Hamlet - Criterion Collection

Starring:Felix Aylmer, Anthony Bushell, Peter Cushing, Eileen Herlie, Stanley Holloway, Esmond Knight, John Laurie, Desmond Llewelyn, Victor Lucas, Niall MacGinnis, Terence Morgan (II), Anthony Quayle, Jean Simmons, Basil Sydney, Tony Tarver, Russell Thorndike, Patrick Troughton, Harcourt Williams, Norman Wooland
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

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
Description
Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Sir Laurence Olivier's Hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of Shakespeare's beloved tragedy. Olivier is at his most inspired-both as director and as the melancholy Dane himself-as he breathes new life into the words of one of the world's greatest dramatists. Criterion is proud to present Hamlet in a luminous black-and-white digital transfer.

Olivier's Shakespeare - Criterion Collection (Hamlet / Henry V / Richard III)
Average customer rating:

Olivier Ruined Hamlet

The very best!

THREE GREAT MOMENTS... OLIVIER... SHAKESPEARE... CRITERION...

Olivier's Shakespeare - Criterion Collection (Hamlet / Henry V / Richard III)
Starring: Olivier's Shakespear
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
Used DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

King Lear

The Thames Shakespeare Collection: MacBeth/King Lear/Romeo & Juliet/Twelfth Night

Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales - Criterion Collection

Richard III

Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)

ASIN: B000FILVO6
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Description

Dubbed the greatest actor of the twentieth century, Sir Laurence Olivier, the classically trained and majestically handsome English theater veteran, first transplanted his passion for Shakespeare to the big screen in the 1940s, and in so doing, allowed Elizabethan verse to break free of its stage-bound origins. Olivier directed only five films in his sixty-year career, yet his three Shakespeare adaptations (Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III), presented here together on DVD for the first time, are still widely considered the definitive film adaptations. Faithful to the playwright's words yet open to the unique possibilities of the cinema, these works transcend both screen and stage with timeless passion. Criterion is proud to present this unprecedented filmmaking legacy.

Customer Reviews:

Olivier Ruined Hamlet.......2007-07-05

While the acting is excellent, the interpretation Olivier gives Hamlet is nauseating. As a Shakespeare scholar, I have always cringed when I hear students of the bard describe Hamlet as a "man who could not make up his mind." Oliver tells us at the beginning of this film the very essence he sees in Hamlet. I have *no* problem with him interpreting in a way I do not agree with, but to say this is the "definitive work, period" is unfair to some other wonderful adaptations. For my money, Branagh's Hamlet is a more honest portrayal and the excellent dress rehearsal Dvd with Richard Burton is mind-blowing.
I do not dislike Olivier, but Hamlet is hardly his best Shakespearean work. Richard III is much better and Henry V is perhaps better than Branagh's version.

The very best!.......2007-05-02

It is because of "Larry", I came to love and understand the great Bard, all through high school and college, I never could grasp and appreciate Shakespeare, until I came upon the master actor of possibly all time, I would say without fear of contradiction, his work will out live all others, as far as this set of disc's from Criterion, I am sure they just as good as the single one's I have in my collection, the price is a great savings from single purchase, I might add the having seen the great films, opening a book of Shakespeare was a wonderful "new' experience.

THREE GREAT MOMENTS... OLIVIER... SHAKESPEARE... CRITERION..........2006-08-23

Basically, these are three great Criterion Editions boxed together - which gives it a nice sense of continuity between these films.

HAMLET is, perhaps, Shakespeare most widely known and popular work. And Olivier gives it the film performance to which all others are compared. Period. And it is a great film with a striking cinematography and (naturaly) a great cast. A classic. Criterion, as always, does a fine job in terms of image and sound... although this disc has no extras.

RICHARD III tells the story of the evil duke of gloucester and his murderous machinations to get the throne of England. Another great performance. Great Technicolor cinematography. Here, Criterion gives us a two-disc edition full of nice extras: an Olivier interview, a featurette, etc.

HENRY V is another tour de force as the king who must battle all odds in order to achieve the greatest victory. The Agincourt battle scenes are a wow!!! Another Tecnicolor triumph.

So, here you have three great Shakespeare adaptation at a better price (you can buy the separately) by Criterion.

I say look no further.

Average customer rating:

misplaced?
Hamlet
Where are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!
Not Bored with the Bard
A Great Movie...Exciting, Tragic, Engrossing...But Most Of All, Cinematic

Hamlet - Criterion Collection
Starring: Felix Aylmer , Anthony Bushell , Peter Cushing , Eileen Herlie , and Stanley Holloway
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

International | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Hamlet
Hamlet
Henry V - Criterion Collection
Richard III - Criterion Collection
All the King's Men

ASIN: 0780021312
Release Date: 2000-09-19

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

Description

Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Sir Laurence Olivier's Hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of Shakespeare's beloved tragedy. Olivier is at his most inspired-both as director and as the melancholy Dane himself-as he breathes new life into the words of one of the world's greatest dramatists. Criterion is proud to present Hamlet in a luminous black-and-white digital transfer.

Customer Reviews:

misplaced?.......2007-06-23

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?

Hamlet.......2007-06-22

Though dozens of versions of Shakespeare's best-known play have been filmed, none rival this moody 1948 adaptation by master dramatist Olivier, who produced, directed, and acted. Streamlining the text to achieve a leaner, tighter feel, Olivier wrings tremendous feeling out of his indecisive, ever-brooding Hamlet, while the radiant Jean Simmons makes an exceptional Ophelia, the dour prince's doomed lover. Distinguished by its inventive camerawork and lush black-and-white photography, Olivier's "Hamlet" won four Oscars, including Best Actor (Olivier) and Picture.

Where are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!.......2006-10-10

Unfortunately, Olivier is a bit long in the tooth for this part, and besides Jean Simmons' Ophelia it does not wear time well. But most of all, how can a production of Hamlet omit Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They are not there, and neither are Hamlet's beautiful lines "I have of late but wherefore I know not lost of all my mirth . . . what a piece of work is man . . "

These two "friends" of Hamlet brought a certain depth to him, his complaint about being played on like a flute, which helps to establish that whatever else Hamlet was, he was first of all a Prince, and next to the Crown. And his escape from death by his wits on his way to England . . without Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that just couldn't happen.

Fie, fie, this version is a travesty and should be destroyed!

Not Bored with the Bard.......2006-07-10

I have read Shakespeare and seen his productions on film and on stage. I was of the opinion that cinema could not touch the quality of the stage production but, after this weekend, I'm reassessing that opinion. I watched Laurence Olivier's "Henry V" and "Hamlet" and both were outstanding productions.

I understand the Olivier cut out portions of "Hamlet" and that its' 2 1/2 hour version is about 1 1/2 hours short of the standard stage production. However, not having seen a stage production of "Hamlet", I can say that I understand the play much better ofter seeing this movie than I did after reading it. Olivier assembled an excellent cast with few names I recognized. The sets were sparse, dark and highly effective. The sword-play at the end was outstanding. The emotions and enunciations (always a key for me in Shakespeare) were excellent. The costumes and lighting (and just about everything else) worked to help the great acting and directing. I'm a purist when it comes to Shakespeare but the editing that Olivier did allowed the soul of the play to come through without distractions.

I am impressed at how well Olivier knows Shakespeare and how long and hard he prepared to make the Bard comprehensible and enjoyable to a larger audience. There have been a number of movie productions of Shakespeare before and after this version of "Hamlet" that failed to do that. Too often the actors speak too fast and the director fails to provide the proper focus. Olivier seems to understand just how to do it and the results, especially in "Hamlet" are a joy to behold. This movie's a keeper.

