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Over fifty films of William Shakespeare's Hamlet have been made since 1900. [1] Seven post-war Hamlet films have had a theatrical release: Laurence Olivier's Hamlet of 1948; Grigori Kozintsev's 1964 Russian adaptation; a film of the John Gielgud-directed 1964 Broadway production, Richard Burton's Hamlet, which played limited engagements that same year; Tony Richardson's 1969 version (the first ...
- Hamlet, 1948. Director: Laurence Olivier. Notable cast: Laurence Olivier. Olivier is widely considered the greatest Shakespearean actor and director of the twentieth century, and his movie adaptation of Hamlet is still regarded as one of the most successful.
- Hamlet, 1969. Director: Tony Richardson. Notable cast: Nicol Williamson, Marianne Faithfull, Anthony Hopkins. Richardson’s movie was based on his stage production of Hamlet, and it has a more theatrical feel than the other adaptations.
- Hamlet, 1990. Director: Franco Zeffirelli. Notable cast: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Helena Bonham-Carter. Zeffirelli heavily cut Shakespeare’s text and cast Gibson, who was best known at the time for the Lethal Weapon series, to highlight Hamlet’s inability to be an “action hero.”
- Hamlet, 1996. Director: Kenneth Branagh. Notable cast: Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie. Branagh’s Hamlet uses Shakespeare’s full text, and even adds in several flashbacks that don’t appear in the original play.
- 13 'Hamlet'
- 12 'The Banquet'
- 11 'Strange Brew'
- 10 'Hamlet'
- 9 'Hamlet'
- 8 'The Northman'
- 7 'Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead'
- 6 'Hamlet'
- 5 'Hamlet'
- 4 'The Bad Sleep Well'
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10 It's ironic that this adaptation of Hamletaimed to update the story into a modern-day New York City setting, yet by being so clearly set around the turn of the millennium, it's ended up "aging" worse than most adaptations that are set centuries ago. In the film's defense, those behind it likely didn't know how fast technology wa...
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10 The Banquet is a Chinese film that loosely adapts Hamlet into a historical setting that's also slightly fantastical. The story here takes place more than 1000 years ago, and is kicked off with the actions of a murderous uncle, but ultimately builds to an extensive (and violent) banquet where numerous characters collide. The plot...
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10 There are plenty of cult classic 1980s sci-fi movies that have taken some time to find an audience, usually because they're a little offbeat. Strange Brew could definitely count itself as one of those films, as it's perhaps one of the most aggressively Canadian movies of all time, features comedy and sci-fi elements, and has a s...
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10 Hamlet (1990) is notable for starring Mel Gibson as the Prince of Denmark, but can also be singled out as the one where the title character has a terrible haircut. Otherwise, it sort of blends into the crowd when it comes to Hamlet adaptations, seeing as it plays things straight when it comes to adapting the original text, and f...
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10 1921's Hamlet is one of the oldest known film versions of the play, and more significantly, is still watchable. There are plenty of films from the 1920sand earlier that have been lost to time, meaning those interested in old cinema can only imagine what they would have looked like. This take on Hamlet also stands out from the cr...
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10 If there's one thing that The Northmandoes exceptionally well, it's highlighting the cyclical nature of revenge and the way violence can continue to inspire more violence until there's no one left to be violent. Speaking of violence: the movie has a ton of it. Interestingly, The Northman might not quite be an adaptation of Hamle...
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern re-frames Hamlet to focus on two of its minor characters who tend to be cut out of most film adaptations. Those two characters are none other than Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and they spend much of the movie having philosophical conversations about their existence and lack of purpose in life in a way...
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10 1948's Hamlet is the only direct Shakespeare adaptation to have won Best Picture. Sure, West Side Story (1961) also won the top prize at the Oscars, but that's based on a musical that drastically modernized Romeo and Juliet. And while 1998's Shakespeare in Loveis (loosely) about the man itself, it's not an adaptation of one of h...
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is easily the longest, with the 1996 film clocking in at just over four hours. It would be difficult to feasibly make an adaptation longer without adding material, given this version is notable for adapting the entire play to the big screen. This results in a movie that might well be too long and exhaust...
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 The Bad Sleep Well is one of many underrated Akira Kurosawa movies that gets buried under the likes of more popular movies like Seven Samurai, Ran, and Yojimbo. As far as adaptations go, it's fairly loose, having less in common with its source material than Kurosawa's 1957 take on Macbeth (Throne of Blood) did. It transports thi...
- Jeremy Urquhart
- Senior Author
- David Tennant's 2009 Hamlet - 100. Following his remarkable run as The Doctor on Doctor Who, David Tennant introduced Hamlet to a new generation of fans in this television film from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
- Grigori Kozintsev 1964 Hamlet - 100. Although Grigori Kozintsev's Hamlet is spoken entirely in Russian, and does not have a score on Metacritic, it holds a perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Kenneth Branagh's 1996 Hamlet - 95. A big reason why Hamlet hasn't been adapted for the screen that much is because a full, unedited performance could take over four hours.
- Laurence Olivier's 1948 Hamlet - 88.5. Laurence Olivier is often considered the finest actor of his generation. In 1948, the world was fortunate to witness him play the role he was born for (and direct himself).
- Grace Lapointe
- Hamlet (1996) At 4 hours long, this is one of the only adaptations that uses the full text of Shakespeare’s play. It even dramatizes more scenes that aren’t shown in the play, so some viewers may find it excessive.
- Hamlet (1948) Laurence Olivier, the acclaimed Shakespearean stage and screen actor, starred in and directed this Oscar-winning adaptation. The prologue is moved from later in the play.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Tom Stoppard directed the 1990 movie of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, his own absurdist play from 1966.
- Ophelia. This 2018 movie was directed by Claire McCarth, stars Daisy Ridley in the title role, and has a haunting soundtrack by Steven Price. It was based on the 2008 novel Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein.
Nov 21, 2023 · There have been over fifty film adaptations of Hamlet as well as countless stage productions. Some notable adaptations include those directed by Olivier (1948), Branagh (1996), and Almereyda (2000).
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This list features every movie that is a direct adaptation of Hamlet or follows the plot of Hamlet. vee Join here. A list of 26 films compiled on Letterboxd, including Hamlet (1964), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Le duel d'Hamlet (1900), The Inheritance (1970) and Hamlet Goes Business (1987).
