Hamlet (1996)

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 1998 Filmcritic.com

The jury is in. The authentic version of Hamlet, four hours long to the minute, is suitable for children 13 and up. Kenneth Branagh has created an intricate version of the Bard's masterpiece, by including every word of the text. The runtime? Yes, it's long, but you'd be surprised how fast it goes by, a testament to the incredible source material Branagh got to work with. The cast is outstanding and unlikely to be replicated anytime soon, and the technical work is amazing. If you have to watch Hamlet at home instead of on stage, this is the version to check out.

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Rating

4.0 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Richard Attenborough, Brian Blessed, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Briers, Julie Christie, Judi Dench, Gérard Depardieu, Reece Dinsdale, Ken Dodd, Rob Edwards, Nicholas Farrell, Ray Fearon, John Gielgud, Ravil Issyanov, Derek Jacobi, Jack Lemmon, Michael Maloney, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Spall, Robin Williams, Kate Winslet
  • Producer: David Barron
  • Screenwriter: Kenneth Branagh
  • Stars: Kenneth Branagh
  • MPAA Rating: PG-13