Hamlet (1996)
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A prince must navigate a web of royal intrigue and ghostly demands to avenge his father's murder.
The story
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is the son of the recently deceased King Hamlet and nephew of King Claudius, who has hastily married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, and taken the throne. Denmark faces a looming threat of invasion from Norway. On a cold night, Hamlet encounters the ghost of his father, who reveals that Claudius murdered him and demands vengeance. Hamlet resolves to seek revenge but decides to feign madness to mask his intentions. As he navigates the treacherous court of Elsinore, he must discern the truth of the ghost's story while dealing with the suspicions of his uncle and the advances of Ophelia.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is haunted by the ghost of his father, who reveals that King Claudius murdered him to seize the throne and marry Queen Gertrude. Hamlet vows revenge but adopts a facade of madness, confusing the court and his lover, Ophelia. He commissions a play to test Claudius's guilt, which succeeds in causing the King to react with visible distress. After Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England to have Hamlet executed. Hamlet escapes and returns to Denmark, where he finds Ophelia has drowned and Laertes has returned seeking vengeance. Claudius arranges a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet, involving a poisoned blade and poisoned wine. During the match, Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine and dies. Laertes and Hamlet wound each other with the poisoned foil. Before dying, Laertes reveals Claudius's plot. Hamlet kills Claudius and then himself. Fortinbras arrives to find the royal family dead and takes the throne.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 242
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- Early Modern English
- Directors
- Kenneth Branagh
- Writers
- Kenneth Branagh · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kenneth Branagh · Prince Hamlet; Derek Jacobi · King Claudius; Julie Christie · Queen Gertrude; Kate Winslet · Ophelia; Michael Maloney · Laertes; Richard Briers · Polonius; Nicholas Farrell · Horatio; Rufus Sewell · Fortinbras
- Genres
- historical drama
- Themes
- Revenge; Mortality; Madness; Royal Politics
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Vibrant; Manic; Somber
- Premise and plot tags
- Revenge; Ghost; Murder; Fratricide; Castle
- Source material / true-story basis
- William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was praised for its performances and visual style, though it was a box-office failure.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · review count: 57
- Awards and nominations
- Oscar · Best Art Direction · 69th Academy Awards · Nomination; Oscar · Best Costume Design · 69th Academy Awards · Nomination; Oscar · Best Original Score · 69th Academy Awards · Nomination; Oscar · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 69th Academy Awards · Nomination
- Production trivia
- It was the last major dramatic motion picture to be filmed entirely on 70mm film until 2011.; The setting uses Blenheim Palace for the exterior grounds of Elsinore Castle.; The film uses a conflated text based on the 1623 First Folio.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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