's distracting. Green make-up was used all the time in black and white films because it effectively created shadows that other colors wouldn't. (Lipstick was also often green because red didn't show up well in black and white.) But clearly Olivier didn't realize the audience would see it. Oops. Of course, he was also limited by the technology of the time, so we can't blame him for the ludicrous special effect of the perfectly parallel arrows raining down on the French. But that doesn't explain other choices. All one has to do is compare the battle scene in the two films. Even though Olivier clearly didn't want the battle to look brutal (that was part of the propaganda), there's no excuse for making it look so silly. Branagh had a tiny fraction of the resources (he didn't have access to all those pre-D-Day GIs and Tommies Olivier was given), yet by using every trick he could think of -- sound design, close-ups, slow-motion, the absence and then sudden return of music -- he made the battle compelling. As someone said, all he could remember of the battle in Olivier's version was that there was a circus, and then a dance broke out on a golf-course. It doesn't help that the extras had no training and weren't exactly taking their roles seriously. My favorite is the guy on the horse who has a mace but never swings it; he just holds it out in front of him like a pointer. Meanwhile, Branagh films his battle under grey skies and in a field of mud; Olivier shoots his on an idyllic summer day and apparently wet down a small area of turf with a hose. Finally, while I accept that the film's propagandistic purpose required Olivier to cut some scenes (like the confrontation with the English traitors), that purpose hurts it even in scenes that weren't cut. The performances could have reflected more anxiety without undercutting the ultimate message. When Salisbury says, after being informed they are outnumbered five to one, "'Tis a fearful odds," we hear no fear in his voice. He might as well have been talking about a football match. When Salisbury in Branagh's version says it, he's scared. And indeed, the rest of that passage, with the lords saying farewell to each other not knowing if they will ever meet again, has all the dramatic tension of the end of a night in a bowling league. The scene with Bates, Williams, and Court is an even better example. Olivier casts the role of the soldier who gives the crucial speech -- Michael Williams' reflection on how dead soldiers leave behind wives and children in presumed poverty and how the King will have to answer for it on Judgment Day -- with the youngest actor, practically a boy, whom we have trouble picturing with a wife or children, which turns the speech into something merely speculative. In Branagh's version, he gives it to a much older actor (ironically named Michael Williams), so that it becomes much more consequential. He is thinking of his actual wife and children.
The analysis of the blocking (starting around 7:25) is great. This aspect of filmmaking is often overlooked, and the dance between the moving cameras and moving actors is as well executed as anything I've ever seen.
I've never liked Poirot, no matter how much I liked the actors who've played him, but I absolutely loved Brannagh's version. He brought out the ludicrousness of the character but not in a mocking way, and finally, for me, made the character likeable. Not many men could get away with that moustache, either.
Watched it last month because I knew a video would come sooner or later. Was glued for more than4 hours ( because of the visual beauty and also my slow comprehension of the Shakespearian dialogue) but enjoyed every minute. I would love if you also reviewed 12th fail, the modern the hindi language masterpiece , perfect in almost every filmaking aspect and would definately change your 2023 list. Love your content please never stop!!
"I have watched Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet many many times and not nearly enough." I hear you. Time to watch it again. Excellent video about a brilliant movie.
i watched this film over and over when it first came out. I loved it ( and still do ) but never really analysed why. This brilliant review of the movie has made me look back at it again with renewed interest. I shall certainly be digging out my old DVD and sitting down again to watch it once or twice..... or ten/twenty times over the next six months... just like the old days. what a brilliant video about a brilliant film
He did Shakespeare's Julius Caesar before and also 'Antonius and Cleopatra', but it seems that the latter is not that good, but maybe not because of Heston, who was a big Shakespeare fan and indeed very convincing in it apparently.
This is a great essay. Branagh’s version has always been my fav Hamlet. The direction, acting, cinematography, costumes, sets, everything on point. Wrote a paper on this adaptation in high school. I also had it on VHS, lol.
"Gertrude Come Away" - Brannagh's Henry V was my first experience with that play. My roommate and I watched it in college (many, many moons ago, when Kenneth was still "young"), and there was a line reading of "Can any of your neighbors tell?" that sent us scrambling to the text because it sounded so contemporary we couldn't believe it was written by Billy S. Sure enough, it was.
That is so interesting! I was disappointed too that at the end of Henry V that he put that silly "modern" scene. I too was surprised to find it vertical.
I’m a fan of Hamlet, remember seeing this and enjoying it. I’ve not seen it since, sadly. I happily say that I prefer Branagh to Olivier when comparing their Shakespeare films. Branagh’s work is much more natural, far less stagey. Sir Ken’s use of other stars in smaller roles is also excellent and not just jobs for his pals as many might have done. This review covers many excellent points; I didn’t imagine that I’d have stuck with this for half an hour, but somehow I did. I’ll look out for other posts that you’ve made. Well done!
I recently discovered this channel and have really been taken by its original takes on "greatest'", "best", "top", etc. The descriptions of the craft involved in the making of these films is fascinating. Hamlet (1996) may not be my personal "greatest", although it's a film I love, it certainly is worthy of being anyone's greatest.
A wonderful and insightful homage to a great film. Thank you! I have to add, the connection between the beginning of Branagh's Henry V and the opening of Ophuls' La Ronde!! How did I never catch this?! A thousand thanks!
Came here thinking this might be hyperbole. It was straight facts for the entire video. Kenneth Branagh's films made me love Shakespeare. I watched it for the first time in a Shakespeare class and the ghost scene was such a great moment I was hooked for the rest of the production. We had to break it over two days because it was so long, but I was excited for the second day. Othello still makes me cry every time and is probably my favorite play overall though.
I saw that film too. I really love it. Every line they spoke, it's like my ears indulging a very delicious meal. And I love the costume and design. The acting is topnotch.
I'm only 10 minutes in but I have to stop and comment here. I've been a fan of this film for 25 years, and while don't consider it my favorite film of all time, it's certainly my favorite Shakespeare film by a very long way. I absolutely love that it is your favorite film though. What a case you make! I'm laughing out loud straight away with your brilliant clips commenting on your script...giggling from "Let us haste to hear it" and out and out laughing at "how absolute the knave is. We my speak by the card or equivocation will undo us." 😂 Brilliant video essay! My god I'm loving every second of this. What a proper thing. I'll shut up and keep watching now! Liked and subbed!
Alright, alright. You've convinced me. I will now hold my favorite Shakespeare adaptation in even higher regard! It's actually been quite a while since I watched it though tbh, so you've definitely reminded me that that is something I should do.
Hear, Hear... I whole-heartedly agree. I saw it by myself, in the theatre when it came out. My partner could not stand the thought of a four hour movie. That one is gone now; but Hamlet, Shakespeare and Branagh remain and are my three favorites. The Character, the writer and this movie.
I remember seeing this in the theatre nearly 30 years ago. I wasn't much of a fan of the Bard, but I was a fan of Branagh. This has stood the test of time with one of the best all star casts ever assembled.in modern cinema. Great video !
