IMDb > Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
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Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   9,516 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Tom Stoppard
Writer:
Tom Stoppard (written by)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1991 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
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
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 wins & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, victims of circumstance... more (109 total)

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
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
117 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #30638)
Filming Locations:
Brezice, Slovenia more
Company:
Brandenberg more

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). more
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. more
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]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Starfighters (#7.12)" (1994) more
Soundtrack:
Seamus more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
43 out of 46 people found the following comment useful.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, victims of circumstance..., 13 July 2004
9/10
Author: Blair_The_Critic from Perth, Australia

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.

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Would you like to play a game of questions? FeloniousPhunk
sequel? johnsohn
Gary Oldman is HOT in this movie!!!!! briar-rose-2
Roger Ebert's Review Johnny-1810
I am going crazy trying to remember... pearlofgreatvalue19
Flute Scene? opeth-
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