Hamlet (1948)

Synopsis: Before Kenneth Branagh, before Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier gave the definitive portrayal of "the man who could not make up his mind." In 15th-century Denmark, young Prince Hamlet is racked by... Before Kenneth Branagh, before Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier gave the definitive portrayal of "the man who could not make up his mind." In 15th-century Denmark, young Prince Hamlet is racked by torment and indecision after seeing a vision of his deceased father. The late king's ghost informs his son Hamlet that Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, was responsible for murdering the king. When the murderer married Hamlet's mother--the king's widow--scarcely two months after his funeral, he also took the throne that was his brother's. The ghost beseeches Hamlet to avenge him--yet Hamlet procrastinates, unsure of how best to accomplish his task. In what was only his second directorial effort, Olivier uses his misty, moody set and long tracking camera shots to complement his indecisive prince tortured by the murder of his father. Olivier's version of the Shakespeare tragedy eliminates the characters of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Fortinbras. [More]

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Basil Sydney, Felix Aylmer

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Basil Sydney, Felix Aylmer, Norman Wooland, Terence Morgan, Peter Cushing, Stanley Holloway, Sterling Holloway, John Laurie, Esmond Knight, Anthony Quayle, Niall MacGinnis, Harcourt Williams, Patrick Troughton, Eileen Herlie

Director: Laurence Olivier

Director: Laurence Olivier
Screenwriter: Alan Dent
Story: William Shakespeare
Composer: William Walton
Producer: Laurence Olivier

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