Review of Hamlet (1996) by Andrew F — 15 Oct 2007
By film standards the play is massively too long, but that's the fault of the two mediums, not Branagh. What is his fault is the editing, which veers from brilliantly Lynch-ish to continuity-breaking, and his acting, which also swerves from exceptional to hammy shouting. Jacobi as the King and Farrell as Horatio really stand out, but that's balanced out by some dire cameos - Williams is camp and Attenborough on the screen for so short a time that before your interest is piqued he's off again.
The production design is almost too much to take in, and the main hall seems to become a character in its own right.
Branagh seemed to have one foot in a filmed stage version, and another in a proper film interpretation. It'd reward repeat viewings, but take a comfy chair!
This review of Hamlet (1996) was written by Andrew F on 15 Oct 2007.
Hamlet has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
