Richard Burton's Hamlet

Starring:Hugh Alexander, Richard Burton, Philip Coolidge, Hume Cronyn, Christopher Culkin, John Cullum, Alfred Drake, Michael Ebert, Dillon Evans, Geoff Garland, Claude Harz (II), Eileen Herlie, Barnard Hughes, Gerome Ragni, William Redfield, George Rose, Carol Teitel, George Voskovec
Director: Bill Colleran
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Description

Richard Burton stars and Sir John Gielgud directs William Shakespeare's play of the Danish Prince. This is a "Hamlet" acted in rehearsal clothes, stripped of all extraneous trappings, so the beauty of the language and imagery could shine through. Filmed during an actual Broadway performance, to be shown in movie theaters for two days only, the prints were contractually ordered destroyed, but Burton sent one to the British Film Institute, and kept one print at home, located by his widow Sally in 1988; here then is the complete Burton "Hamlet" in all its vocal power and glory.

Customer Reviews:

The state of art!.......2007-06-05

The magnetic presence of Richard Burton on stage as Hamlet is simply outstandig. His personal approach in contrast to Olivier, for instance, resides in the modern vision and contemporary flavour he adds and carves in relief.

Burton had one of the most powerful, expreessive and dark voices in the history of cinema or theater. This DVD shows us just a sample of a set of famous performances in Broadway during 1964, and it convinces us once more about the impressive amount of expressive devices and gamut of his actoral gifts.

To be true, the edition process is not at first rate level, but the performance is so strong and mesmerizing, that you tend to forget this minor factor.

Don't hesitate just for a second at the moment to acquire this historical performance of this fabulous actor.

The Real Deal.......2007-05-12

I should mention right off the bat that I am a big fan of Mel Gibson's "Hamlet" for its sweep, its headlong pacing, and its presentation of the doomed philosopher as a man of passion as well as intellect; for me, Kenneth Branagh's distinctly cool rendering of the character rendered the Prince of Denmark too inaccessible to care about ... and a "Hamlet" without a Hamlet who breathes fire from the get-go is a Hamlet I can easily do without.

But "Mad Max at Elsinore", while startlingly true in its own way to its roots, is only about half of the very great play William Shakespeare wrote; and, really, unfolds so quickly that you hardly have time to ask yourself The Really Big Hamlet Question of the Ages: Why does the guy take so long to do what has to be done?

Richard Burton's "Hamlet" is the definitive answer to that question (among others) -- and that answer lies not in the reams and reams and volumes and volumes written in an attempt to convincingly analyze Hamlet's personality, hang-ups, and hesitations. The matter is simple beyond belief: Elizabethan audiences, composed of a complete cross-section of the society of the time, from highest to lowest, expected roughly three hours of murder, mayhem, comedy, farce, philosophy, pathos, tragedy, and acting on the titanically Heroic scale for their money -- and Master Shakespeare was the best around at delivering all of those things.

And, just like in a modern film, if Hamlet believes The Ghost straight-away and dashes from that wint'ry parapet to run Claudius through first chance he gets, well ... still a couple of hours of running time to fill, here, Bill ...

What Burton's version offers in stellar fashion are the celestial adornments The Bard wove into and around this second-or-third-hand revenge play -- you know, the stuff that made him famous and keeps him that way. Fully half the play (or more; the traditional stage Hamlet of the day was a clownish mad-man, and The Swan of Avon had to keep that in mind) is "a high-mettled comedy" as G.B. Shaw put it; humor from the worst of puns to the very best battles of wit, both laugh-out-loud and smile-somewhere-inside, bawdy and thoughtful by turns, with thoroughly unexpected delights that seem to be conjured out of nowhere. The Ghost (John Gielgud's voice and a huge shadow projected on the set) is neither as tangible nor as intimate as Paul Schofield's masterful portrayal in the Gibson flick, and yet the creepy supernatural atmosphere it creates clings like a chilling fog to the rest of the production -- the very air of Elsinor seems poisoned thereafter.

The other characters, from Gertrude and Claudius to Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, have time to more fully develope their little quirks and idiosyncracies -- no one better than Our Will at exploring what makes a human tick through speech and action. Hamlet himself is possibly the most multi-dimensional stage hero extant, and here we have all his moods; his fancies; his sorrows and his wit.