A Great Movie...Exciting, Tragic, Engrossing...But Most Of All, Cinematic.......2006-05-03

I'm no more competent to discuss Hamlet as literature than I am to ride a horse. So let's talk about it as a story and as a movie. On both counts, this version -- shaped and edited, directed by and starring Lawrence Olivier -- is powerful and engrossing. You have to sit back and allow yourself to get into the rhythm of blank verse. You have to accept the nature of classic British acting's Shakespearean diction...precise and a little declarative. If you can manage this, you'll be rewarded with a fine cinematic experience.

The story is so well known that it doesn't need much repeating. A son's father dies. He suspects murder by the man who subsequently married his mother. The ghost of his father seems to confirm this. He is determined to pursue vengeance. He eventually succeeds but at a cost of many lives lost due largely to his own demons. "...the ghost and the prince meet, and everyone ends in mincemeat," is how lyric writer Howard Dietz put it. The story is a gripper. Shakespeare's words aren't bad, either.

What do I like about the movie? First, Olivier's ruthless approach. He believed people should remember that Shakespeare wrote for the stinking, scratching, fornicating masses (and, of course, to curry favor with the Tudors). The groundlings might appreciate a good weeper tragedy, but if they didn't come to fill the standing area and pay the entrance fee, William Shakespeare wouldn't have much of a career as a playwright. Olivier edits, cuts and rearranges the text because he's taking a centuries-old stage play and turning it into a strongly-paced, dramatic...movie. There's no time or room for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and "Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I" gets the heave-ho, among other soliloquies. The result is a movie which is tightly focused on the story and on Hamlet's conflicted character.

Second, Olivier's version of Hamlet the man. This prince of Denmark may be introspective, suspicious and more than a little self-centered, but when the times call for it, Hamlet is a man of action. The closing sword fight is a lengthy and brutal fight to the death. You'll want to take a step back and watch again when Olivier leaps from a parapet straight onto Claudius, crashes with him onto the stone floor, then takes his sword and thrusts deep into Claudius' chest over and over again. This is Olivier's Hamlet, not Shakespeare's stage directions. The groundlings would have loved it.

Third, the other actors, especially Basil Sydney as Claudius and Jean Simmons as Ophelia. Simmons was 18 when she made the movie. She'd already had major parts in films such as Great Expectations and Black Narcissus, but this was the first major Shakespearean role she'd ever played. Her Ophelia is so innocent and vulnerable it almost skewers the film; as it is, however, it underlines that Hamlet is not simply a man torn by grief and revenge. There is something more twisted going on within him. Sydney does a wonderful job as the King, Hamlet's stepfather and the lustful husband to Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. When Gertrude gives Hamlet a goodnight kiss, it is easy to assume that something erotic, something other than motherly love, is at play in the relationship between Gertrude and Hamlet. Sydney's Claudius is so pleased with being king, so eager to bed Gertrude at any opportunity that it's possible to almost like the man. He may be suspicious of Gertrude's love of her son, but he just doesn't want to know too much. Sydney makes Claudius' faults of ambition and lust easy to understand.

Fourth, the look of the film. Olivier has created a black-and-white vision of austere camera angles, with heavy stone stairways and battlements, fog and shadows, great dining halls that are damp and chilly. His Hamlet is also startling...blond, heavy lidded, too able to smile coldly. Yet when Hamlet's death finally comes, after revenge, betrayal and having followed his destiny, it causes an uneasy and deep feeling of retribution for his flaws. It was a sad, almost pointless loss. Olivier stages a flamboyant death for his Hamlet, but one which underlines all this. Countless high school students have giggled over "Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." They might not this time.

Hamlet can be played in so many ways; Olivier's version might not be your version. For me, this movie is so good because it works as a dramatic movie. It's exciting, tragic and cinematic. And for all those who may remain giggling high school students at heart, tell them to watch the movie and see if they can spot in bit parts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The Criterion version looks and sounds very good. There are no extras.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Hard Boiled

Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories : Video

Hellraiser / Hellraiser 2 [1987]

DVD: Dr. Dolittle

The Survivors - Series 1.2