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List Price: $29.95Amazon.com's Price: $21.99 You Save: $7.96 (27%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780780021310
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
ISBN: 0780021312
Label: Criterion
Manufacturer: Criterion
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Publisher: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 19, 2000
Running Time: 153 minutes
Sales Rank: 4451
Studio: Criterion
Theatrical Release Date: 1948
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
In the opening scene of Hamlet (1948), Laurence Olivier's voice-over describes the play as 'the tragedy of a man who couldn't make up his mind.' But Olivier's screen adaptation is considerably more thoughtful and complex than this thesis would suggest. Drawing on his experience playing the prince on stage at Elsinore in 1937, the legendary thespian provides the film with the patina of greatness and shows how the constitution of the formerly cheerful prince weakens increasingly under the burden of his own thoughts and inability to accept his mother's hasty marriage to uncle Claudius (Basil Sydney). As Ophelia, Jean Simmons captures the character's early spirit better than her gradual disintegration. Purists may bemoan the loss of Fortinbras, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, but these choices allow Olivier to focus more squarely on Hamlet's plight. The winner of four Oscars® (Best Picture, Actor, Art Direction, and Costumes), this is a Hamlet for the ages. The rest is silence. --Kevin Mulhall
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The greatest Hamlet
Laurence Olivier's Hamlet is the one which, as I child, I watched and it instilled my love of the play and Shakespeare in general. It is the best of all the Hamlet movies because Olivier is simply the best. No one can speak 'To be or not to be' quite like him. A brilliant movie!
Rating: - A masterpiece played by a genius actor
Hamlet one of the most known masterpieces of Shakespeare brought to us by Sir Laurance Olivier, a giant actor.
Rating:  - Little Hamlet, Happy at Last!
This is an interesting experimental Hamlet, which partially succeeds and partially fails. It is a mistake however to consider it a "classic version of a classic" simply because of the Olivier performance and direction. It is somewhat incomprehensible unless someone already knows the whole play, significantly cut here -- nor is this just the nagging objection of a "purist." We are talking about arguably the most significant piece of literature in our language here, the great Sir Larry and all his ... Read More
Rating: - Essential cinema: Olivier's 'Hamlet.'
Although the role of Hamlet has attracted many top-rank actors, including Thomas Betterton, David Garrick, Samuel Phelps, Henry Irving, Johnston Forbes-Robertson, John Barrymore {1922 and 1925), Donald Wolfit (1935), Sir Laurence Olivier (1948) Paul Scofield (1949 and 1955), Ian McKellen (1971), Derek Jacobi (1978), and Kenneth Branagh (1996), only Sir Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) received an Oscar for his performance of Shakespeare. In fact, Olivier's Hamlet won four Academy Awards in 1948, including ... Read More
Rating:  - misplaced?
I don't understand - the title, details, notes and picture are for the Olivier's Hamlet, while selected any of these come as Felix Aylmer's Hamlet. I want to buy the Olivier's Hamlet, not the Felix Aylmer's and there is no way to select it. Can you, please, sort out this?
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