This is astonishingly good movie and performance of a Hamlet. It is gorgeous in every way possible… what a feast of an experience to be absorbed in…Masterpiece…
Derek Jacobi is one of the sweetest, most humble, most un-stuffy actors, and I had the joy of watching him do a casual scriptreading live at a Doctor Who con (of all things) last February. normally, they book a Doctor actor or three, but this time they booked the Master instead. And he wasn't the least bit embarrassed about being on a cheesy scifi show instead of Shakespeare - he was delighted! He's come back to record more audiodramas with the character, with the clever premise that the Master (the villain) pretends to be the Doctor (the hero), imitating his nemesis with a sort of sly humor, mocking, and grudging admiration the natives don't pick up on, only to let them down in order to sully his rival's reputation. He is so GOOD at being lovable and projecting innocence which you know is a villain putting on an act, and yet you believe and like him, and yet under the veneer he's ruthless... and here he was doing it with glasses and a frumpy sweater riffling through a script he'd recorded a few years ago, picking out members of the audience with little or no acting experience for the other characters and inspiring them to be not entirely bad, then killing them off in various diabolical ways and having a BALL. Er. I don't know where I was going with that but anyway Derek Jacobi is incredibly lovable and talented, and I need another ten years to watch everything ge's ever done.
I mean there's an obvious answer to the difference of favorite and best film and you kind of touch on it by mentioning Narrative, Form, Style, Quality as critical factors. People are emotional creatures and they will have different interests. It's emotion versus reason. Even factors that you can measure objectively will be interpreted differently by people who have a personal and emotional attachment to the film in question. If asked what the BEST movie is, a person should probably look primarily at the factors you mentioned and the content should ideally be looked at from multiple perspectives instead of just one's personal sensibilities. Meanwhile the question of a FAVORITE film is directly digging at the person's interests that go beyond criteria or form. Movies are of course more than the sum of their parts and that's usually how someone picks their favorite, even when they are irrational picks.
Yup! Love Hamlet too- Kenneth Branagh's version. I was lucky enough to see it in a theatre with a balcony. And while thinking of Branagh's movies- I also love Dead Again- and you get Emma Thompson and Derek Jacobi ( and Robin Williams) for extra measure.
Act IV scene IV. It's my favorite in the play and my favorite interpretation from an actor is Branaugh's from this movie. And I agree with you about the movie overall. I had seen four stage performances of Hamlet and Oliviers film, but when I watched this movie I saw scenes that I had never seen performed before. The movie would deserve greatness just for that, but it delivers so much more!
I've never noticed some of the things that you mentioned here. Maybe I did subconsciously and that's why I like the film so much but I've never noticed some of the things that you said. Great freaking video.
When you announced you made the longest video I should have known what it was about. And this DOESN'T FEEL LONG AT ALL. It's an amazing video. I've read Hamlet a few time and only at the most recent read (plus listening to the audiobook from Naxos) that it really touches me and becomes kind of revealing, so many new emotions and realization. Plan to watch this asap (turned it on and off so many times in the last few years, the Olivier's is the only film production I've seen. Now you've convinced me to try this again.) I think I should also watch more Charlton Heston's movies. Didn't really know how good of a dramatic actor he was until I saw Ben-Hur, and I didn't know he was in this!!! So many familiar faces!!!
Come back to send a huge THANK YOU for championing this film. Constant mouth-dropping moments throughout the film. What is this masterpiece 😭 He KEN do everything. I truly hope this video blows up and more people will find out your channel so they can be convinced to watch all of these great movies. (The top 'reviews' on my letterboxd are so dreadful, many people say they watch this for class and don't feel it. Maybe their teachers should find out about this video and add in the materials recommendation, too 😭 do this film justice.)
Just found your channel, happy I did. I loved this Hamlet and have be thinking about it lately, and your video has inspired me to watch it again soon, and with a better appreciation of how it was filmed. Agree completely about Derek Jacobi the most brilliant Shakespeare actor. But as soon as I finished watching this video I knew i had to immediately watch him being the worst one on that wonderful episode of Frasier! I've subscribed, and love forward to going through your other videos.
I saw this when it came out in NYC at one of those really posh old theaters. God it was gorgeous. I had long been a fan of Branagh's work, specifically his Shakespeare adaptions to film. Much Ado About Nothing is one of my favorite summertime feel-good movies of all time, but yes this Hamlet is a spectacular production.
Brilliant critique. The film is a masterpiece ( and masterclass ). Jacobi is, as ever, superlative - saw him as Hamlet at the Old Vic in '79. A superlative Claudius here - and in the BBC's I, Claudius. In fact he's wonderful in literally everything - from Lord Fawn in The Pallisers to Alan Buttershaw in Last Tango In Halifax.
I rarely subscribe to channels, because I want the algorithm to feed me new things every day. But this analysis is so well done that I had to hit the subscribe button
A huge Hamlet fan here. I've seen it on stage several times and watched most of the film versions. I watched this version in the movie theater, alone, and kept thinking they would forget I was there and turn it off. Great film, but all of the cameos were VERY distracting and I haven't viewed it since. Based on your take, it may deserve another watch. Thanks for the video.
I watched it last year. I think what impressed me the most about it - was how well directed it was Branagh, and I liked a lot of his previous films(Henry V and Dead Again). I think it wasn't constrained by the source material and really used the medium of film to its full effect - especially with the 70 mm - this film had real scope. I think Branagh's best film to date.
Thank you. This is always my answer for that question about your favorite movie. I started with the two VHS set, and now have the two disc set. I've watched it at least a couple dozen times.
You have articulated everything I have felt put could not put into words. Luckily I have the DVD and can watch it again. I agree with everything you have said about Jacobi BTW!
I'm a Tempest girl, myself, but I admit Hamlet is right up there. Thank you for mentioning Patrick Doyle's music. It's a crime that he hasn't been Oscar nominated. Branagh announced he would be directing this at a showing of In the Deep Mid winter in Boston. He'd been told that he could make the movie of Hamlet, but it had to be shorter than Gone with the Wind, which he said it would be, "but only _just_ !"
I’ve always liked this film. It is like being at the Globe (it is what your mind fills in when you think about such a superbly wriiten work paired this amazing performances)
I saw it with friends in 1996 and have seen it many times since. We were all playing Hamlet for a week afterward and carrying the book around. I slipped into Peter O'Toole, then Gary Oldman, and later Klaus Kinski, and we laughed a lot and wept. Your treatment of the film was very enjoyable. It's been a while; I need to watch it again. Thanks.
This was a delightful watch, I've never thought of King Lear fans as a bunch of no good punks but now I know better. Great selection of shots and excellent breakdown of its merits, I stopped several times and thought "I have to watch Hamlet immediately".
I agree with so much of this and yet I can’t agree with the thesis. One, I think there are movies you can love irrespective of their quality because of outside associations, someone you watched it with or the circumstances you first saw it in. Movies that remind me of my father or friends I’ve lost touch with are among my favorites even though I know they aren’t objectively good. Also, Kenneth Branagh drives me crazy because in all of his Shakespeare adaptations his delivery swings between being so perfect you can’t imagine another way for that line to be delivered better, and being so dull and meandering that it fails to communicate so drastically that I wonder if he even knows what the words he is saying means. His To Be or Not to Be speech is objectively one of the worst I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a TON of them. That said, I love this movie for its epic scope and its ambition and the fact that my best friend in jr high and I went to see it in the theatre and we were the only people there. Anyway love the channel, even when we disagree on some point or another. Please keep up the excellent work.
Haven't seen the video yet, i'll save it for later. That being said, this film is superb. Yes, it has a lot of the almost incomprehensible Shakespeare dialogue, but it's an adaptation that just goes all the way like no other i've ever seen. You can feel Kenneth Branagh's passion for Shakespeare's work, and i find it contagious. I'd just wish films like this weren't the exception, but then again, this kind of commitment is an exception too. And anybody that wants to see it, i personally read a book that made an analysis of Hamlet and his influence in law. It helped me comprehend the story better, and i enjoyed the movie a lot more because of it.
