Hamlet
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays.
Written between 1598 and the summer of 1602, this masterpiece of Elizabethan theatre first appeared in 1603 in a version known as First Quarto, much more shorter than the final one.
The play concerns the moral and psychological dilemma of Hamlet, whose father has been murdered by his uncle, Claudius. Claudius has not only usurped the throne of Denmark which rightfully belongs to Hamlet, but married and bedded Hamlet's mother.
In theatre, Hamlet is perhaps the most produced work, in most every western country, and it is considered a crucial test for mature actors; notably Hamlet's soliloquy (Act Three, Scene One), the most popular passage of this play, is so well known that allows public to immediately evaluate the actor's capabilities. The To be or not to be, this is the question verses will expose to general evidence vertues and faults of the interpreter.
It has been said that the story of Hamlet had already appeared in some form before. Some authors found in fact a similarity with Historia Danica by Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1250, but also, and more relevantly, with the Histoires Tragiques de François de Belleforest (Paris, 1570).
According to the Internet Movie Data Base there have been 22 movies with the simple title "Hamlet" plus another 16 with that title that were made for TV. Another 50 productions have included this name as part of the title or have used a foreign language variation of the name.
The first such movie "Le Duel d'Hamlet" was produced and directed by Clément Maurice in France in 1900, and starred Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet. Pierre Magnier played Laertes.
1948: Hamlet, directed by Laurence Olivier
- Received four Oscars
- Best Picture - Laurence Olivier producer
- Best Actor - Laurence Olivier as Hamlet
- Best Costume Design, Black-and-White - Roger K. Furse
- Best Art Direction, Set Decoration, Black-and-White - Carmen Dillon and Roger K. Furse
- It was nominated for a further three awards
- Best Director - Laurence Olivier
- Best Supporting Actress - Jean Simmons as Ophelia
- Best Music Score - William Walton
- Notable other appearances include Patrick Troughton as the player king, Stanley Holloway as the gravedigger, Peter Cushing as Osric, Felix Aylmer as Polonius, Terence Morgan as Laertes, John Gielgud as the uncredited voice of the ghost, and Christopher Lee as an uncredited spear carrier.
1969: Hamlet, directed by Tony Richardson
- Claudius played by Anthony Hopkins
1990: Hamlet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli
- Hamlet played by Mel Gibson, Gertude played by Glenn Close
1996: Hamlet, directed by Kenneth Branagh
- Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh