Füge eine Handlung in deiner Sprache hinzuAcademy Award-winning director Tony Richardson brings Shakespeare's tragedy to the screen - with searing performances from Nicol Williamson as the melancholy Dane and future Academy Award-wi... Alles lesenAcademy Award-winning director Tony Richardson brings Shakespeare's tragedy to the screen - with searing performances from Nicol Williamson as the melancholy Dane and future Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins as the deceitful Claudius.Academy Award-winning director Tony Richardson brings Shakespeare's tragedy to the screen - with searing performances from Nicol Williamson as the melancholy Dane and future Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins as the deceitful Claudius.
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John J. Carney
- Player King
- (as John Carney)
David Griffith
- Messenger
- (as Mark Griffith)
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I saw this production at the Round House in London, when Nicol Willianson (who destroyed his career by his undisciplined waywardness) was a hot property. The film of that production cuts Shakespeare's original by more than half, yet what survives IS 'Hamlet'. Williamson is a sardonic Prince, masochistically ready to condemn his irresolution, but his performance has a breathtaking urgency. Judy Parfitt's Gertrude and Mark Dignam's Polonius could hardly be bettered and Gordon Jackson's bespectacled Horatio is to my mind his best performance. Marianne Faithful is an endearingly vulnerable Ophelia, Michael Pennington an impassioned Laertes, and though far too young Anthony Hopkins has many fine moments as Claudius. Roger Livesey does a lovely double act as the First Player and Gravedigger, there never were a creepier Rosencrantz and Guidenstern than Ben Aris and Clive Graham and Peter Gale is a splendidly camp Osric. Tony Richardson races through the play with considerable intelligence and ingenuity. 'A hit - a palpable hit'!
Portrayals of Hamlet always seem to provoke a personal response that stimulates vocabulary and reflection, without addressing the central dilemma of the tragedy; a reflection perhaps of the powerful influence of the central character who imposes his contemplative posturing on his reviewers as he does on stage and in film.
Widely regarded as the greatest play of the greatest writer in the English language, it is easy to understand why Hollywood stars turn to Hamlet for proof of their status as serious actors. Yet, to be a success in a film or television version requires so much more than the boyish good looks of a Richard Chamberlain (1970), the Max Max certainty of Mel Gibson (1990) or even the studied intensity of Laurence Olivier (1948).
In Nicol Williamson we find a temperamental, anti-establishment, questioning actor who is at his very best in Hamlet (1969). Perhaps he understood more than any other actor of the modern era why Hamlet says what he says, doesn't do what he doesn't do and finally does what he does.
No English play has produced so many commentaries or provoked so much analysis as Hamlet. Like the Mona Lisa's smile, there is an essential attraction in the enigma which defies casual analysis. As a child, it took me a long time to appreciate my father's gentle humour in passing the twin verdicts that "It wasn't written by Shakespeare but by someone else with the same name" and "Hamlet is alright, but it is full of quotes".
Nicol Williamson's genius is evident not only in the set-piece soliloquies that illustrate countless anthologies, but in the minor gestures and less-well-known asides that give such depth and perspective on Hamlet. Just as you might check a new dictionary to see if the definition of "rant" is superior to Dr Johnson's "high sounding language unsupported by dignity of thought" (1755), you might see a performance of Hamlet and note how the actor handles the intonation of "except my life, except my life, except my life". Not even the sweet steam radio voice of John Gielgud (1948) or the majestic splendour of Richard Burton (1964) can match the intoned pathos of Nicol Williamson.
Team GB's recent successes in achieving 7 of the 10 gold medals available for track cycling at the London 2012 Olympics have been ascribed to coach Dave Brailsford's obsession with successive minor improvements in what has become known as a "doctrine of marginal gains". When comparing Nicol Williamson's performance to his predecessors, we find that our Scottish-born actor from Birmingham demonstrates a marked marginal gain in almost every scene.