@@Moviewise The book is called "Del caos al imperio del derecho" (literally, From chaos to the empire of law), by Emilia Jocelyn-Holt (2018), she was my teacher in law school. The book talks about Hamlet in the 5th chapter, though it's in spanish and i doubt there's any translation. Still, here's some bibliography she used: -Shakespeare: the invention of the human, Harold Bloom (1998) -Shakespearean tragedy, A.C. Bradley (1904) -The meaning of Shakespeare, H.C. Goddard (1951) -A thousand times more fair: What Shakespeare's plays teach us about justice, Kenji Yoshino (2011) In summary, she argues that Hamlet represents an evolution in the idea of justice and law practice. Centuries ago, revenge used to be a commonly accepted way of resolving conflicts, and Hamlet goes for a different solution instead: he gathers evidence (he plots the play that represents his uncle's crime and pays attention to his reaction, and then follows him and hears him confess), shows his investigation to the public (the whole fencing duel scene, where his uncle tries to poison him and kills the queen by accident, plus the poison in the sword, all of this makes his guilt evident to the public), and after all this he carries out the sentence (death: he does it himself because there's no other who can do it at that point). It's more detailed than that but that's the short version. It made me realize how genius this piece of work is. There's a lot of investigation in Law & Literature, and Shakespeare is one of the most cited and analyzed authors. Very good academic stuff.
I watched it the day i got it on VHS (Christmas programming was pretty dire 30 years ago, so a 4 hour film was ideal). I still have it. Amazing film. The mirrored 'To be or not to be' scene is the absolute best adaptation of that scene i've ever seen.
I saw this film when I was like 12 years old. The VHS caught my attention. I still love that cover. I didn't get the film at all, but I kinda liked it. It felt like it lasted the whole afternoon. It was a good day
If I had a nickel for every time you made a video about a piece of media in which Derek Jacobi plays a guy named Claudius, I’d have two nickels, which isnt a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
I was too old by the time Phineas & Ferb came out to really get in to it, but I happen to know that line you're referencing of Dr. Doofenshmirtz (yes, I looked all those names up 😂). I've seen variations off that quote several times this week for the first time- which is just further proof to me that we're living in the Matrix and the algorithms are getting lazy!
"There's something strangely ballsy about hiring Brian Blessed and only having him speak through whispers" THIS! I was thinking exactly this a moment before you said it. #DIVE
I love this film and I'm glad to see it get some appreciation, especially since I've seen a lot of people knock it for being a vanity project of late. I mean, I can understand people finding it overblown, but how are you going to discount Jacobi's incredible Claudius, Kate Winslet's devastating Ophelia, Heston killing it in the small role as the Player King, the way it builds a sense of claustrophobia in broad daylight and bright gold-white surfaces?
As ambitious as this is, my favorite Branagh Shakespeare film (and one of my favorite films of all time) has got to be _Henry V._ He struck just the right balance between the well-meaning and the warmongering sides of Henry, he directed one of the greatest battle scenes AND one of the greatest long takes in film history, AND he got stellar performances out of a murderer’s row of acting talent - and all on his feature film debut.
Crispian day speech pretty good too. I need to see the film again. Hath been nigh well 20 years hence where on vieweth I dideth it 'pon you screen
Twenty years ago, my weekly clean-up-the-apartment routine was to pop in my dvd of Henry V, turn up my tv’s volume, and start dusting to Jacobi intoning, “Oh, for a muse of fire!”
It's too bad Branagh didn't film the entire text of HENRY V so that a later Director's Cut could be released, a full-text version to follow on the Theatrical Cut. As great as his film of that play was, a full-text Director's Cut of it would've been even more magnificent.
Absolutely agreed.
The drums when the French knights are charging the English...then the screams as the English meet them...shivers down me spine as an Englishman.
Tolstoi hated Shakespeare and published an essay claiming that all the admiration of him was a conspiracy of critics to promote a second-rate writer. George Orwell noticed that Tolstoi reserved most of his venom for King Lear --- and pointed out that the plot of King Lear closely parallels Tolstoi's own private life.
Strong writers hate stronger writers.
Shaw hated Shakespeare as well, but despite his charm he was a nasty man, defended Stalin and (so far as I could tell) ignored the Holocaust.
@@ashcross There's also the problem of translation. Some authors don't translate well into particular languages, or if they potentially could, the translators just aren't good enough to do it properly. Ask any Russian, and they'll tell you that Pushkin was their greatest --- but whatever it is that they see, it doesn't come across in translation, and very few English speakers read Pushkin except to briefly sample him. I've seen Shakespeare in French, and it felt totally flat. I'm a Canadian who was raised in both languages. Similarly, I've never been pleased by English translations of Moliere. Yet in Canada, French-language actors love their Shakespeare and give it their all --- probably because they also speak English and know the original.
I think that in the case of Tolstoi, Orwell probably had it right. King Lear is about a powerful man who decides to give up all his power in order to find inner peace, but then discovers to his shock that if you give up your power, people stop obeying you. Lear finds his children turning against him. Instead of peace, he ends up tormented by rage. He just doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. Sound familiar? It's Tolstoi's own life story in a nutshell.
And orwell hated ts eliot for his religion and politics. Nobody is immune to it
@@bun197 As a rule, Orwell was pretty good at separating his evaluation of the literary merits of a writer from his agreement or disagreement with his political or philosophical views. Not always, I suppose, but more so than was common during his lifetime. He also was aware of the subtle personal things that often underlie aesthetic judgments, and attempted to examine them in himself. Self-examination was his strong point. While he was, throughout his life, very hostile to organized religion, he remarked that he could easily have, in another time and place, been perfectly happy as a country clergyman, puttering around a vestry in some English village. His hostility was reserved for the "big shots" and those that sucked up to them.
“There’s something strangely ballsy about hiring Brian Blessed and having him only speak through whispers” 🤣 It’s so true! The man’s got a voice that can destroy buildings.
The only reason he wasn't included in the later Black Adders is the concern that he constantly steals the scene in EVERY scene he's in.
@@dukeon 🤣🤣🤣 astute observation, I hadn't thought about that.
GORDON'S ALIVE! But I, am not.
@@mikearchibald744And don't forget his performance as Augustus in "l, Claudius".
@@inganorden1816Right! "Is there anyone here who has not slept with my daughter?"
And possibly the most extraordinary death scene ever filmed. The slow extinguishing of the light in his eyes as Livia says "Everything I did, I did for you. And for Rome."
Derek Jacobi played Hamlet in the BBC's landmark The Shakespeare Plays series in the late 1970's, and he plays Claudius here. In other words, he lived long enough to see himself play the villain. 😁
Prince Harry probably thinks Hamlet is the villain.
@@douglassun8456 Sir Derek admitted in an interview that he had trouble filming this movie because he kept trying to say Hamlet’s lines out of habit.
And he played a different Claudius in I, Claudius.
@@danpreston564 Costarring BRIAN BLESSED, no less!
I saw that version and thought Jakobi did a great job as Hamlet.
I am not an admirer of Branagh's Hamlet frankly, but this video of yours made me reevaluate my opinion! I still believe it's a self-indulgent movie because of its, maybe inflated runtime, but you made me rethink that as well, (and I love long movies; watching War & Peace all 4 parts, Les Miserables 1934 and LOTR extended editions and many more 4h movies once every year). Your arguments on the brilliance of 1996 Hamlet and the manner in which you're pouring them in this video are phenomenal 🤩😍🥰! So much wit, well-paced humour, informative and interesting points on details, an obvious knowledge within the realm of movies and love for them, and Shakespeare himself, admirable and exhilarating 😊 ! Would love to hear your narration and reviews on at least 1000 movies! You 'Moviewise' are THE TREASURE of youtube in regards to the 7th art! THE BEST, BY FAR THE BEST movie channel out there! 🙌🙏! Thank you sir!🙏👏
You could almost say its the Hamlet of film criticism:)
Hamlet without any cuts runs about 4 hours and 20 minutes.
