List Price: $29.95You Pay Only: $17.99 You Save: $11.96 (40%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Image Entertainment
EAN: 9780780021310
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
ISBN: 0780021312
Label: Criterion
Manufacturer: Criterion
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Publisher: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 19, 2000
Running Time: 155 minutes
Sales Rank: 8942
Studio: Criterion
Theatrical Release Date: 1948
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Product Description:
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 09/19/2000 Run time: 155 minutes
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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The greatest Hamlet
Laurence Olivier's Hamlet is the one which, as I child, I watched and it instilled my love of the play and Shakespeare in general. It is the best of all the Hamlet movies because Olivier is simply the best. No one can speak 'To be or not to be' quite like him. A brilliant movie!
Rating: - A masterpiece played by a genius actor
Hamlet one of the most known masterpieces of Shakespeare brought to us by Sir Laurance Olivier, a giant actor.
Rating:  - Little Hamlet, Happy at Last!
This is an interesting experimental Hamlet, which partially succeeds and partially fails. It is a mistake however to consider it a "classic version of a classic" simply because of the Olivier performance and direction. It is somewhat incomprehensible unless someone already knows the whole play, significantly cut here -- nor is this just the nagging objection of a "purist." We are talking about arguably the most significant piece of literature in our language here, the great Sir Larry and all his stage genius or no.
First for the strengths -- chiefly a very classic look, beautiful black and white in this top flight transfer of the original, and great sound too. Olivier as Hamlet looks, as he should, classically kingly and not a boy -- indeed he looks like he just walked off the set of Julius Caesar. He would be king but for the fact his uncle Claudius has murdered Hamlet's king-father, disquised the fact to become usurper-king, and quickly married Hamlet's mother Gertrude who thus remains queen. Olivier's diction has never been better, although sometimes the famous soliloquies are just voice-overs, punctuated by phrases that just leap out of his mouth, "talking to himself"--an experiment that mostly works in this very visually conscious production. The set is done a little in Olivier's famous story-book manner, not entirely realistic, an effect also well done and not over-used. And most of the players are competent and deliver their lines clearly and strong, especially the fine ... Read More
Rating: - Essential cinema: Olivier's 'Hamlet.'
Although the role of Hamlet has attracted many top-rank actors, including Thomas Betterton, David Garrick, Samuel Phelps, Henry Irving, Johnston Forbes-Robertson, John Barrymore {1922 and 1925), Donald Wolfit (1935), Sir Laurence Olivier (1948) Paul Scofield (1949 and 1955), Ian McKellen (1971), Derek Jacobi (1978), and Kenneth Branagh (1996), only Sir Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) received an Oscar for his performance of Shakespeare. In fact, Olivier's Hamlet won four Academy Awards in 1948, including Best Picture and Best Actor. To date, there are no less than 65 motion picture and television versions of the play.
Hamlet expands our understanding of what it means to be alive in the world by asking some of the biggest questions about human existence. Shakespeare's greatest play (1602) is a revenge tragedy, in which the brooding title character seeks revenge for his father's death. It tells the story of Danish Prince Hamlet, who plots revenge on his uncle, Claudius, the current king, for killing his father, King Hamlet. After his mother, Queen Gertrude, hastily marries the usurper, Hamlet feigns madness. His madness is tested with a young woman, Ophelia. In the film, Laurence Olivier plays Hamlet, Basil Sydney plays Claudius, Eileen Herlie plays Gertrude, and Jean Simmons plays Ophelia. Olivier's performance in bringing Shakespeare's melancholy Prince to life is superb.
Although Olivier's 153-minute film represents only half of Shakespeare's original four-hour play, it is ... Read More
Rating:  - misplaced?
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?
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