Hamlet (1990) [VHS]

Originally, Shakespeare's plays were intended for the masses. At the time they were looked at like Adam Sandler movies are today. What's wrong with making his greatest work more accessible to contemporary audiences and possibly setting off a few sparks of interest in folks who may have otherwise been content to spend their $10 on a Happy Gilmore sequel instead?

I was an English major in college and spent a lot of time that first semester `decoding the bard'. It wasn't until my sophomore year that I was able to truly immerse myself in the language and enjoy Shakespeare for what it is. Had Gibson's Hamlet been around I may have been able to get into the waters a bit quicker. His performance was riveting and the rest of the cast was simply amazing. I fell in love with Helena Bonham Carter's Ophelia and nearly cried when she... Wait! Spoiler there. (Yes, Shakespeare can be spoiled for the uninitiated.)

One last thing I would like to point out to those who complained about Mel being far too animated and crazed as Hamlet. Melancholia was considered a medical term in Shakespeare's time. It was a generic term used to describe a variety of psychological maladies, which included mood swings and possibly even schizophrenia. Just because Gibson chose to go in a different direction from more traditional interpretations doesn't make him wrong. He may have been closer to The Bard's vision of the character than Olivier or Richard Burton. (Maybe.)

Regardless, this is at the very least a very entertaining interpretation of a great classic. Now let's talk about why Brannaugh's uncut, super, four hour edition has not been released... What fools these mortals be.


Franco's Hamlet is First-rate!   March 7, 2006
Mark Hanley (Parsonsfield, ME USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Like many people, I was capitivated by Gibson's long-ago performance in Gallipoli. Before Mel went to Hollywood and became a two-dimensional 'movie star,' he possessed a persona that projected great innocence and a purity of character rarely seen in film. It was wonderful to get to see that side of Mel Gibson again. Good show, Franco!




Mel IS Hamlet!   January 30, 2004
Elizabeth Swann (Cranberry Twp., PA United States)
21 out of 26 found this review helpful

I own this VHS and use it regularly to teach the play in my college courses. The students watch the Branagh version first and then watch Mel Gibson's metamorphosis into the being of Hamlet. The general consensus is that the Gibson version is far superior to the Brannaugh version simply because Mel brings more depth to the character of Hamlet via the juxtaposed emotions of quiet contemplation, stinging wit, and raving anger. Branagh's Hamlet tends to be steadily caustic in nature and speaks (shouts) all of the lines at mind whirling pace! Gibson's delivery of famous soliloquies is natural and laced with appropriate emotion, which allows the watcher to completely comprehend each scene. Mel Gibson does not play the role of Hamlet - Mel Gibson BECOMES Hamlet! Truly Mr. Gibson's portrayal of the Prince of Denmark is one of the pinnacles his acting career. To those who scoff at the notion of Mad Maxx playing Hamlet, I have a word of advice - "Watch it, and you'll change your mind!"
While this film has been roundly criticized by so-called movie "experts" due to Zeffirelli's cutting and rearranging of certain lines and scenes, it would do those "experts" well to learn a little about Elizabethan theatre. An average Elizabethan audience NEVER saw the entire play all at once as they relied on natural lighting in the theatres of their day. The Elizabethan directors (including the Bard himself) had to eliminate scenes in much the same way as did Zeffirelli. So, upon closer examination, it appears as though Brannaugh's version of Hamlet is the less "correct" version. Don't get me wrong...I still admire Brannaugh's Hamlet. I am just weary of the constant criticism Mel Gibson's portrayal garners.
This version of Hamlet also contains incredible performances by Helena Bonham-Carter as the naive, young Ophelia and Glenn Close as a less than virtuous Gertrude. The scenery and costuming is absolutely captivating! Finally, the portrayal of the ghost, a role which Shakespeare wrote for himself to perform, is carried out brilliantly by Paul Scofield who is forceful yet subdued. We are left to wonder, as would the Elizabethan audience, whether this ghost is pure or a devilish incarnation - which is THE KEY to what drives the plot of the play Hamlet. Buy this dvd if you want to see a stunning version of Hamlet! I know I am (to replace my vhs).
Gibson and Zeffirelli leave Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, Campbell Scott, and Ethan Hawke in the dust!


To Thine Own Self Be True...   February 4, 2002
Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
56 out of 75 found this review helpful

While this is a complex movie that demands your full attention, this has to be one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It is beautifully acted out in a gorgeous castle filled with tapestries and everything you would imagine a castle to be from the candlelight to the dimly lit spiral staircases.

The most enjoyable scenes are when Hamlet expresses his thoughts in soliloquies and gives insight into what his character is feeling. Mel Gibson becomes Hamlet and I thought this was perhaps some of his best acting ever! Glenn Close is exceptional as Gertrude, the incestuous mother. The uneasiness and distrust in Denmark since King Hamlet's death and Queen Gertrude's remarriage sets the mood for the rest of the movie.

The story begins on the outer ramparts of Elsinore castle. A ghost appears and Hamlet, speaks to his deceased father. The ghost asks Hamlet to revenge his "most foul, strange, and unnatural murder." Hamlet then deviously plots a psychological revenge by putting on a play in which a scene portrays the actual murder of his father.

"I'll have grounds
More relative than this-the play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." -Hamlet, Act 2, 603-605

Once guilt takes hold of the King, the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together and you realize that one immoral action only makes another wrong even more probable.

Throughout the play, Hamlet shows his intellectual superiority and states his case by saying: "Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?" While he desires to have the upper hand until the end, he cannot of course know all the intentions of those around him nor can he escape his own fate.

An Unforgettable story that made an impression on me in school and still holds a certain fascination for me. Did Hamlet ever really love Ophelia? That is the question.

"It is in my memory locked." -Ophelia

~The Rebecca Review