I heard the comment once that Shakespeare’s work was originally written for the stage- to be exhibited in front of a mostly illiterate audience. This is why no one should be forced to read a Shakespeare play before having seen it performed LIVE…
Branaugh’s version of Hamlet is what unlocked the mystery of Shakespeare for me in high school after really struggling with 4 other plays I was forced to read in junior high.
English teachers- please please please show your students this film before reading Hamlet. It will make all the difference for your students!
"Shakespeare's work was originally written for the stage." His works were ALWAYS written for the stage. Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet; none of these are novels, they are all written in the format of stage play scripts. That's the weird thing about Shakespeare, he's touted as a genius of literature, but he never intended for any of his stories to be read like books.
And please rnglish teachers...stop thinking Romeo and Juliet is the gateway play, unless you are ready to discuss child abuse.
The problem with that idea it is that it was written in the vernacular of the time. Nowadays you'd be basically asking kids to watch a foreign language film without subtitles. If they study it first they can actually understand the words when they see it performed.
This is possibly one of the best movie channels that covers everything that goes unnoticed normally. Personally When I get asked what is my favorite movie. I will immediately say “what genre specifically?” Then if they say Drama. I will immediately say The Trial (1962) it will forever be my favorite movie that depicts Bureaucracy and the red tape entrapping of the entire system. I hope one day he dives deep into the film. It is extremely and beautifully shot by Orson Wells.
Is that the adaptation of Kafka's novel?
@@fernandoparadacastillo5901 Yes, if you have read the novel then you will love it. The only thing that is different is the ending because in Welles’s own words he changed the ending from the original novel because Kafka died before the holocaust and he wanted it to end with some dignity.
Loved it, it was really majestic with huge scenes with tens of actors, a great example of Wells' style. I liked the controversial ending, it was interesting.
I love that too. One of the best film adaptatations of any novel, I think.
And if we're talking Shakespeare, Welles's 'Othello' is stunning too.
I have believed that Derek Jacobi was the greatest Shakespearean actor for longer than 30 years. I'm so happy to see your appreciation!
Which is interesting, since he believes that Shakespeare's plays were written by the Earl of Oxford!
I saw Derek Jacobi playing Hamlet on stage. He was wonderful!
30 MINUTES of Kenneth Branagh greatness? I've been waiting for this @Moviewise! And this Moviewise treatment of Hamlet is glorious. Glorious! As a Branagh fan, I know he get's knocked for his long, uninterrupted takes as directing showboating (and that's not always a bad thing!), but Moviewise pointing out and analysing how purposeful these shots are, and delivers so well on the storytelling is fantastic. And I'm disappointed that many out there are just snobs who don't give Branagh their due. I hope we get some Moviewise talk on Henry V!
Long shots are directors who like actors or were actors. You can tell a play being shot as a movie by a good or great director by the length of the shots. Quick edits are for shitty movies and action films or bad acting. His directing of Thor was a great Marvel movie because it didn't have five second edits. When EVERY line of dialogue gets its own shot, you've got problems.
@@randomuser-xc2wr Much Ado about Nothing is almost perfect except Keanu Reeves and that other american guy really drag it down. The female lead as well. Basically proving that you need a lot of training in shakespeare to pull off shakespeare. Never saw the other one though, I'll check it out.
One of the best film review/dissection I have ever seen. I studied film at University and cannot believe that I have never seen this film. After seeing your vlog I immediately ordered a Blu-ray - I wish that there is a 4K - maybe it could be included on next 4k Columbia Collection box set.
I see that you have made an episode on I Claudius which is one of my all time favourite TV series. Jacobi is a superb actor - he even appeared in my favourite TV series Dr Who as a recurring character - the master.
Thank you so much for your inspiring review of Hamlet…
Your interpretation and explanation is exemplary.. a masterclass in understanding movie structure.. I’m 60, and never noticed the waltz between actors and cameras. I looked at the camera as a fly on the wall, not as the dance partner…. Highly appreciated..
I remember renting Kenneth Branagh's "Henry v" back I believe in 1990 after it came out on VHS. I was in my mid 20's and thought "looks like it might be a cool war film because I've heard so much about it in the news". I popped it into my VCR, and BOY was I disappointed! I knew nothing about William Shakespeare and didn't realize this was just one of his plays on film. For the first 20 minutes I had absolutely no idea what anyone was even saying! It was like watching a foreign film, they might as well have been speaking Russian or German. Then after around that 20 minutes time, the words began to seep into my mind, and weirdly, like an epiphany, I suddenly understood what they were saying! It was really strange. I was suddenly enamored with the story, and I can honestly admit, I started to well up with tears at the end of it. Might have to watch it again now that I'm in my late 50's just to see how its aged.
was so struck watching this film at a small art house theater down the street while in college that I returned to see it several more times for the swelling pageantry alone despite the length, quickly running out of roommates and random acquaintances to drag along that I ended up owning the double laser disk release and player just to share the most authentic experience of it with everyone I missed taking to see it on the screen originally. I was so completely smitten with Rufus’s understated performance of Fortinbras that I was certain between this and Dark City he would become a Hollywood leading man straight away yet sadly can only continue to enjoy him in every minor role he has engulfed since ❤ to me everything Branagh touches is gold
For me, Branagh was the only good thing in "My Week With Marilyn". After years of hearing him being compared, not always favourably by some critics, to Olivier, seeing him take on the role and make such a great spectacle if it was a joy to watch.
As he enters the later stage of his career, I do hope that Branagh gets to take on Lear, or The Tempest, or both. Thanks for this reminder of how remarkable a job he has done of bringing Shakespeare alive.
Tempest needs a new vision. Would be cool to see Branagh as Prospero, even if he doesn't have the necessary gravitas
Can any version of the Tempest give greater insight than Greenaway's 'Prospero's Books' ?
@smkh2890 oh shoot! Don't think I've seen that!! Gotta catch up. Thanks for tip 🙏
@@ExxylcrothEaglecinematic ecstasy
He'll be hard-pressed to top Sir Ian Holm's Lear.
The integral HAMLET in 70mm and 6-track stereophonic sound! It's hard to imagine that someone's going to come with a better version than Branagh's. This one sort of ties with Bondarchuk's WAR AND PEACE when it comes to literary masterpieces on film. You definitely know what you're talking about. I look forward to your next offering with great anticipation even as I watch this latest one.
Ever seen Tony Richardson's 'Hamlet at the Roundhouse'? It's not going to compete with a full film production as it's basically a filmed stage play, but for what it is, it's bloody great.
@@JohnMoseley Is that the filmed version with Nicol Williamson? I've never seen that, but I will seek it out, as I'm a fan of Tony Richardson. I believe I've run across a streaming version of this on one of the services.
@@TheVid54 That's the one. Might be on UA-cam. It was at one point.
I think one thing objectively disqualifies this movie from being the best of all time: if it is so true to the original source, why would I watch it when I can read the real thing from the horse's mouth?
@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 You must be joking, or as pointed out by our narrator, dead inside. There are the interpretations, the production design, the photography, and last but certainly not least; the music. Shakespeare's text is only one aspect of this great movie.
I learn more in a single video on this channel than I have ever learned in the entire time I’ve spent in two film schools. Where were you moviewise 10 years ago? I could still have my life’s savings.
This is a real dazzler, alright. And what a cast!! You should have given a curtain call for every glorious star in it, but that would make this video twice as long! I loved your breakdown of the camera moves in tandem with the blocking.
