Day 81: Hamlet (1948)
Sometimes a film comes along that solidifies itself so closely with the story it’s telling that no number of remakes, reboots, or reinterpretations can come about that are not influenced by this predecessor or, at the very least, compared to it. Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” is certainly one of those films. Though at least nine films have been made of Shakespeare’s popular work since Oliver’s production in 1948, his is an undeniable piece of cinematic adaptation whose vision exceeds in transferring the Bard’s staged essence into something more dark, mysterious, and chilling thanks to the technical capabilities of filmmaking.
Like the classic story we learned about in school and the thousands of staged interpretations that have come both before and after it, Olivier’s “Hamlet” follows it’s title character, the prince of Denmark, as he mopes about the royal castle and grieves both the mysterious death of his father, the King, and the marriage of his Queen mother Gertrude to his Uncle Claudius, who has now taken up the thrown. While many in the kingdom, including the King’s chief counsellor Polonius, believe Hamlet to be insane with grief, his suspicious nature is founded when the ghost of his father appears and explains that he was murdered by his own brother, who envied his thrown and wife.
Now knowing that he must seek vengeance on his Uncle/Father, Hamlet lays a trap in the form of a play to see if the new King of Denmark will react to a staged interpretation of his own brother’s murder. When Claudius witness’s the reenactment and leaves abruptly from the play, Hamlet is assured that he is indeed the killer of his father and plots the death of his evil Uncle. But, before such an act can take place, many in the castle Elsinore will perish, bringing Hamlet further into grief and his Uncle into the knowledge that he must kill the Hamlet before his own murder takes place.
With Olivier’s “Hamlet,” a long history of stage performances and a few early films culminated into this staple Shakespearean cinematic piece that, to the overall populace, is what comes to mind when thinking on the tragic tale of the Prince of Denmark. But, what the film doesn’t get enough credit for is its beautiful use of cinematic tools to help the audience both better visualize and understand this classic story. With his use of the camera, Olivier delivers a very haunting display of cinematography, having many shots hover far above the characters as well pull in close for the most tense of scenes. In one instance, Hamlet’s heart beats hard as the ghost of his father approaches and, with every beat, the camera zooms in, unfocuses and refocuses to match the rhythm of the quickening heart. In many instances, Olivier has the camera work mimic that of almost an overseer to all the action as if we were watching through the ghost’s eyes as he moves about the castle.
Story editing also plays a large part in Olivier’s “Hamlet” and is one of the few things that many people, to this day, sometimes chastise the film for. With the original work of Shakespeare running over three hours, Olivier was forced to cut it down to two and a half, still a rather long film even by today’s standards, and, by doing so, dropped many characters that Hamlet fans consider key to the story, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s subplot of befriending Hamlet in an attempt to spy on him for Claudius. Though it’s understandable that Olivier would have to make changes, it is a tad bit befuddling that there is no room for such important characters when the play Hamlet has put on for his Uncle is completely silent, relatively long, and ultimately a little boring. Though the story editing may have us miss some of the supporting cast, the film and its tale still holds its own, even in its now leaner state.
Considered still a classic representation of the Shakesphere story, Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” continues to be a defining image in people’s heads when they think of the play and for good reason. Upon its release, the film went on to win four Academy Awards including “Best Actor” for Olivier and “Best Picture”- the first non-American production to accomplish such a task.
To learn more about “Hamlet,” check out Criterion’s page here.
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