I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Touches You

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Hamlet is a take on William Shakespeare's classic play that Sir Laurence Olivier directed and starred in. The film won Sir Laurence Olivier two Oscars- one for his acting and one for best picture due to his producing role in the production of the film. Olivier also appeared in an earlier best picture winner, 1940's Rebecca directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Hamlet was the second film that Olivier directed and his second Shakespearean adaptation. Olivier is considered one of the greatest actors of the 20th century and this version of Hamlet is considered his seminal work. Olivier was the first film actor to be elevated to peerage (knighted) for his work in film by the queen. While Olivier obtained four Oscars during his long and prolific career, Hamlet is the only film for which he won a best actor award. Olivier's other Oscars besides the two for Hamlet, came from a special award for his work on his first film, Henry V, and a lifetime achievement award given to the knighted actor in 1978. Hamlet is also the first film that we have reviewed where the director was also the leading actor in the film. While Olivier did not win the directing award, his achievement of directing a best picture where he also won best actor clearly solidifies his place in the annuls of Oscar history. While the previous two films we have viewed from the 1940's dealt with the post-war malaise in American culture and the despicable rise of anti-Semitism in America in the 1940's, Hamlet pivots away from reality and takes a stab at the escapist entertainment of the golden age of Hollywood. This import marked the first non-American film to win best picture and was the first film version of Hamlet to include sound. There have been seven post-war versions of Hamlet including this 1948 version, "Grigori Kozintsev's 1964 Russian adaptation; a film of the John Gielgud-directed 1964 Broadway production, Richard Burton's Hamlet, which played limited engagements that same year; Tony Richardson's 1969 version (the first in color), Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 version starring Mel Gibson; Kenneth Branagh's full-text 1996 version; and Michael Almereyda's 2000 modernization starring Ethan Hawke". While I had seen a few of the other aforementioned adaptations, this was my first time watching this 1948 version. While many of the shots in this depiction of Hamlet seem staged like the theatrical production, it takes the introduction of phantasmagoria to become more abstract. Using close-up angles and fog, Olivier symbolizes the arrival of Hamlet's father's ghost. The special effects in the film held up well to modern standards in most scenes, with only the shots of the entire castle suffering from a lack of CGI or expensive budget. On a somewhat related note, the voice of his father's ghost coming from the helmet of his armor reminded me of how George Lucas styled Darth Vader in Star Wars. Perhaps Lucas drew inspiration from this Olivier film.Without writing too much of a book report on Hamlet, whose plot and subject matter is some of the most well-known in the entire cannon of English literature, I will instead focus on the cinematic elements. This cerebral story, with many soliloquies and internal dialogue, has a tendency to drag a bit. With limited action for periods of time, the movie is largely saved by the peaks of action including flashes of violence and emotion. The acting is superb at parts, but does show flourishes of melodrama typical of earlier films. Additionally, the sometimes dragging moments are disrupted by the hits of the Shakespearean dialogue with a performance of the "To Be or Not to Be" Monologue delivered with Olivier's incredible acting chops. Besides Olivier, the real star of this film is the soundtrack. Between the brilliant score played by the orchestra, the sound effects in the form of heartbeats and gusty corridors add tremendously to moments of introspection and eeriness. Overall, I found Hamlet to be a very traditional yet innovative portrayal of Shakespeare's source material. While the play was cut down to deliver a film 2.5 hours long, it still captured the major action and dialogue for which Hamlet is known. In full honesty, Shakespearean English is not my favorite and watching this film was a little bit of a chore. Fortunately, there were sword fights and murder to break up the dense dialogue. Unfortunately, the film ceases to cross the line from cinema to entertainment for my particular tastes. Olivier's performance and direction breathed life into the already dramatic story and the themes of betrayal and loss are timeless motifs that will remain relevant for all time. With that said, in order to truly enjoy this film you really need to commit with both of your love of literature as well as the melodramatic style of 1940's cinema.

One of the greatest films of all time. Olivier creates a perfect setting, the castle is vast yet intimate. Magnificent score camerawork and lighting. Benefits from discarding minor characters Fortinbras, Rozencratz, etc. Film gives you real sense of Hamlet's confusion. He doesn't want the responsibilities of kingship. Can't agree with Horatio at the end, that Hamlet would have made a great King. Too indecisive. Hamlet or Shakespeare have never been bettered on the screen

When shown in my Shakespeare on Film class last semester, this version of Hamlet did not play well. My classmates laughed at several of Olivier's dramatics, Jean Simmons' overdone Ophelia, and the ghost which they considered "campy". They came to the conclusion that the film was badly dated and, as one girl put it, "Laurence Olivier couldn't act his way out of a paper bag". That statement's a bit ridiculous and my classmates showed a great deal of immaturity, but I will say even I was disappointed with this version of Hamlet.It's a good movie no doubt about that: Olivier was right to shoot the film in black-and-white as it adds to the foreboding atmosphere. The sets are minimalist, which might come across as stagey to some but I think it added to the mood. The transitions are remarkable tracking shoots that go through the shadowy labyrinth that is Elsinore Castle, reflecting Hamlet's indecisive state of mind. The overall feel reminded me of a German expressionist film from the 1920s, and I enjoyed that very much.As far as adaptations go, this one slims down the text significantly. Most notably, the political aspect of the play is eradicated, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern make no appearance. The whole movie runs two and a half hours. I honestly had no problem with how the play was adapted. Olivier still covers the major themes of the original, so a few subplots getting cut did not offend me too much.Olivier's interpretation of the title character did not impress. His Hamlet is much too inactive. No one denies that Hamlet is an introspective fellow, but Olivier seems to have forgotten he is an impulsive man as well. Poor Jean Simmons is miscast as Ophelia and gives the weakest portrayal in the film. She obviously had no clue what she was doing. Honestly, Olivier would have been better off casting his wife Vivien Leigh, an amazing actress who had much experience dealing with Shakespeare. Everyone else does fine in their parts, though no one really stands out.This film's influence cannot be denied and despite all my criticism, this is worth seeing. The cinematography and atmosphere are stunning (these two elements are what make the film for me), but I cannot say this is the definitive Hamlet.

I do like very much like Kenneth Branagh's film especially for Derek Jacobi's Claudius. However, I consider this perhaps the best Hamlet. The first hour or so is a little slow moving I agree, but I had no real problem with the pace generally with everything else so good. The film is incredibly well made for starters with moody lighting, very interesting and well thought out camera angles and sumptuous costumes and settings. The music is resolutely haunting which suits the complex tone of the play and film more than very well. The writing is outstanding though if I have any criticisms I also agree the soliloquies don't quite work out as they could. Olivier's direction is hard to fault and he is brilliant in the title role. He gets strong performances from a fine cast the best being Norman Wooland's Horatio and Jean Simmons' Orphelia. Basil Sidney's Claudius is also very good, but I marginally prefer Jacobi in the role. All in all, may have one or two minor flaws but these don't stop this Hamlet from being one of the better Shakespeare films I've seen. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox