Hamlet

Kenneth Branagh has, unquestionably, become the singlemost important figure in spearheading the Shakespeare renaissance of the 1990's. In his fifth appearance in a Shakespearean play in nearly as many years, Branagh--dare I say it--goes boldly where no Mel has gone before in delivering the most complex and innovative portrayal of Hamlet yet seen. Accompanied by a powerhouse cast, which includes his mentor Derek Jacobi as the king, Julie Christie as the queen, and Kate Winslet as Ophelia (with wonderful bit parts by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Jack Lemmon, and a cameo by Sir John Gielgud), Branagh strides across the early industrial Danish landscape like a colossus, summoning--as needed--the strength, wavering indecision, near madness, and tortured genius of Hamlet with seemingly innate facility. The only flaw in this otherwise pure cinematic pearl lies in Branagh's (who also serves behind the camera as director) occasionally ill-advised choices to add too much scenery and special effects, which detract from Shakespeare's prose and the actors' delivery. Otherwise, this is highly recommended. Note: this should have been rated "PG-13." (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Sept. 4, 2007—Warner, 2 discs, 242 min., PG-13, $26.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1996's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition) sports a great transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include an introduction by director/star Kenneth Branagh (8 min.), audio commentary by Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson, a “To Be On Camera: A History with Hamlet” featurette (25 min.), a vintage Cannes promo from 1996 (12 min.), and a trailer gallery for Shakespeare movies. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent cinematic adaptation of the Bard's most famous play.][Blu-ray Review—Aug. 31, 2010—Warner, 242 min., PG-13, $34.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1996's Hamlet sports a good transfer with uncompressed PCM stereo sound. Packaged in a 37-page full-color digi-book, Blu-ray extras are identical to the DVD release, including an introduction by director/star Kenneth Branagh (8 min.), audio commentary by Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson, a “To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet” featurette (25 min.), a vintage Cannes promo from 1996 (12 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray debut of the best contemporary filming of the Bard's classic play.]