The original film and this love song to it are worth every second of your time.
I'm one of those King Lear punks. So let me proffer that the 1964 Soviet Hamlet directed by Grigori Kozintsev is actually the most cinematic Hamlet, and my favorite. No, it's not in English, but look at the thing.
Similarly, the best version of Lear is Kurosawa's version, Ran. Setting it in a Samurai setting just makes the whole play pop!!
Filmed in the Czar's palace in St. Petersburg. A marvelous setting. Restored to it's glory of the Czar's time, thanks to an IOWA FARMER who had made the "Czar's Palace" his hobby. Someone connected him with Russia around 1991 he flew over and when he walked up a carpeted stair case with a landing and a turn, he said, "In this corner there should be a MING VASE on display. His hosts immediately brought in a work crew and removed the carpet. THERE ON THE tile floor was the outline of the pedestal for the VASE. He was there just under 3 years directing the restoration. This film helped pay for that work.
Exterior shots were Blenheim Palace and Interiors were at Shepparton studios. Nothing was shot in St. Petersburg
@@Uurgugg daaaaaamn sick burn!!!!
'Filmed in the Czar's palace in St Petersburg.'
Nope, interiors were filmed at Shepparton Studios.
17:17 Shows shots of the staging being made.😂
When people ask me what is my favorite Shakespeare play, I immediately say
Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." If Shakespeare
was alive today and asked what is his favorite of all the plays he wrote, he
would respond, "I wish I had written "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead."
In amazement, I would ask why?! He would probably say that he was not aware
he had created two such lovable shmucks. He would probably add, "Tom
Stoppard, in unparalleled philosophic brilliance, delivers a wonderful commentary
on fate, lack of free will, and how each of us is merely a minor character
in someone else's life." I say kudos to both Shakespeare and Stoppard!
1. Unironically, the bits of Stoppard's _Hamlet_ we do see are fantastic.
2. Every time Dreyfus shows up in the forest, I start to think, "Wait, why is he so wooden? Why is he overacting?" And then I remember he's the PLAYER... a classic Elizabethan actor.
3. The best GHOST I've ever seen was Sam Shepherd's. An image on a CCTV screen?! How insanely genius!... and then he showed up in reality for 90% of his scene and ruined it. Imagine the doubt it would have created in the audience, wondering, is a ghost really using NTSC CRTs? Or is this someone trying to manipulate Hamlet?
@@somercet1 Great insight and analysis! I applaud you!
The most common mistake in written examinations, not answering the question/s. In your case, the first question is not answered by Shakespeare, and his imagined answer to the second question doesn't make any sense at all. The last statement put into Shakespeare's mouth is egocentric poppycock. This all begs the question, given how mysterious a historical figure Shakespeare is, where did you get the idea that you could anticipate his answers in such a preposterous scenario?
@@N_Loco_Parenthesis Let's just say that I took a little bit of poetic
license and painted a hypothetical question and answer scenario
intended to sing the praises of both Shakespeare and Stoppard. I don't
think the Bard would have been offended, nor do I think Stoppard
would have minded. They would both realize I meant no harm. Or
to put it simply, as Sir John Falstaff, might say, "I am not only witty
in myself, but the cause of wit in others!" (Part I, Henry IV)
@@richardromero6193Given what the Bard did to English history, he'd have no business being offended by someone putting forward their idea of what he might have said.
Wow, how excellent!! I learned so much from this commentary!! I love the line about Boothe and how he is the most famous theatre actor! yes! and how about "My face cries out!" Thank you, thank you and much love!!
I also feel that Brannagh's Hamlet is the best version. It brings out the deep, existential aspect of the play like no other I've seen. Idk if it's the greatest movie I've seen, but it's the best version of a play ever put in film, imo. It deserves more praises than what it receives.
As I recall, it got slated by purists who saw it as sacrilege to drop even one word of Shakespeare's text. But Shakespeare was writing for an audience who would turn up for an afternoon out more than to just see the play. They'd wander in and out, chat to their friends, eat, drink and occasionally pay attention to what was going on on stage. Much like the audience the last time I went to the cinema.
Kenneth Branagh is a genius, his understanding of Shakespeare is absolute. Hamlet is one of his strong points, but from Henry V to All Is True he has not stopped proving it. I can't wait to see his #kinglear at THE SHED in NYC this fall. Seeing him live in the theater is an electrifying experience.
What an outstanding review! This movie has long been one of the most underappreciated triumphs of cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare. It's really the perfect marriage between the "larger-than-life," extroverted feel of the original play (and its inimitable main character) with the over-the-top and extremely extroverted style of Kenneth Branagh, as both and actor and a director. They just work so well together here. In many of his other films, Branagh's usual directorial tricks feel forced, or overdone, like the endless, tedious circular camera movements in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or the overuse of cuts and closeups in his more recent Agatha Christie movies. (Not to mention how his overly dramatic acting style sticks out like a sore thumb in those and other movies, such as Dead Again or Harry Potter) In such cases, it's just too much bombast for the material. But Shakespeare -- and especially Hamlet -- is so massive, so big, so uncontainable, that it needs something extravagant to reveal its full power -- and this film does exactly that, from the sets to the music to the casting choices (Charlton Heston as the First Player? Amazing!) and everything in between. Thanks for explaining all of this so eloquently in your video!
This is simply brilliant. You've made it seem trivial for me to simply say I completely agree with you. The truth is that you've given voice to much about this film which I've struggled to verbalise. It's certainly as close to perfect a work of cinema as I've ever seen. And I dearly love a good film, though I'm no expert. Brannagh's Hamlet is my go-to example of great film living up to great literature. I truly appreciate your sharing this - now I have another excuse to rewatch this grerat movie. Cheers!
Just making a comment to promote the visibility of this channel. Its perspective on cinema deserves more recognition
This has been on my letterboxd watchlist and one of top reviews is literally "Kenneth Branagh must be stopped" lol
True! He’s making everyone else look bad!
what's your letterboxd? I wanna give ya a follow :)
@@AbrasiousProductions stillborncritic
With "Love's Labour's Lost" he kind of stopped himself.
If he makes a Henry IV (1&2) and remakes Henry V with this much detail as this film I'd be more than happy.
This is the gold standard of interpreting Shakespeare, in my mind. Every production decision is made to serve and illuminate the story, the actors deliver the dialogue in a way that allows the audience to really comprehend what's being said, the characters are complex and can challenge your sympathy, and it treats the audience with intelligence. It proves that everything in the original text served a purpose.
King L ... oh :D
I appreciate your points, good sir. But Lear was the first Shakespeare I saw in the theatre and, like a duckling imprinting on the first thing it sees, it will always have a special place in my heart.
Your love for this film came through loud and clear at volume 111. It was a deliciously entertaining video essay, that cheered me up no end. Thank you.
your commentary is worthy of more generous accolades than I can presently muster~ Sir, you are an entertaining and informative master of film analysis. Love your wit and learned a lot and appreciate the kindness in the rare criticisms; ie Jack Lemmon. BRAVO! and many sincere thanks for the joyous ride through your favourite film!
Branagh really cooked here, and it's hardly ever appreciated, so thank you for this video!
What a great video! I haven't seen Branagh's Hamlet. About to remedy that right now.
Excellent essay. A great blend of art appreciation and technical knowledge. I truly hope you have put the wheels in motion to make money from your channel. To be selfish, more money for you means more content for me.
9:12 A cousin of mine, Micheal Maloney...in many of Kenneth Branagh's movies, including Henry V and his most recent, Belfast. Was also in Notes on a Scandal, Young Victoria, the Crown and Truly, Madly, Deeply.