If Tony Richardson's direction is unduly restrictive in putting Nicol Williamson in sharp close up lying down in bed for most of the "To be or not to be" speech, he surely cannot be faulted further for bringing out fine performances from Gordon Jackson, Anthony Hopkins, Roger Liversy and Marianne Faithful.
The reviews expressed on this website vary from the "Absolutely Horrific" of 20 March 2000 from "Movie Fan from Tennessee" to "highly recommend this movie" of 2 September 2001 from "Denise from Ohio". Every viewer will have a personal response and quite rightly so; but for me, this is the best ever film version of Hamlet. It preserves the mystery, illustrates the history, vivifies the comedy and reveals magnificently the Tragedy of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark.
Widely regarded as the greatest play of the greatest writer in the English language, it is easy to understand why Hollywood stars turn to Hamlet for proof of their status as serious actors. Yet, to be a success in a film or television version requires so much more than the boyish good looks of a Richard Chamberlain (1970), the Max Max certainty of Mel Gibson (1990) or even the studied intensity of Laurence Olivier (1948).
In Nicol Williamson we find a temperamental, anti-establishment, questioning actor who is at his very best in Hamlet (1969). Perhaps he understood more than any other actor of the modern era why Hamlet says what he says, doesn't do what he doesn't do and finally does what he does.
No English play has produced so many commentaries or provoked so much analysis as Hamlet. Like the Mona Lisa's smile, there is an essential attraction in the enigma which defies casual analysis. As a child, it took me a long time to appreciate my father's gentle humour in passing the twin verdicts that "It wasn't written by Shakespeare but by someone else with the same name" and "Hamlet is alright, but it is full of quotes".
Nicol Williamson's genius is evident not only in the set-piece soliloquies that illustrate countless anthologies, but in the minor gestures and less-well-known asides that give such depth and perspective on Hamlet. Just as you might check a new dictionary to see if the definition of "rant" is superior to Dr Johnson's "high sounding language unsupported by dignity of thought" (1755), you might see a performance of Hamlet and note how the actor handles the intonation of "except my life, except my life, except my life". Not even the sweet steam radio voice of John Gielgud (1948) or the majestic splendour of Richard Burton (1964) can match the intoned pathos of Nicol Williamson.
Team GB's recent successes in achieving 7 of the 10 gold medals available for track cycling at the London 2012 Olympics have been ascribed to coach Dave Brailsford's obsession with successive minor improvements in what has become known as a "doctrine of marginal gains". When comparing Nicol Williamson's performance to his predecessors, we find that our Scottish-born actor from Birmingham demonstrates a marked marginal gain in almost every scene.
If Tony Richardson's direction is unduly restrictive in putting Nicol Williamson in sharp close up lying down in bed for most of the "To be or not to be" speech, he surely cannot be faulted further for bringing out fine performances from Gordon Jackson, Anthony Hopkins, Roger Liversy and Marianne Faithful.
The reviews expressed on this website vary from the "Absolutely Horrific" of 20 March 2000 from "Movie Fan from Tennessee" to "highly recommend this movie" of 2 September 2001 from "Denise from Ohio". Every viewer will have a personal response and quite rightly so; but for me, this is the best ever film version of Hamlet. It preserves the mystery, illustrates the history, vivifies the comedy and reveals magnificently the Tragedy of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark.
I was switching channels one Saturday evening when my dial stopped--Nicol was on the screen, and there was no mistaking him. I didn't recognize the role at first, until he spoke a few words; then the play came to me like a flash. Hamlet. I stayed, and finished out the play as much as I could (I was suffering insomia and just channel-surfing to fall asleep by) before cursed sleep took over. (Sleep that knits the raveled sleep of care, oh, wait. That's another of his movies!)
In all seriousness, I was intrigued by his portray of the mad-Prince. The mood changes were all down perfectly--you could see the insanity truly right below the eyes. Now, either Nicol's a brillant actor (natch!) or he's a bit touched himself! Every little thing he did onscreen, ever muscle twitch in his facial expressions--you really believed that he was insane, and it was perfect. I had never seen any of the other Hamlet plays, just local-type ones by amateurs, and he blew my socks off.
