Hamlet (1948)

Hamlet is a British film first released in 1948, directed by Laurence Olivier.  The film is based on a play by William Shakespeare and stars Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Norman Wooland and Felix Aylmer.  Our overall rating for this film is: excellent.


One night, atop the ramparts of Elsinore Castle, the ghostly apparition of the recently deceased King of Denmark appears to his son Hamlet to reveal that he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, so he could usurp his throne and his wife, Gertrude.  Hamlet’s thoughts turn immediately to revenge, but before he can act he must first convince himself of Claudius’s guilt.  To that end, he feigns madness and arranges for Claudius to watch a play which re-enacts the supposed murder of the former king.  The trap is sprung, but Hamlet still cannot bring himself to avenge his father’s death.  Meanwhile, Claudius is convinced that Hamlet is insane and decides he must die...

Hamlet was the second and most controversial of three film adaptations of Shakespeare plays to be directed by the distinguished English actor Laurence Olivier – the other two being Henry V (1944) and Richard III (1955).   The purists condemned Olivier for the drastic cuts he made which reduced the length of the play by about two hours.  Others praised him for his inspired and stylish re-interpretation of a familiar and notoriously difficult play.  Whilst the film retains just over half of the Bard’s text (and omits several minor characters), it is widely regarded as one of the best film adaptations of a Shakespeare play.  The film won four Oscars in 1949 – in the categories of Best Picture, Best Actor (Olivier), Best Set design (B&W) and Best Costumes.  

Olivier’s Hamlet is far darker, far more disturbing than most conventional stage versions of the play.   Olivier strips away anything that is not germane to the main narrative thrust and focuses almost exclusively on Hamlet’s mental anguish as an obsessive desire for revenge fights against a childishly indecisive nature (at the heart of which is the famous "To be, or nor to be" soliloquy).   This turbulent inner conflict is emphasised, very effectively, by the starkly expressionistic set design and film noir lighting and camera techniques.  A haunting score – by none other than William Walton – adds to the film’s eerily dreamlike aura, highlighting some very sinister undercurrents, such as the suggested Oedipal relationship between Hamlet and his mother.

This is a far more stylised and subjective film than Olivier’s other two Shakespeare adaptations – it contains the essence of the original play but it is a work of art in its own right, with its own quite distinctive character.   The performances are impressive (although perhaps not up to RSC standard), but what makes the film so special are its inspired cinematographic touches, such as the movingly lyrical portrayal of Ophelia’s descent into insanity and death.  The popular character actor Stanley Holloway gives a memorable turn as the Gravedigger, and several other well-known British actors – John Laurie, Anthony Quayle, Patrick Troughton, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee  – can be seen in some very early film roles.  Indeed, you might say ’tis a consummation devoutly to be wished...

© James Travers 2008

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