Hamlet (1996) - 2-Disc Special Edition

This review is dedicated with love and respect to Dr. George Pittman of Clinton, Mississippi.

I’ve got to admit a bit of a personal bias here: I am a sucker for William Shakespeare. Ever since my college and graduate school days, I have been intrigued with the many different ways Shakespeare has been interpreted and integrated into our culture. Whether it’s been through subtle integrations of various phrases and thoughts into our lexicon, or numerous variations that have appeared in print, TV, or film in everything from “Star Trek” to “Gilligan’s Island”, or even the recent wave of Shakespearean film and stage adaptations over the past 20 years, it’s no wonder that the works of a writer from 400 years ago continue to enthrall and spark passion in many a film or theatergoer. My earliest memories of Shakespeare go back to my junior high days, when the teacher would pull out the old reel-to-reel projector and show Franco Zeffirelli’s 1960’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” on the wall of our school. And who could ever forget Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd’s tip of the hat to “The Taming of the Shrew” in one of the most popular and riotous segments ever of their 1980’s series “Moonlighting”?

If I had to pick one Shakespeare play above all others that is my absolute favorite, it would have to be “Hamlet”. I have to credit three people in particular for birthing a love of Shakespeare and “Hamlet” in me that continues to this day, and they are Zeffirelli; director/actor Mel Gibson; and Dr. George Pittman, my Shakespeare teacher at Mississippi College (who’s now retired). It was Dr. Pittman who got me into studying “Hamlet” at the time Zeffirelli’s 1990 adaptation of “Hamlet” with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close came out in the theaters, so naturally I was assigned this play because of the then-timely release of the Zeffirelli film with my studies. Prior to this, the only actor I (and many others) had associated with Shakespeare was Laurence Olivier, possibly the greatest actor of the 20th century. At that time it was hard for anyone to associate the star of “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapon”, an actor with a passion for practical joking on his film sets and playing crazy characters on screen, with the most emotionally and psychologically mixed-up characters in all of popular culture. But Gibson pulled it off extremely well, giving us a definitive Hamlet for the 1990’s. It caused me to study and analyze every aspect of “Hamlet” that could be explored – all of the dysfunctional relationships within the Hamlet family, the psychological motivations for revenge after the death of Hamlet’s father, who comes onto whom (Hamlet to his mother, or his mother onto Hamlet? Those were some pretty serious mother/son kisses on screen right there, I’ll tell you that!), pinpointing the exact moment when Hamlet goes crazy (or was it all an act to begin with?), and the ruminations of death that man must eventually explore in the course of his life. And I still have my Shakespeare notes and research from graduate school to this day.

From that time on I continued to explore the many interpretations of “Hamlet” that I came across, including a Mississippi College-produced adaptation Dr. Pittman directed that took the “play within a play” concept to the next level; a New York Shakespearean Festival modern-dress production with Kevin Kline; a 30-minute segment of the HBO series “Shakespeare: The Animated Tales” hosted by Robin Williams (now there’s a series I would enjoy seeing released on DVD!); and perhaps the most offbeat print adaptation that has ever surfaced, the “Klingon Hamlet” trade paperback from Pocket Books written by the Klingon Language Institute that borrowed a line from “Star Trek VI” and explored the notion that Shakespeare’s works were originally written in the Klingon language, that Hamlet’s murderer would have been exposed within 10 minutes, and that the play was later translated into the “debased” English language! Most recently there was a 2000 film adaptation with Ethan Hawke in the title role performing the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy while checking out videos at the local Blockbuster Video – this version I admit I have not seen. But anything and everything that could further explore the very nature of Hamlet is worth studying and analyzing to understand all of the psychological themes Shakespeare posed 400 years ago.

If any one actor over the last 20 years has done an extremely successful job in making Shakespeare’s works accessible to the modern culture (other than Patrick Stewart), I would have to choose Kenneth Branagh. His groundbreaking adaptation of “Henry V” brought Shakespeare to the masses the same way Shakespeare’s plays did so to the English culture four centuries before. He also did the same with his comic adaptation of “Much Ado About Nothing”, which featured Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Branagh’s then-wife Emma Thompson. But it was Branagh’s 1996 adaptation of “Hamlet” which was extremely lavish in production and scale that has awed and astounded filmgoers since its release. Many prior (and recent) film adaptations, including “Hamlet”, “Henry V”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, and even Baz Luhrmann’s modern take on “Romeo and Juliet”, have always been abridged, simply because of the film audience’s attention span of sitting in a darkened theater for two hours – anything beyond that would have to be of epic scope and yet pass very seemingly quickly. And yet that’s been the key thing, making Shakespeare accessible to the modern audience yet staying true to the letter of the Bard’s works himself.

Branagh’s four-hour adaptation of “Hamlet” is especially distinctive because it marks the first time ever that the complete play has been adapted to the cinema screen. At the time of its release, a 150-minute cut version of the film was also released to theaters to allow for more showings. I’ve not seen this cut version, having only associated myself with the original four-hour cut. For years the only way to have seen Branagh’s adaptation of “Hamlet” has been on VHS, and with the advent of DVD many fans have wondered when this film would be released. Warner Home Video has just released “Hamlet” in a nice two-disc special edition, and I’ve got to admit this is one title that is long overdue and yet is well done.

