Royal Deceit (1994)
"Prince of Jutland" (original title)

This re-telling of Hamlet goes back to the original Danish source material. The opening scenario remains the same: Hamlet's father murdered by his brother who then weds the widowed mother. ... See full summary »

Director:

Gabriel Axel

Writers:

Gabriel Axel (screenplay), Erik Kjersgaard (screenplay),

Stars:

Gabriel Byrne, Helen Mirren, Christian Bale

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriel Byrne	...	Fenge
Helen Mirren	...	Geruth
Christian Bale	...	Amled
Brian Cox	...	Aethelwine
Steven Waddington	...	Ribold
Kate Beckinsale	...	Ethel
Tony Haygarth	...	Ragnar
Freddie Jones	...	Bjorn
Tom Wilkinson	...	Hardvendel
Saskia Wickham	...	Gunvor
Brian Glover	...	Caedman
Mark Williams	...	Aslak
Andy Serkis	...	Torsten
Philip Rham	...	Aelfred
Ewen Bremner	...	Frovin

Storyline

This re-telling of Hamlet goes back to the original Danish source material. The opening scenario remains the same: Hamlet's father murdered by his brother who then weds the widowed mother. Hamlet must discover his strength and leadership that will allow him to regain his rightful throne. Don't expect an ending which matches the Bard's though, this is more like a true Viking epic.

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Plot Keywords:

begins with narration | apple | starts with narration | rope | dead body | 

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Taglines:

His Quest for Vengeance... May Cost Him Everything.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and scenes of nudity

Details

Country:

Netherlands UK Denmark France Germany

Language:

English Danish

Release Date:

23 February 1994 (France)

Also Known As:

Royal Deceit

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Ariane, Woodline Films Ltd., Kenneth Madsen Filmproduktion A/S

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of Andy Serkis.

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Crazy Credits

The director would like to thank Extras for their patience and cooperation.

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Connections

Version of Hamlet (1970)

User Reviews

Falling for Bale

This was my first encounter with Christian Bale, and I immediately

saw him as one of my favourite actors. He simply hit the screen,

fresh face and mature acting, and I was hooked.

The film shows the original Hamlet-story, not the Shakespeare

adaptation, so perhaps there´s too much happening in too short a

timeframe. Director Axel Gabriel is not your most Hollywood-pleasing filmmaker; he will give you a different

perspective.

Brilliant actors throughout, and well worth a a watch. An unusual,

low-budget film that remains one of my favourites.