I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Now, if you get a copy, you'd better tell me where--I've been looking for footage since that night! I even opened the TV-Guide, tore out the little paragraph that was in there about it, and stashed it so I could have all the particulars.
Never found a copy yet (video stores and libraries), but I haven't given up home.
Do check out this movie if you see it's coming on cable again--it's very worth the few hours!
:)
Dee
In all seriousness, I was intrigued by his portray of the mad-Prince. The mood changes were all down perfectly--you could see the insanity truly right below the eyes. Now, either Nicol's a brillant actor (natch!) or he's a bit touched himself! Every little thing he did onscreen, ever muscle twitch in his facial expressions--you really believed that he was insane, and it was perfect. I had never seen any of the other Hamlet plays, just local-type ones by amateurs, and he blew my socks off.
I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Now, if you get a copy, you'd better tell me where--I've been looking for footage since that night! I even opened the TV-Guide, tore out the little paragraph that was in there about it, and stashed it so I could have all the particulars.
Never found a copy yet (video stores and libraries), but I haven't given up home.
Do check out this movie if you see it's coming on cable again--it's very worth the few hours!
:)
Dee
Yes, I'll concede that Kenneth Branaugh's uncut version of Shakespeare's text (never played on the Elizabethan stage, in all likelihood) is a benchmark for cinematic *Hamlet*s, but Williamson's performance (particularly his voice-over soliloquies) is still highly thought-provoking thirty years later. The film is like a moving Rembrandt painting (*The Night Watch* comes to mind) with its restless, shifting light and dissolves. It took great courage, for example, for Richardson not to show the Ghost, but rather to reveal him as a burning white light whose impact we feel by the responses of Horatio and the guards. Big budget and big screen it's not, but Richardson's direction has meticulously thought out many significant production details. This is definitely a cerebral *Hamlet* that gives the view
So far, the film version of Tony Richardson's adaptation has been more than satisfactory. This is a must for Shakespeare fans. Nicol Williamson who should have been knighted by now which bothers me more than anything else that he has not been quite rewarded is brilliant in his role as Hamlet. He even outshines Sir Anthony Hopkins C.B.E. who plays his uncle, Claudius. I know Nicol has some personal problems which makes him a very difficult actor to work aside but he is brilliant and talented actor. Maybe he has stayed away from acting rather than go insane or mad. The scenes where his Hamlet is going mad is better than Lord Laurence Olivier. You really believe it. Some people have preferred his Hamlet to other actors who have played the role in the past. I am sure Nicol Williamson deserves to be there somewhere in the top ten list of great Hamlets. Being an artist like an actor without going crazy, mad or insane is an amazing accomplishment. For Nicol, I think he was blessed and cursed with talent and yet with difficulty. I am not excusing his difficult behavior but he is one of the most talented actors and should be rewarded with knighthood like his peers who have taken on the role of Hamlet like Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir John Gielgud, Lord Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh (C.B.E. refused honor in 1996), and others. I hope people will also recognize Judy Parfitt as Queen Gertrude who is quite wonderful in the role. Marianne Faithful plays Ophelia but it is really Nicol's film and worth watching again.
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- WissenswertesAlthough Nicol Williamson (Hamlet) played the son of Judy Parfitt (Gertrude) and the nephew of Sir Anthony Hopkins (Claudius), he was only ten months her junior and fourteen months his senior.
- PatzerAt several moments Gertrude's fillings, obviously the result of twentieth-century dentistry, can be seen clearly.
- Crazy CreditsThe names of the film's cast and the names of the characters they play are recited by an offscreen voice rather than shown on the screen, in the manner of 'Francois Truffaut's "Fahrenheit 451".
- VerbindungenFeatured in Hamlet Revisited: Approaches to Hamlet (1970)
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- Laufzeit1 Stunde 57 Minuten
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