Forget the cut version; the complete four-hour cut is the way to go. Every shot of every moment of this film is painstakingly created with the scope of the widescreen in mind. It’s meant to be seen as a large canvas, which the 2.35:1 aspect ratio perfectly delivers. There’s just no way of wanting to watch this in a cropped 1.33:1 full-frame presentation. Every little detail stands out as it’s meant to, which is the way Branagh intended. It’s extremely absorbing. Instead of the rough and crumbly 17th century atmosphere of Denmark, which Zeffirelli brought to the screen based on Shakespeare’s original intentions, Branagh’s interpretation posits the Hamlet family empire in the 19th century in a state of elegance that echoes the fall of the Russian Empire a hundred years ago. The delivery of the famous soliloquy, as Hamlet stands before a mirror looking at himself, echoes that very nature of man looking at himself and pondering his own fate. Do we feel for Hamlet? Certainly. Who couldn’t relate to the loss of a father figure, as Branagh so effectively portrays? Who couldn’t relate to dealing with betrayal, heartbreak, motivations for vengeance, plotting to expose the real reason for his father’s death for all to see? And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have high caliber stars like Richard Attenborough, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu, Sir John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, Derek Jacobi, the late Jack Lemmon, Robin Williams, and the ever beautiful Kate Winslet (why in the world after seeing her in “Hamlet” and “Titanic” didn’t I marry her?) associated with a stunning film adaptation like this. Their involvement harkens back to their roots of classical acting and never one time detracts from the overall story, despite their marquee name quality. The print is extremely beautiful and colorful, and the Dolby 5.1 surround mix is rich and absorbing. This film has never looked or sounded better. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are also included.

For its DVD presentation, Warner Home Video has presented a nice amount of supplements that complement the film. First off, on Disc 1 is a new eight-minute introduction to the film by Branagh, which is a nice touch. Here he talks about revisiting the film after 10 years and giving the fans a high-caliber DVD. Some people have claimed some difficulty in watching the introduction, but I experienced no such problems on any of my DVD players at home. From there we have an accompanying audio commentary with Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson that is split over both discs. Listening to this audio commentary is a treasure trove in itself, and over the course of the film it becomes very obvious that both Branagh and Jackson are true Shakespearean buffs to the nines. Their appreciation for the great Bard and for “Hamlet” is more than well worth it, and it’s easily one of the best and most enjoyable audio commentaries I’ve heard in a long time.

The remaining the bonus features are found on Disc 2. Leading off, we have “To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet”, which is a 25-minute documentary feature on the making of the 1996 adaptation. We have interviews with Branagh and the cast members on how they became involved in Branagh’s adaptation, how Branagh chose to adapt the entire script for the film, and the challenge of bringing Shakespeare’s words to life. Don’t let the title mislead you into thinking this is a history of the many different film and stage adaptations of the play; there are too many of them. From there we are treated to a 12-minute promo reel that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was included on a number of Castle Rock VHS releases during the 1990’s. This is a nice touch, since a promo reel of this nature is hard to come by, and for me personally I am glad that Warner Home Video included it on the DVD, since it was my first introduction to Branagh’s “Hamlet”. The disc is rounded out with a Shakespeare-based trailer gallery of seven different adaptations, including the 1990 and 1996 film versions of “Hamlet”, the 1935 adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with James Cagney and Mickey Rooney, the 1965 and 1995 film adaptations of “Othello” (the former with Laurence Olivier, the latter with Branagh and Laurence Fishburne), the 1937 adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” with Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, and the 1953 adaptation of “Julius Caesar” with Marlon Brando – quite a nice touch indeed to those who are either extremely familiar with Shakespeare’s works or who are wanting to examine his plays and various film adaptations for the first time.

In addition, “Hamlet” is part of Warner’s four-film Shakespeare Collection box set, which also includes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935), Olivier’s “Othello” (1936), and “Romeo and Juliet” (1937). As if that weren’t enough, Borders has a special offer where if you buy the film there, you also get an accompanying 28-page color booklet of still photos from the film. It’s a nice little complement to the DVD, but I wouldn’t knock myself out just to get this exclusive Borders item. If you want a real treasure trove, find a copy of the 1996 trade paperback of the “Hamlet” screenplay adapted by Branagh. I have a copy of this back in Mississippi – at least I think I still do – and I can tell you, this is where the real meat of the production occurs. Here you will find many anecdotes and thoughts that went into the making of the film, some of Branagh’s wit and humor that permeates throughout the script notes, and personal stories that occurred during the production, one of which I still get a laugh out of reading about Glenn Close visiting the set in full black-and-white regalia and makeup that at first made her stand out like the worst fashion victim in the history of cinema (this was because she was filming “101 Dalmatians” at the time). If you can find this paperback in your local bookstore, pick it up. It’s more than well worth the read.

Bottom line, Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” is an attractive presentation on DVD and one that is a must-add to any serious film collection or Shakespearean study. It’s definitely welcome in my home and one that my wife will agree with me on. Granted, Branagh’s “Hamlet” is vastly different from Zeffirelli’s “Hamlet” (which I must admit is my one of my personal favorite Shakespeare-on-film adaptations, along with Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet”, which I taught in high school during the 1990’s). But whether you like it rough and rugged, or grand and opulent, both versions have it going for them. Seeing this DVD brings back fond memories of my days of graduate school and George Pittman – I wonder what he thinks of this film adaptation and which version he prefers. It would be nice to discuss this play (and film) again with him over a weekend.