While for my liking there were too many close-ups where it could have been much more expansive and the final scene being too underplayed with need of more tension- some of the small roles also don't really distinguish themselves and feel like window dressing- this is still a very good Hamlet. For me it's not definitive, the excellent Kenneth Branagh film is more ideal in terms of completeness. But personal favourite is Laurence Olivier's, also abridged but it's brilliantly written, astonishingly well made and Olivier in one of his finest performances. Wasn't completely crazy about Mel Gibson's version. Coming back to this Hamlet, while very minimalist and fairly sparsely set it is lit in a way that has shades of expressionism which did make the production somewhat striking. While cut down a lot, the story is still atmospheric- almost claustrophobic- and coherent though it would have made much more sense with the confessional scene being left in. The script is remarkably literate and what is left of the prose does have a Shakespearean vibe and the impact that the lines have isn't lost either. The soliloquies like in the Olivier version is both thoughtfully written and delivered and the comic banter between Hamlet and Polonius is inventively done. Tony Richardson's stage direction is very meticulous from the smallest detail to the largest with little hint of stodginess while keeping the pace deliberate. He manages to solve the potential issue with the ghost(something that people may not agree with), which when not done well could be hokey, using a bright light. Nicol Williamson's Hamlet might not be for all tastes, it is a booming and forthright performance that may cry out for more subtlety for some. That wasn't a problem for me, because Williamson was incredibly commanding in the role with Hamlet's madness genuinely intense and he also brings nuance and thoughtfulness, which couldn't be more apparent in the soliloquies(if there was anything that wasn't quite right personally it was that he does have a tendency to speak too quickly). Anthony Hopkins is too young for Claudius but is regal and genuinely gluttonous and his scheming is genuinely evil. Judy Parfitt is an elegant Gertrude and Marianne Faithful is beautiful and affecting as Orphelia. Roger Livesey is a real bright spot here in dual roles, and Rosencratz and Guildenstern have rarely been more chilling than in this version. All in all, a very good Hamlet and perhaps the most underrated one but personally not definitive. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Hamlet