I don't remember him in _Young Victoria._
he played the prime minister ..name escaping me. he played ted heath in the crown and in the iron lady he was Margaret thatchers doctor. so he's been around downing Street a lot as an actor anyway.
@@imixmuan9081 You're right. Sir Robert Peel. I've seen the scene at William IV's birthday party - where they announce Robert Peel and his wife, as Baron Stockmar tells Prince Albert that he, Peel, will be the next prime minister - about a dozen times. I can't believe I didn't remember that.
I love the Henry V adaptation with Kenneth Branagh. Fun fact. JRR Tolkien despised Shakespeare. He wrote the story of Éowyn and the Witch King as a subversion of the prophecy from Macbeth.
His Henry V is better than the Olivier 1940's version.
@@elnick1000Naaaaah
Thats cool, Tolkien was a great story teller but his dialogue always needed a little work, maybe there was some of that in there. My favourite is Gandalf at the bridge turning to his mates "Look, there is the bridge, it is dangerous and narrow".
@@elnick1000 It is 45 years younger and not made at the height of the world's most devastating war for morale purposes. It is also, unlike Hamlet, heavily edited with whole scenes missing or re-purposed and other scenes imported from Henry IV Pts and 2 as flashbacks. They were made for different audiences and for different purposes.
In this case defining "better" is basically just defining personal taste and ignoring timeframe.
@@aaronleverton4221 You have a point, but even if we ignore the changes made to the text, Olivier's version demonstrates how the actors had little experience with film, and how Olivier, for all his genius, still thought of film as the same as stage but with a camera. That is obviously the case during the part of the film in which we're in the re-creation of the Globe, but it continues even when the action shifts to France (really Ireland).
For example, just before the St. Crispin's Day speech, all the other nobles are talking about the upcoming battle. They are lined up, facing the camera directly, exactly as if they were standing at the edge of the stage. It doesn't make any sense. Olivier had a basic understanding of cinematography; he could do a crane shot and elevate the camera during the speech's climax or a dolly shot during the cavalry charge (though the close-ups of the horses' mouths always get a laugh when I show the film in my courses). But for the most part, it was just "you guys perform your lines here and I'll set the camera up where I can get all of you in the frame."
He also had no idea of the effect color film would have. That's why, in the midst of that speech, we can see he's wearing green eye-shadow. Sorry, but that's distracting. Green make-up was used all the time in black and white films because it effectively created shadows that other colors wouldn't. (Lipstick was also often green because red didn't show up well in black and white.) But clearly Olivier didn't realize the audience would see it. Oops.
Of course, he was also limited by the technology of the time, so we can't blame him for the ludicrous special effect of the perfectly parallel arrows raining down on the French. But that doesn't explain other choices. All one has to do is compare the battle scene in the two films. Even though Olivier clearly didn't want the battle to look brutal (that was part of the propaganda), there's no excuse for making it look so silly. Branagh had a tiny fraction of the resources (he didn't have access to all those pre-D-Day GIs and Tommies Olivier was given), yet by using every trick he could think of -- sound design, close-ups, slow-motion, the absence and then sudden return of music -- he made the battle compelling. As someone said, all he could remember of the battle in Olivier's version was that there was a circus, and then a dance broke out on a golf-course. It doesn't help that the extras had no training and weren't exactly taking their roles seriously. My favorite is the guy on the horse who has a mace but never swings it; he just holds it out in front of him like a pointer. Meanwhile, Branagh films his battle under grey skies and in a field of mud; Olivier shoots his on an idyllic summer day and apparently wet down a small area of turf with a hose.
Finally, while I accept that the film's propagandistic purpose required Olivier to cut some scenes (like the confrontation with the English traitors), that purpose hurts it even in scenes that weren't cut. The performances could have reflected more anxiety without undercutting the ultimate message. When Salisbury says, after being informed they are outnumbered five to one, "'Tis a fearful odds," we hear no fear in his voice. He might as well have been talking about a football match. When Salisbury in Branagh's version says it, he's scared. And indeed, the rest of that passage, with the lords saying farewell to each other not knowing if they will ever meet again, has all the dramatic tension of the end of a night in a bowling league. The scene with Bates, Williams, and Court is an even better example. Olivier casts the role of the soldier who gives the crucial speech -- Michael Williams' reflection on how dead soldiers leave behind wives and children in presumed poverty and how the King will have to answer for it on Judgment Day -- with the youngest actor, practically a boy, whom we have trouble picturing with a wife or children, which turns the speech into something merely speculative. In Branagh's version, he gives it to a much older actor (ironically named Michael Williams), so that it becomes much more consequential. He is thinking of his actual wife and children.
You've made me want to see it again. I will understand and appreciate it much more this time. Thank you.
The analysis of the blocking (starting around 7:25) is great. This aspect of filmmaking is often overlooked, and the dance between the moving cameras and moving actors is as well executed as anything I've ever seen.
He has a whole video on the blocking in I, Claudius.
Kenneth is the best because he just loves what he does in such an unapologetic way and puts such dedication in his Shakespeare adaptations.
I've never liked Poirot, no matter how much I liked the actors who've played him, but I absolutely loved Brannagh's version. He brought out the ludicrousness of the character but not in a mocking way, and finally, for me, made the character likeable.
Not many men could get away with that moustache, either.
Masterpiece. One of the most audacious adaptation of Shakespeare. I love also Throne of blood, from Kurosawa.
Watched it last month because I knew a video would come sooner or later. Was glued for more than4 hours ( because of the visual beauty and also my slow comprehension of the Shakespearian dialogue) but enjoyed every minute. I would love if you also reviewed 12th fail, the modern the hindi language masterpiece , perfect in almost every filmaking aspect and would definately change your 2023 list. Love your content please never stop!!
"I have watched Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet many many times and not nearly enough."
I hear you. Time to watch it again. Excellent video about a brilliant movie.
i watched this film over and over when it first came out. I loved it ( and still do ) but never really analysed why. This brilliant review of the movie has made me look back at it again with renewed interest. I shall certainly be digging out my old DVD and sitting down again to watch it once or twice..... or ten/twenty times over the next six months... just like the old days. what a brilliant video about a brilliant film
Charlton Heston was a revelation in his role.
He did Shakespeare's Julius Caesar before and also 'Antonius and Cleopatra', but it seems that the latter is not that good, but maybe not because of Heston, who was a big Shakespeare fan and indeed very convincing in it apparently.
He did Shakespeare in the theatre for decades
Billy Crystal pleasantly surprised me, as well. He’s broad, but it fits the character and he’s not in the movie long enough to wear out his welcome.
@@gelchert indeed, he is well cast, I think the King's/Lord Chamberlain's Men must have had also such more 'slapstick' actors.
@@gelchertCrystal and Heston both absolutely delightful here
This is a great essay. Branagh’s version has always been my fav Hamlet. The direction, acting, cinematography, costumes, sets, everything on point. Wrote a paper on this adaptation in high school. I also had it on VHS, lol.
"Gertrude Come Away" - Brannagh's Henry V was my first experience with that play. My roommate and I watched it in college (many, many moons ago, when Kenneth was still "young"), and there was a line reading of "Can any of your neighbors tell?" that sent us scrambling to the text because it sounded so contemporary we couldn't believe it was written by Billy S. Sure enough, it was.
That is so interesting! I was disappointed too that at the end of Henry V that he put that silly "modern" scene. I too was surprised to find it vertical.