And we have Richard Burton playing him. He sings the part operatically, he whispers it, he growls, he spins yards and yards of silk, he howls at the moon -- and has mastered the language to the point that he can make the most obtuse blank verse sound conversational ... almost offhand at times ... and you are never in any doubt whatsoever as to what he means when he speaks. He is as aware, it seems to me, of his own reputation as he is of Hamlet's, and rightly so -- the Heroic tradition of acting is as much about the actor as the part, and "Hamlet" simply begs for a huge personality to fill the shoes of its huge lead -- and Burton doesn't skimp: his "mad scenes" show us the legendary madness of the fabled Welsh Drunk he supposedly was ... too passionate and artistic to live to a ripe old age, too aware of himself and everything around him to be able to tolerate it, letting the courtly mask drop to the floor at the drop of a cue and baying like all the hounds of hell were at his heels.

In a word, he is Magnificent.

He does what any great Hamlet must aspire to -- he makes us care about the musty old role, makes us actually feel for this guy on many, many levels, helps us to realize just exactly why he's the best guy Denmark has to offer ... and why it is truly a tragedy when he goes down.

It's a visceral and volcanic performance that forms the centerpiece of a truly large, robust, Elizabethan "Hamlet" -- why does The Inky Prince dawdle so over his revenge? So the audience can be treated to all the marvelous tricks Will Shakespeare has up his sleeve -- the princes, pretenders, courtiers; the players, rogues, and twisting, turning, illuminating bits of character, movement, plot, and motive that make "Hamlet" the crown jewel of living, breathing theater.

Buy it. Buy it now.

A Hamlet For The Ages! .......2007-03-23

This is not a film of Hamlet in the traditional sense. It was not made especially for the screen. It is a filmed version of the famed 1964 Broadway production starring the late, great Richard Burton. This DVD showcases the power of not only Shakespere's words but of Richard Burton.

Because of the fact it was filmed during a dress rehearsal, it does not have the lavish period sets, costumes, etc. of other versions. This version is down with the most minimal of sets and in modern (1960's), even casual clothing. This is not the film for those of you who think Shakespere means lavish costumes and sets. But this is a film that showcases the power of Shakespere. Richard Burton is at the height of his powers in the title role. His "To be or not to be" speech is awe inspiring to see and hear. Hume Cronyn is terrific as Polonius playing a bumbling and, at times, oxymoron version of the character. Alfred Drake is well suited as Claudius, though he is a bit wooden at times. Eileen Herlie is virtually perfect as Gertrude. Linda Marsh is particularly impressive as the love struck Ophelia and has great chemistry with Burton making their relationship all the more believable. Add on other great actors and an appearance by George Voskovec as the Player King and even a cameo by the play's director Sir John Gielgud as the ghost of King Hamlet to the mix as well.

The DVD is mostly of this lenghty (Three hour, ten minutes long) film. It does feature an interview with Burton on how this was filmed plus a preview adveretsing the showings of the film in 1964. These aren't great special features but they certainly do give a little bit of insight into the production and how special the film truly is.

In short, this is a terrific version of Hamlet. It is carried not by the usual sets and costumes but by the sheer power of actors and some of the greatest words ever to be put to page. See not only a great play, but an acting legend at the height of his powers.

Two classics--"Hamlet" & Burton.......2007-03-09

There are many fine productions of Hamlet available today, but you won't find a better performance than Richard Burton's in this 1964 legendary production directed by John Gielgud.Besides the excellent performance of Burton, you get to see a live production on stage with an audience, and the immediacy of the moment.If you're fimiliar with Mel Gibson's Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, you certainly should give yourself the opportunity to view Burton's Hamlet and see a different kind of raw, brave performance.Don't miss it!

Burton's Hamlet has aged surprisingly well.......2006-11-01

If you're interested in Shakespeare on stage as opposed to Shakespeare on film, this is an excellent video. I taught an introductory theater course where we looked at several different Hamlets on video, and, in terms of getting a sense of the play's theatricality, this DVD and a recording I made of Peter Brook's recent production (recorded from German TV, I don't know if the video is commercially available or not) were the most enlightening for the students. I find Burton's performance considerably less affected than that of several modern interpreters, e.g. Branagh or Kevin Kline.

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