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Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Release Date:
8 February 1991 (USA)
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Plot:
Two minor characters from the play, "Hamlet" stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins
&
1 nomination
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User Comments:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, victims of circumstance...
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Gary Oldman | ... | Rosencrantz | |
| Tim Roth | ... | Guildenstern | |
| Richard Dreyfuss | ... | The Player | |
| Livio Badurina | ... | Tragedian | |
| Tomislav Maretic | ... | Tragedian | |
| Mare Mlacnik | ... | Tragedian | |
| Serge Soric | ... | Tragedian (as Srdjan Soric) | |
| Mladen Vasary | ... | Tragedian | |
| Zeljko Vukmirica | ... | Tragedian | |
| Branko Zavrsan | ... | Tragedian | |
| Joanna Roth | ... | Ophelia | |
| Iain Glen | ... | Hamlet | |
| Donald Sumpter | ... | Claudius | |
| Joanna Miles | ... | Gertrude | |
| Ljubo Zecevic | ... | Osric |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
117 min
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L |
South Korea:12 |
Australia:PG |
Finland:K-8 |
Germany:12 |
UK:PG |
USA:PG (certificate #30638)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The pieces of paper blowing around throughout the course of the movie are actually the pages of the Latin Vulgate Bible, as can be seen on the close-up of Rosencrantz's apple pinwheel (specifically, The Prophecy of Zacharias, chapter 8).
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the boat scene starts, at the end of the movie, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves in a darkened room. Here Rosencrantz lights a match, which is obviously the only source of light in the room, but yet we can see the shadow cast on the wall by his hand holding the match.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are riding horses down a path - they pause]
Rosencrantz: [to Guildenstern] Umm, uh...
[Guildenstern rides away, and Rosencrantz follows. Rosencrantz spots a gold coin on the ground]
Rosencrantz: [to horse] Whoa - whoa, whoa.
[Gets off horse and starts flipping the coin]
Rosencrantz: Hmmm. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads.
[Guildenstern grabs the coin, checks both sides, then tosses it back to Rosencrantz]
Rosencrantz: Heads.
[Guildenstern pulls a coin out of his own pocket and flips it]
[...]
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[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are riding horses down a path - they pause]
Rosencrantz: [to Guildenstern] Umm, uh...
[Guildenstern rides away, and Rosencrantz follows. Rosencrantz spots a gold coin on the ground]
Rosencrantz: [to horse] Whoa - whoa, whoa.
[Gets off horse and starts flipping the coin]
Rosencrantz: Hmmm. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads.
[Guildenstern grabs the coin, checks both sides, then tosses it back to Rosencrantz]
Rosencrantz: Heads.
[Guildenstern pulls a coin out of his own pocket and flips it]
[...]
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Starfighters (#7.12)" (1994)
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Soundtrack:
Seamus
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FAQ
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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was one of my favourite films whilst growing up. The movie follows two irrelevant characters (irrelevant in that although they served a significant purpose, their characters were not developed in any depth... Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as individuals, were relatively unimportant) through one of the most renowned stories ever told (Hamlet). It is a film about two characters that are completely unaware of the magnitude of the events taking place around them. This carries on throughout the entire film, and is also evidenced in their accidental discoveries of significant historical scientific findings (such as the steam engine or the concept of gravity). The characters stumble their way through the film, unaware of the consequences to their actions or their significance or importance.
The characters spend the entire film coming to terms with their existence. Shakespeare didn't provide any detailed character development of either Rosencrantz or Guildenstern, and as such, they are left confused as to the purpose of their own existence.
The film also looks at the concept of a predetermined destiny. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's fate is already determined before the film begins. And although they play an important role in one of the greatest stories ever told, they are completely unaware of their destiny; they are merely victims of circumstance.
I should also note that the constant banter between the two characters (specifically in their 'Game of Questions') is pure quality.