I’m a fan of Hamlet, remember seeing this and enjoying it. I’ve not seen it since, sadly. I happily say that I prefer Branagh to Olivier when comparing their Shakespeare films. Branagh’s work is much more natural, far less stagey. Sir Ken’s use of other stars in smaller roles is also excellent and not just jobs for his pals as many might have done. This review covers many excellent points; I didn’t imagine that I’d have stuck with this for half an hour, but somehow I did. I’ll look out for other posts that you’ve made. Well done!
I recently discovered this channel and have really been taken by its original takes on "greatest'", "best", "top", etc. The descriptions of the craft involved in the making of these films is fascinating. Hamlet (1996) may not be my personal "greatest", although it's a film I love, it certainly is worthy of being anyone's greatest.
A wonderful and insightful homage to a great film. Thank you! I have to add, the connection between the beginning of Branagh's Henry V and the opening of Ophuls' La Ronde!! How did I never catch this?! A thousand thanks!
We loved every minute of this!
Came here thinking this might be hyperbole. It was straight facts for the entire video. Kenneth Branagh's films made me love Shakespeare. I watched it for the first time in a Shakespeare class and the ghost scene was such a great moment I was hooked for the rest of the production. We had to break it over two days because it was so long, but I was excited for the second day.
Othello still makes me cry every time and is probably my favorite play overall though.
I saw that film too. I really love it. Every line they spoke, it's like my ears indulging a very delicious meal. And I love the costume and design. The acting is topnotch.
I'm only 10 minutes in but I have to stop and comment here. I've been a fan of this film for 25 years, and while don't consider it my favorite film of all time, it's certainly my favorite Shakespeare film by a very long way. I absolutely love that it is your favorite film though. What a case you make! I'm laughing out loud straight away with your brilliant clips commenting on your script...giggling from "Let us haste to hear it" and out and out laughing at "how absolute the knave is. We my speak by the card or equivocation will undo us." 😂 Brilliant video essay! My god I'm loving every second of this. What a proper thing. I'll shut up and keep watching now! Liked and subbed!
Alright, alright. You've convinced me. I will now hold my favorite Shakespeare adaptation in even higher regard! It's actually been quite a while since I watched it though tbh, so you've definitely reminded me that that is something I should do.
Awwwww, you managed to make me watery-eyed at the end of a movie review, you glorious f*ck.
I loved this review so much
Hear, Hear... I whole-heartedly agree.
I saw it by myself, in the theatre when it came out. My partner could not stand the thought of a four hour movie.
That one is gone now; but Hamlet, Shakespeare and Branagh remain and are my three favorites. The Character, the writer and this movie.
THANK YOU FOR THIS !!! I haven't seen this version of Hamlet but I will now .
I remember seeing this in the theatre nearly 30 years ago. I wasn't much of a fan of the Bard, but I was a fan of Branagh. This has stood the test of time with one of the best all star casts ever assembled.in modern cinema. Great video !
This is astonishingly good movie and performance of a Hamlet. It is gorgeous in every way possible… what a feast of an experience to be absorbed in…Masterpiece…
I remember watching this on DVD back when I was in highschool and I loved it!. It's really just so lavish and the cast is INSANE.
Derek Jacobi is one of the sweetest, most humble, most un-stuffy actors, and I had the joy of watching him do a casual scriptreading live at a Doctor Who con (of all things) last February. normally, they book a Doctor actor or three, but this time they booked the Master instead. And he wasn't the least bit embarrassed about being on a cheesy scifi show instead of Shakespeare - he was delighted!
He's come back to record more audiodramas with the character, with the clever premise that the Master (the villain) pretends to be the Doctor (the hero), imitating his nemesis with a sort of sly humor, mocking, and grudging admiration the natives don't pick up on, only to let them down in order to sully his rival's reputation. He is so GOOD at being lovable and projecting innocence which you know is a villain putting on an act, and yet you believe and like him, and yet under the veneer he's ruthless...
and here he was doing it with glasses and a frumpy sweater riffling through a script he'd recorded a few years ago, picking out members of the audience with little or no acting experience for the other characters and inspiring them to be not entirely bad, then killing them off in various diabolical ways and having a BALL.
Er. I don't know where I was going with that but anyway Derek Jacobi is incredibly lovable and talented, and I need another ten years to watch everything ge's ever done.
I mean there's an obvious answer to the difference of favorite and best film and you kind of touch on it by mentioning Narrative, Form, Style, Quality as critical factors. People are emotional creatures and they will have different interests. It's emotion versus reason. Even factors that you can measure objectively will be interpreted differently by people who have a personal and emotional attachment to the film in question. If asked what the BEST movie is, a person should probably look primarily at the factors you mentioned and the content should ideally be looked at from multiple perspectives instead of just one's personal sensibilities. Meanwhile the question of a FAVORITE film is directly digging at the person's interests that go beyond criteria or form. Movies are of course more than the sum of their parts and that's usually how someone picks their favorite, even when they are irrational picks.
This video makes me want to study the art of film making so I can enjoy movies as much as you do. You have such enthusiasm.
Yup! Love Hamlet too- Kenneth Branagh's version. I was lucky enough to see it in a theatre with a balcony. And while thinking of Branagh's movies- I also love Dead Again- and you get Emma Thompson and Derek Jacobi ( and Robin Williams) for extra measure.
Act IV scene IV. It's my favorite in the play and my favorite interpretation from an actor is Branaugh's from this movie. And I agree with you about the movie overall. I had seen four stage performances of Hamlet and Oliviers film, but when I watched this movie I saw scenes that I had never seen performed before. The movie would deserve greatness just for that, but it delivers so much more!
I've never noticed some of the things that you mentioned here. Maybe I did subconsciously and that's why I like the film so much but I've never noticed some of the things that you said. Great freaking video.
It’s been in my top 5 since it was released, and I never even thought about how technically fantastic it is. Thanks for this. :)
The best film is my favorite film: Aguirre Wrath of God.
Also, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is a great choice.
I love your channel. It’s like a retreat for me to go to every once in a while.
When you announced you made the longest video I should have known what it was about. And this DOESN'T FEEL LONG AT ALL. It's an amazing video.
I've read Hamlet a few time and only at the most recent read (plus listening to the audiobook from Naxos) that it really touches me and becomes kind of revealing, so many new emotions and realization.
Plan to watch this asap (turned it on and off so many times in the last few years, the Olivier's is the only film production I've seen. Now you've convinced me to try this again.)
I think I should also watch more Charlton Heston's movies. Didn't really know how good of a dramatic actor he was until I saw Ben-Hur, and I didn't know he was in this!!! So many familiar faces!!!
Come back to send a huge THANK YOU for championing this film. Constant mouth-dropping moments throughout the film. What is this masterpiece 😭 He KEN do everything.
I truly hope this video blows up and more people will find out your channel so they can be convinced to watch all of these great movies. (The top 'reviews' on my letterboxd are so dreadful, many people say they watch this for class and don't feel it. Maybe their teachers should find out about this video and add in the materials recommendation, too 😭 do this film justice.)
That John Wiles Booth line got me to subscribe. Well done!
Ok, I watched this when it first came out on VHS, now you have convinced me that I must have the 4K version in my collection 😊
Just found your channel, happy I did. I loved this Hamlet and have be thinking about it lately, and your video has inspired me to watch it again soon, and with a better appreciation of how it was filmed. Agree completely about Derek Jacobi the most brilliant Shakespeare actor. But as soon as I finished watching this video I knew i had to immediately watch him being the worst one on that wonderful episode of Frasier! I've subscribed, and love forward to going through your other videos.
I saw this when it came out in NYC at one of those really posh old theaters. God it was gorgeous. I had long been a fan of Branagh's work, specifically his Shakespeare adaptions to film. Much Ado About Nothing is one of my favorite summertime feel-good movies of all time, but yes this Hamlet is a spectacular production.
