Hamlet (2000)

Director:

Michael Almereyda

Writers (WGA):

William Shakespeare (play)
Michael Almereyda (screen adaptation)

Release Date:

12 July 2000 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder in New York City.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | New York City | Madness | Modern Day Adaptation | Ghost

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ethan Hawke	...	Hamlet
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Claudius
Diane Venora	...	Gertrude
Sam Shepard	...	Ghost
Bill Murray	...	Polonius
Liev Schreiber	...	Laertes
Julia Stiles	...	Ophelia
Karl Geary	...	Horatio
Paula Malcomson	...	Marcella
Steve Zahn	...	Rosencrantz
Dechen Thurman	...	Guildenstern
Rome Neal	...	Barnardo
Jeffrey Wright	...	Gravedigger
Paul Bartel	...	Osric
Casey Affleck	...	Fortinbras

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | USA:R | Austria:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

double A Films

Trivia:

At 29, Ethan Hawke is the youngest actor to play Hamlet on film.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When we first see Claudius speaking, his mouth is obviously saying something other than what we hear. It lasts for about five seconds.

Quotes:

Hamlet: The play's the thing, with which I'll catch the conscience of the king.

Movie Connections:

Features Peace Is Every Step: Meditation in Action: The Life and Work of Thich Nhat Hanh (1998)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 1: First Movement

Odd Concept Doesn't Work Despite Many Good Ideas

Michael Almereyda's "Hamlet" has the novelty of taken place in modern times. Shakespearean English remains almost intact but that's all that is left from the play. Although familiarity with the setting was meant to draw the viewers closer to the material, the experiment fails on a number of critical areas. The tone of the film is all wrong. The hip hop atmosphere works against the brooding edges of the play. It is also difficult to see Julia Stiles and Ethan Hawke use words like 'thou, thee, thy and thine' while they are drinking beers. More important, the gimmick doesn't uncover uncharted terrain. We don't learn anything new that can be attributed to Almereyda's quirky approach. The cast is not that good either. But there are some good moments. I liked the fact the the 'to be or not to be' soliloquy was done in a video store. Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good. It simply does not work.