Fresh and Exciting

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

As the front cover says "The hamlet of our time, for our time".I had to study this filmed version of Hamlet directly after watching Keneth Branagh's version and it was truly a disappointing experience.This version takes a different approach to several aspects of the play including sexuality; one very VERY homosexual Osric and an interesting interaction between Hamlet and Ophelia. I think for the time (60's) this was a very well done version of Hamlet but cannot compare to Branagh's complete version.just a note... I found the video at my local video store (in Australia) and I'm actually looking for a Keneth Branagh DVD to buy if such a thing even exists. If anyone knows of one please tell me.

Released shortly after Zefferelli's ROMEO AND JULIET, this was advertised as "The Love Story of Hamlet and Ophelia." Well, HAMLET is about a lot of things, but it ain't about the love between Hamlet and Ophelia. More apt is the other tag line: A HAMLET of our time, for our time," because this HAMLET is very much rooted in the late 1960s counter-culture. The actors seem just about to make love in every scene, except for Williamson, who plays Hamlet like a pedantic grad student -- his first speech to Gertrude sounds like he's grading a freshman essay.Despite this, and despite the fact that Williamson, though about the same age as Parfitt (Gertrude) and Hopkins (Claudius) looks older, there are some worthwhile readings here and there, a couple of good ideas, and I have never seen Rosecrantz and Guildenstern shown more obtrusively -- like obnoxious frat brothers at a wedding. For HAMLET completest, this is worth seeking out.

Although it surely does have its good points, I still think the Branagh rendition of what may be Shakespeare's finest play. is still the best one available; it has great acting not only by Branagh himself but also the supporting players such as Kate Winslet, yes, Billy Crystal, although Jack Lemon is a bit out of his element here.

This is an excellent version of the Bard's great tragedy, and it certainly deserves a lot more than 21 votes and one user review! I like this version more than the 1948 film starring Laurence Olivier, (which was a disappointment for me) but less than the 1996 "unabridged" version starring Kenneth Branagh. Being a Shakespeare buff, I have to like Branagh's excellent film more than this one because it contains the entire play. On the other hand, even though Branagh does a really good job of portraying the "Prince of Denmark" I do like Nichol Williamson's performance even more. I highly recommend this version to all fans of Shakespeare, Williamson, and great movies in general.