'Hamlet' is one of Shakespeare's most famous and most lauded plays, and one can see why with such memorable characters, some of the most deservedly famous in all literature, and text often quoted and referenced. It is a long play and not easy to perform at all, but the characterisation, language and complex emotions have always riveted me and it has always been one of my favourites from Shakespeare.
This 1980 production of 'Hamlet' is to me one of the better productions of the BBC Television Shakespeare series that ran from 1978 to 1985. Although not a consistent series (some did have budget and staging limitations, and not all the performances throughout the series worked), the BBC Television Shakespeare productions are truly fascinating. Mainly to see all of Shakespeare's plays adapted and performed in one series and to see them performed relatively faithfully generally with mostly good casts. One is spoilt for choice regarding available productions of 'Hamlet', with none of them being perfect but all of them have many great things to recommend about them. Consider BBC's version to be among the best in overall quality and something of a must watch if one is wanting to see a production that's faithful and feels complete.
With this 'Hamlet', there is nothing rotten and very little to protest about. If there was a weak link of the cast and of the production, from personal opinion Lalla Ward came over as somewhat stiff and bland as Ophelia.
Perhaps would have liked the spectacle of the ghost to have been spookier too.
On the other hand, on a visual level production values may not be lavish or grand, being quite sparse instead in the sets. But, considering that 'Hamlet' is a very dark play and with a location that is not specified in the text as a wondrous place (like 'The Tempest', that was an example of an under-budgeted production although it was still decent elsewhere), it was hardly inappropriate. They didn't always come over as ugly or tacky to me, apart from sometimes the hair, and served their purpose well. Considering that the budget wasn't a big one they could have been far worse. The camera work doesn't try to do too much or anything too fancy that it comes over as chaotic and has intimacy when needed, though it could have opened up more. The staging has emotion and dramatic tension, especially in the Hamlet/Gertrude scene and the brutal climax, and didn't feel too busy or static, having the right amount of momentum while being tasteful and cohesive at the same time.
Shakespeare's text shines through constantly, all the crucial famous lines and solliloquies having full impact and delivered beautifully. Apart from Ward, there is a lot to love about the performances. Derek Jacobi oozes authority and Hamlet's conflicted emotions are handled chillingly and touchingly. Do agree to some extent that Patrick Stewart was too regal somewhat as Claudius, but it is still an effectively calculating portrayal that doesn't fall into one-dimensional villainy. Claire Bloom nails all of Gertrude's many traits and characteristics, while Eric Porter's dignified Polonius is one of the best. David Robb brings fire and humanity to Laertes, Patrick Allen cuts a powerful, in a way that's both spooky and subtle, presence as the Ghost and Robert Swann's Horatio has a lot of warmth.
In summary, a couple of quibbles but excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox
This 1980 production of 'Hamlet' is to me one of the better productions of the BBC Television Shakespeare series that ran from 1978 to 1985. Although not a consistent series (some did have budget and staging limitations, and not all the performances throughout the series worked), the BBC Television Shakespeare productions are truly fascinating. Mainly to see all of Shakespeare's plays adapted and performed in one series and to see them performed relatively faithfully generally with mostly good casts. One is spoilt for choice regarding available productions of 'Hamlet', with none of them being perfect but all of them have many great things to recommend about them. Consider BBC's version to be among the best in overall quality and something of a must watch if one is wanting to see a production that's faithful and feels complete.
With this 'Hamlet', there is nothing rotten and very little to protest about. If there was a weak link of the cast and of the production, from personal opinion Lalla Ward came over as somewhat stiff and bland as Ophelia.
Perhaps would have liked the spectacle of the ghost to have been spookier too.
On the other hand, on a visual level production values may not be lavish or grand, being quite sparse instead in the sets. But, considering that 'Hamlet' is a very dark play and with a location that is not specified in the text as a wondrous place (like 'The Tempest', that was an example of an under-budgeted production although it was still decent elsewhere), it was hardly inappropriate. They didn't always come over as ugly or tacky to me, apart from sometimes the hair, and served their purpose well. Considering that the budget wasn't a big one they could have been far worse. The camera work doesn't try to do too much or anything too fancy that it comes over as chaotic and has intimacy when needed, though it could have opened up more. The staging has emotion and dramatic tension, especially in the Hamlet/Gertrude scene and the brutal climax, and didn't feel too busy or static, having the right amount of momentum while being tasteful and cohesive at the same time.
Shakespeare's text shines through constantly, all the crucial famous lines and solliloquies having full impact and delivered beautifully. Apart from Ward, there is a lot to love about the performances. Derek Jacobi oozes authority and Hamlet's conflicted emotions are handled chillingly and touchingly. Do agree to some extent that Patrick Stewart was too regal somewhat as Claudius, but it is still an effectively calculating portrayal that doesn't fall into one-dimensional villainy. Claire Bloom nails all of Gertrude's many traits and characteristics, while Eric Porter's dignified Polonius is one of the best. David Robb brings fire and humanity to Laertes, Patrick Allen cuts a powerful, in a way that's both spooky and subtle, presence as the Ghost and Robert Swann's Horatio has a lot of warmth.
In summary, a couple of quibbles but excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox