Hamlet: Encyclopedia II - Hamlet - Hamlet in cinema and TV

Hamlet - Hamlet in cinema and TV

According to the Internet Movie Database there have been 22 theatrically released movies entitled Hamlet, plus another 16 made for TV. Another 50 productions have included this name as part of the title or have used a foreign language variation of the name.

Hamlet - Straight adaptations

• The first Hamlet film was Le Duel d'Hamlet, produced and directed by Clément Maurice in France in 1900, and starring Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet (reprising her stage role). Pierre Magnier played Laertes.
• The DVD collection Silent Shakespeare is an anthology of early silent Shakespeare shorts, and includes a scene from Hamlet.
• Hamlet (1948), directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. The cast includes Patrick Troughton as the Player King, Eileen Herlie as Gertrude, Stanley Holloway as the gravedigger, Peter Cushing as Osric, Felix Aylmer as Polonius, Terence Morgan as Laertes, John Gielgud as the uncredited voice of the ghost, and Christopher Lee as an uncredited spear carrier.
  • Received four Academy Awards:
    • Best Picture - Laurence Olivier, producer
    • Best Actor - Laurence Olivier as Hamlet
    • Best Costume Design (Black and White) - Roger K. Furse
    • Best Art Direction and Set Decoration (Black and White) - Carmen Dillon and Roger K. Furse
  • It was nominated for a further three awards
    • Best Director - Laurence Olivier
    • Best Supporting Actress - Jean Simmons as Ophelia
    • Best Music Score - William Walton
• The Bad Sleep Well (1960). This Japanese movie, directed by Akira Kurosawa is inspired by Hamlet, set in post-war Japan.
• Hamlet (1960), directed by Franz Peter Wirth. This is a German television production. Hamlet is played by Maximilian Schell. The English dubbing of King Claudius is by Ricardo Montalban and Polonius by John Banner The extremely low quality of the production, along with the English over-dubbing, has earned this version a reputation as one of the poorest adaptations of the play. This is illustrated by its use in a 10th-season episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
• Hamlet (1969), directed by Tony Richardson. Hamlet is played by Nicol Williamson, Claudius by Anthony Hopkins, and Ophelia by Marianne Faithfull
• Angel of Revenge/Female Hamlet (1976), a Turkish movie directed by Metin Erksan. Hamlet, as a female character, is played by the actress Fatma Girik. The setting is updated to a Turkish village.
• Hamlet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1990). Hamlet is played by Mel Gibson, Gertrude by Glenn Close, Polonius by Ian Holm, and Ophelia by Helena Bonham Carter
• Hamlet (1996), directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. This is a "full text" version, which is over 4 hours in length. The setting is updated to the 19th century. Claudius is played by Derek Jacobi, Gertrude by Julie Christie, and Ophelia by Kate Winslet.
• Hamlet, directed by Michael Almereyda (2000). The setting is updated to modern Manhattan. Hamlet is played by Ethan Hawke, Polonius by Bill Murray, and Ophelia by Julia Stiles.

Hamlet - Films that reference Hamlet

Note: a number of films have also used lines from Hamlet's soliloquy as film titles. See To be, or not to be for a list of these films.

• A King in New York (1957), directed by Charlie Chaplin includes a scene in which Chaplin recites the "to be or not to be" speech, and is arguably on a par with other famous renditions.
• Tom Stoppard's popular play and movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead depicts the two title characters contemplating their roles as minor players in a bigger drama. Occasional scenes are taken directly from Hamlet.
• Hamlet Goes Business (Hamlet liikemaailmassa) (1987) by Aki Kaurismäki is a comic reworking of the story as a power struggle in a rubber duck factory.
• Episode 43 of Monty Python's Flying Circus (1974) is entitled Hamlet.
• The comedy Strange Brew (1983) is loosely based on Hamlet. Among other jokes, scenes takes place at Elsinore Brewery.
• The Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) character General Chang, a Klingon officer, was a Shakespeare aficionado, and opined that Shakespearian works were best experienced in the "original" Klingon. Indeed, science fiction linguist Mark Okrand published a Klingon translation of Hamlet. The Klingon version of the famous quote, which Chang recites, is taH pagh taHbe.
• Hamlet features strongly in the film Renaissance Man, in which Danny DeVito's character uses its plot and characters to introduce a group of under-achieving soldiers to critical thinking.
• The Simpsons offered a shortened version of Hamlet in the episode "Tales from the Public Domain". The cast was as follows:
  • Homer Simpson as King Hamlet
  • Bart Simpson as Hamlet
  • Moe Szyslak as King Claudius
  • Marge Simpson as Queen Gertrude
  • Chief Wiggum as Polonius
  • Lisa Simpson as Ophelia
  • Ralph Wiggum as Laertes
  • Carl Carlson as Rosencrantz ("Rosencarl")
  • Lenny Leonard as Guildenstern ("Guildenlenny")
• The Brak Show referenced the basic plot of Hamlet in the episode "Braklet, Prince of Spaceland". In the episode, Brak's father is killed by Zorak, who also hypnotizes Brak's mother into believing that the two are married. Brak's father appears as a ghost, and informs Brak what has happened. Brak goes insane and makes a movie of the murder, which he shows to Zorak.
• There was an episode of South Park in which Terrance and Philip's professional relationship failed, resulting in one of them moving to Canada to become a Shakespearean actor, subsequently performing Hamlet with other Canadian actors, with the ending of the play being shown in the episode.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Hamlet in cinema and TV", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki