Hamlet

Tony Richardson's production, faithfully reconstructed from the stage version and filmed in situ at the Roundhouse, has some very odd casting: Nicol Williamson plays Hamlet, morose and black suited, spitting his lines at the screen like a malevolent spider; Anthony Hopkins (younger in real life) plays his stepfather and Royal usurper Claudius. Judy Parfitt (excellent) plays a seductive Gertrude, while Marianne Faithfull plays Ophelia (and actually does it quite well; I read she didn't have particularly good memories of the role but she comes closer to the character than a lot of the more accomplished actresses I've seen tackle it). Michael Pennington is wasted, really, as Laertes. Roger Livesey appears as Player King and is very good in one of his last film roles.

The play itself is shorn to minimalism, very short, very staccato. This works well for some of the scenes - the Ghost's appearance, for example; the scene with Hamlet and Ophelia when they are being observed; the 'words words words' bit; and Hamlet's visit to his mother's room before his dispatch to England. I'm not sure about the soliloquies to camera, or certainly whether they come across as well as they would have done in the theatre. But it is a fascinating record of an eccentric collection of performances.

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'!

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

This is a passable re-telling of Shakespeare's great tragedy, but here's the rotten thing in Denmark. Not only does Nicol Williamson not fit the concept of a young Prince Hamlet. He actually looks a good many years older than both his mother and his stepfather (Judy Parfitt and a young Anthony Hopkins).

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.