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Hamlet (1996)

PG-13  |   |  Drama  |  25 December 1996 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 29,295 users  
Reviews: 221 user | 83 critic

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

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Title: Hamlet (1996)

Hamlet (1996) on IMDb 7.8/10

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Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 18 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Riz Abbasi ...
Attendant to Claudius
...
David Blair ...
Attendant to Claudius
...
...
...
Michael Bryant ...
Peter Bygott ...
Attendant to Claudius
...
...
Charles Daish ...
Stage Manager
...
...
Reece Dinsdale ...
...
Edit

Storyline

Hamlet, son of the king of Denmark, is summoned home for his father's funeral and his mother's wedding to his uncle. In a supernatural episode, he discovers that his uncle, whom he hates anyway, murdered his father. In an incredibly convoluted plot--the most complicated and most interesting in all literature--he manages to (impossible to put this in exact order) feign (or perhaps not to feign) madness, murder the "prime minister," love and then unlove an innocent whom he drives to madness, plot and then unplot against the uncle, direct a play within a play, successfully conspire against the lives of two well-meaning friends, and finally take his revenge on the uncle, but only at the cost of almost every life on stage, including his own and his mother's. Written by John Brosseau <brossj5683@aol.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent images and sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

25 December 1996 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's Hamlet  »

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$148,321 (USA) (27 December 1996)

Gross:

ITL 1,526,158,000 (Italy) (6 June 1997)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (cut)

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (35 mm prints)| (35 mm prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Julie Christie came out of retirement to play Gertrude. See more »

Goofs

When Hamlet first appears, he puts his hands behind his back twice. See more »

Quotes

Hamlet: For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Dennis Pennis R.I.P. (1997) See more »

Soundtracks

In Youth When I Did Love
(uncredited)
Written by William Shakespeare
Performed by Billy Crystal
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Branagh really raised the bar with this version
3 February 2008 | by (London Canada) – See all my reviews

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.


16 of 21 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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