Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead

Patrons will either love or hate this adaptation of Tom Stoppard's play (directed by Stoppard himself) which puts a theatre of the absurd spin on Shakespeare's classic Hamlet. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth play the title characters, and as the film opens, they are bound for Elsinore castle in response to a summons from the king and queen. As they meander along, they dabble in metaphysical questions about the nature of reality--not from the point of view of two probing philosophers, but rather as borderline dolts. Along the way they meet a band of wandering players, led by Richard Dreyfuss, who are also on their way to Elsinore. Once in the castle, the dialogue alternates between straight Shakespeare--as the play "Hamlet" is occurring--and R & G's gloss on the action in the wings. From beginning to end, the film is one elaborate literary conceit that puts a human face on two of the most obscure, and most written about characters, in all of Shakespeare. It is, in some respects, an extended Abbott and Costello routine for connoisseurs of literature. Yet, this winner of a Best Film award at the Venice Film Festival also contains some of the best visual gags I've seen all year. Running throughout the film is Rosencrantz's accidental discovery of scientific concepts (in one scene he idly lifts one of three hanging seed-filled gourds and lets it drop--starting the other two gourds in perpetual motion. When he tries to show Guildenstern, however, the gourd breaks.) Even though Buena Vista Home Video (i.e. Disney) is a big name, this may not be a big seller to the video store market--but it's a perfect choice for libraries. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--April 5, 2005--Image, 2 discs, 140 min., PG, $24.99--Making its first appearance on DVD, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead has a great-looking transfer (considering the film is 15 years old) and comes with DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby Digital 2.0 options, as well as bonus materials that include interviews with writer/director Tom Stoppard (59 min.) and costars Gary Oldman (59 min.), Richard Dreyfuss (46 min.), and Tim Roth (33 min.), and a still gallery. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent film.] [DVD/Blu-ray Review—Jan. 26, 2016—RLJ, 118 min., PG, DVD: $14.98, Blu-ray: $29.98—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1990's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead sports a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Bonus features new to this release include a '25th Anniversary' interview with director Tom Stoppard (56 min.). Extras carried over from the previous release include interviews with Stoppard (59 min.) and costars Gary Oldman (59 min.), Richard Dreyfuss (46 min.), and Tim Roth (33 min.). Bottom line: this rousing adaptation of Stoppard's classic play makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]