Agree - I have not got a year without watching Much Ado at least once. It's a sun-soaked lemon pastry of a movie.
@@CinHotlanta Perfect description; love your way with words.
Brilliant critique. The film is a masterpiece ( and masterclass ). Jacobi is, as ever, superlative - saw him as Hamlet at the Old Vic in '79. A superlative Claudius here - and in the BBC's I, Claudius. In fact he's wonderful in literally everything - from Lord Fawn in The Pallisers to Alan Buttershaw in Last Tango In Halifax.
I rarely subscribe to channels, because I want the algorithm to feed me new things every day. But this analysis is so well done that I had to hit the subscribe button
A huge Hamlet fan here. I've seen it on stage several times and watched most of the film versions. I watched this version in the movie theater, alone, and kept thinking they would forget I was there and turn it off. Great film, but all of the cameos were VERY distracting and I haven't viewed it since. Based on your take, it may deserve another watch. Thanks for the video.
Ken Branagh was always a showman, and this film rolls it all into a single, marvellous performance.
What an excellent video. I now HAVE to watch this movie.
I watched it last year. I think what impressed me the most about it - was how well directed it was Branagh, and I liked a lot of his previous films(Henry V and Dead Again). I think it wasn't constrained by the source material and really used the medium of film to its full effect - especially with the 70 mm - this film had real scope. I think Branagh's best film to date.
Thank you. This is always my answer for that question about your favorite movie. I started with the two VHS set, and now have the two disc set. I've watched it at least a couple dozen times.
Finally, I've been dying to hear your thoughts on this and as an aspiring film director you've taught me so much, thank you
Damn. Never thought of watching this. I can see from your analysis that it is a masterpiece. I will watch nit this weekend. Thanks.
You have articulated everything I have felt put could not put into words. Luckily I have the DVD and can watch it again. I agree with everything you have said about Jacobi BTW!
I'm a Tempest girl, myself, but I admit Hamlet is right up there.
Thank you for mentioning Patrick Doyle's music. It's a crime that he hasn't been Oscar nominated.
Branagh announced he would be directing this at a showing of In the Deep Mid winter in Boston. He'd been told that he could make the movie of Hamlet, but it had to be shorter than Gone with the Wind, which he said it would be, "but only _just_ !"
I’ve always liked this film. It is like being at the Globe (it is what your mind fills in when you think about such a superbly wriiten work paired this amazing performances)
What a fun and concise overview! Thank you. 😊
I saw it with friends in 1996 and have seen it many times since. We were all playing Hamlet for a week afterward and carrying the book around. I slipped into Peter O'Toole, then Gary Oldman, and later Klaus Kinski, and we laughed a lot and wept. Your treatment of the film was very enjoyable. It's been a while; I need to watch it again. Thanks.
This was a delightful watch, I've never thought of King Lear fans as a bunch of no good punks but now I know better. Great selection of shots and excellent breakdown of its merits, I stopped several times and thought "I have to watch Hamlet immediately".
I agree with so much of this and yet I can’t agree with the thesis. One, I think there are movies you can love irrespective of their quality because of outside associations, someone you watched it with or the circumstances you first saw it in. Movies that remind me of my father or friends I’ve lost touch with are among my favorites even though I know they aren’t objectively good. Also, Kenneth Branagh drives me crazy because in all of his Shakespeare adaptations his delivery swings between being so perfect you can’t imagine another way for that line to be delivered better, and being so dull and meandering that it fails to communicate so drastically that I wonder if he even knows what the words he is saying means. His To Be or Not to Be speech is objectively one of the worst I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a TON of them. That said, I love this movie for its epic scope and its ambition and the fact that my best friend in jr high and I went to see it in the theatre and we were the only people there. Anyway love the channel, even when we disagree on some point or another. Please keep up the excellent work.
Haven't seen the video yet, i'll save it for later.
That being said, this film is superb. Yes, it has a lot of the almost incomprehensible Shakespeare dialogue, but it's an adaptation that just goes all the way like no other i've ever seen.
You can feel Kenneth Branagh's passion for Shakespeare's work, and i find it contagious.
I'd just wish films like this weren't the exception, but then again, this kind of commitment is an exception too.
And anybody that wants to see it, i personally read a book that made an analysis of Hamlet and his influence in law. It helped me comprehend the story better, and i enjoyed the movie a lot more because of it.
Thank you for the comment, and do you remember the name of the book? It got me curious!
@@Moviewise The book is called "Del caos al imperio del derecho" (literally, From chaos to the empire of law), by Emilia Jocelyn-Holt (2018), she was my teacher in law school.
The book talks about Hamlet in the 5th chapter, though it's in spanish and i doubt there's any translation.
Still, here's some bibliography she used:
-Shakespeare: the invention of the human, Harold Bloom (1998)
-Shakespearean tragedy, A.C. Bradley (1904)
-The meaning of Shakespeare, H.C. Goddard (1951)
-A thousand times more fair: What Shakespeare's plays teach us about justice, Kenji Yoshino (2011)
In summary, she argues that Hamlet represents an evolution in the idea of justice and law practice. Centuries ago, revenge used to be a commonly accepted way of resolving conflicts, and Hamlet goes for a different solution instead: he gathers evidence (he plots the play that represents his uncle's crime and pays attention to his reaction, and then follows him and hears him confess), shows his investigation to the public (the whole fencing duel scene, where his uncle tries to poison him and kills the queen by accident, plus the poison in the sword, all of this makes his guilt evident to the public), and after all this he carries out the sentence (death: he does it himself because there's no other who can do it at that point).
It's more detailed than that but that's the short version. It made me realize how genius this piece of work is.
There's a lot of investigation in Law & Literature, and Shakespeare is one of the most cited and analyzed authors. Very good academic stuff.
@@fernandoparadacastillo5901 That's fascinating! Thank you very much! And for the bibliography!
I watched it the day i got it on VHS (Christmas programming was pretty dire 30 years ago, so a 4 hour film was ideal). I still have it. Amazing film. The mirrored 'To be or not to be' scene is the absolute best adaptation of that scene i've ever seen.
Well, this is a pleasant surprise of the breakdown of KB's Hamlet. Very nice as Borat would say 👌👍
I saw this film when I was like 12 years old. The VHS caught my attention. I still love that cover. I didn't get the film at all, but I kinda liked it. It felt like it lasted the whole afternoon. It was a good day
This came out when I was in 12th grade. We were reading Hamlet in English class at the exact time and had a class trip to see it.
Subscribed for the John Wilkes Booth line alone!
If I had a nickel for every time you made a video about a piece of media in which Derek Jacobi plays a guy named Claudius, I’d have two nickels, which isnt a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Aye, Claudius.
I was too old by the time Phineas & Ferb came out to really get in to it, but I happen to know that line you're referencing of Dr. Doofenshmirtz (yes, I looked all those names up 😂).
I've seen variations off that quote several times this week for the first time- which is just further proof to me that we're living in the Matrix and the algorithms are getting lazy!
"There's something strangely ballsy about hiring Brian Blessed and only having him speak through whispers"
THIS! I was thinking exactly this a moment before you said it.
#DIVE
I love this film and I'm glad to see it get some appreciation, especially since I've seen a lot of people knock it for being a vanity project of late. I mean, I can understand people finding it overblown, but how are you going to discount Jacobi's incredible Claudius, Kate Winslet's devastating Ophelia, Heston killing it in the small role as the Player King, the way it builds a sense of claustrophobia in broad daylight and bright gold-white surfaces?