The lowdown: Kenneth Branagh and Mel Gibson are among the actors to have taken on the role of Hamlet on the big
screen, but Sir Laurence Olivier's 1948 performance is still considered by many to be the best. Olivier not only produced
and directed 'Hamlet', but also starred in the title role of the Prince of Denmark, a role for which he gained the Academy
Award for Best Actor. For those not familiar with the story, Hamlet vows to avenge the death of his father, King Hamlet, 
who has been murdered by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, who marries Queen Gertrude and ascends to the throne. Hamlet's
father appears to him as a ghost, and tells the young prince that Claudius killed him by pouring poison into his ear while 
he slept. (The voice of the ghost was also provided by Olivier).

After feigning madness, Hamlet hires a group of stage actors to perform a play called 'The Murder of Gonzago' for Claudius,
but he asks them to change the plot slightly to portray the events surrounding the King's death. At this point, Claudius 
storms out of the room, and Hamlet is convinced that he did indeed kill the King. The film culminates in a duel between 
Hamlet and Laertes, the son of Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain. The tip of Laertes' sword has been dipped in poison, in 
order to ensure that Hamlet dies. The final scenes see the deaths of Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius and Laertes, bringing 
Shakespeare's greatest tragedy to a close.

Patrick Troughton has a very brief cameo as the Player King, the travelling actor who re-enacts the death of King Hamlet 
in what is often described as the Play Within The Play. Troughton has no dialogue in 'Hamlet', as the play is performed in
mime. It should be noted that he had previously played the role of Hamlet's friend Horatio in a live production of the play
that was filmed for television (and Troughton's first television role). Also note that Peter Cushing, who starred in two colour
Doctor Who films in the 1960s, also had a small role in this film.
  Video Clips:
Death of the Player King   (8.0mb)

  Pictures from 'Hamlet'

 
 
 

 
 

 
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