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Hamlet

  • 1996
  • PG-13
  • 4h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
41K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,686
90
Hamlet (1996)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:44
2 Videos
99+ Photos
EpicPeriod DramaTragedyDrama

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.

  • Director
    • Kenneth Branagh
  • Writers
    • William Shakespeare
    • Kenneth Branagh
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Branagh
    • Julie Christie
    • Derek Jacobi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    41K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,686
    90
    • Director
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • Stars
      • Kenneth Branagh
      • Julie Christie
      • Derek Jacobi
    • 284User reviews
    • 68Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 9 wins & 25 nominations total

    Videos2

    Hamlet (1996)
    Trailer 1:44
    Hamlet (1996)
    Kenneth Branagh on His IMDb Best-Known Movies
    Interview 3:42
    Kenneth Branagh on His IMDb Best-Known Movies
    Kenneth Branagh on His IMDb Best-Known Movies
    Interview 3:42
    Kenneth Branagh on His IMDb Best-Known Movies

    Photos279

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    + 273
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    Top cast55

    Edit
    Kenneth Branagh
    Kenneth Branagh
    • Hamlet
    Julie Christie
    Julie Christie
    • Gertrude
    Derek Jacobi
    Derek Jacobi
    • Claudius
    Kate Winslet
    Kate Winslet
    • Ophelia
    Rizz Abbasi
    Rizz Abbasi
    • Attendant to Claudius
    • (as Riz Abbasi)
    Richard Attenborough
    Richard Attenborough
    • English Ambassador
    David Blair
    • Attendant to Claudius
    Brian Blessed
    Brian Blessed
    • Ghost of Hamlet's Father
    Richard Briers
    Richard Briers
    • Polonius
    Michael Bryant
    Michael Bryant
    • Priest
    Peter Bygott
    • Attendant to Claudius
    Billy Crystal
    Billy Crystal
    • First Gravedigger
    Charles Daish
    • Stage Manager
    Judi Dench
    Judi Dench
    • Hecuba
    Gérard Depardieu
    Gérard Depardieu
    • Reynaldo
    Reece Dinsdale
    Reece Dinsdale
    • Guildenstern
    Ken Dodd
    Ken Dodd
    • Yorick
    Angela Douglas
    Angela Douglas
    • Attendant to Gertrude
    • Director
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • Writers
      • William Shakespeare
      • Kenneth Branagh
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first full-length movie version of Hamlet ever made (using the Second Quarto (1604) text with additions from the First Folio (1623) to create an idealized "complete" Hamlet).
    • Goofs
      In the very long shot along the length of the throne room, the cameras are visible in the mirrors.
    • Quotes

      Hamlet: To be or not to be, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them.

    • Alternate versions
      Two versions should have been theatrically released at the same time: a complete 242-minutes director's cut shown only in selected venues (large key cities) and a shorter, wide-release version that ran about two-and-a-half hours. After some critical backlash, Castle Rock decided to release the complete 4 hours everywhere in the US and use the shorter version for some overseas territories.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Mars Attacks!/Marvin's Room/The Preacher's Wife/Hamlet/Citizen Ruth (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      In Pace
      Music by Patrick Doyle

      Performed by Plácido Domingo

      Text for The Book of Wisdom

      Text researched and adapted by Russell Jackson

      Recorded at Studio 33, Hamburg, Germany

      Engineered by Ambrogio Crotte and Luis Rodriguez

      Original soundtrack available on Sony Classical Records

    User reviews284

    Review
    Review
    Featured review

    Branagh really raised the bar with this version

    seen one you've seen them all, right? wrong! I still like the sombre Olivier version and Gibson did well, but this is in a class of its own.

    I finally realized with this expanded production set 200 years closer to the present the full message that Shakespeare cleverly concealed with the more prominent aspect of Hamlet's quandary, and that is he, Hamlet, is driven to distraction by the awareness its the insidiousness of human nature that created the conditions that saw his father murdered.

    looking at the play with this insight you can see numerous scenes where this notion is there in the background. and by changing the era, Branagh shows yet again the astonishing applicability of that truth. all you need is to read a newspaper, something 'included' in this production.

    thank god for British stage actors raised on Shakespeare.

    a very rewarding viewing.
    • widescreenguy
    • Feb 2, 2008
    • Permalink

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Hamlet?Powered by Alexa
    • Why did Hamlet treat his mother and Ophelia badly?
    • Is it true that Hamlet faked his madness?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 1996 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • William Shakespeare's Hamlet
    • Filming locations
      • Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Castle Rock Entertainment
      • Turner Pictures (I)
      • Fishmonger Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,708,156
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $90,684
      • Dec 29, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,296,790
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      4 hours 2 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.20 : 1

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