Prince of Jutland

Call this Prince of Jutland, call it Royal Deceit, the only thing tragic about this film is the terrible waste of some very talented people. Christian Bale-heads in particular will be sad to see him in this retelling of the Hamlet legend from material presumably closer to the source, but stuck with a screenplay that hasn't an ounce of poetry and cinematography that wouldn't do for a TV movie of the week. Bale applies himself manfully, as does Gabriel Byrne, but one is embarrassed for them speaking thudding dialogue. Greatest embarrassment of all perhaps is rendered the great Helen Mirren who, like her co-stars, gives it her U.K. all, but is undermined by a tackiness of production and a cast of extras who mill around like location gawkers in medieval drag. Please. Spare us.

There was a 5 catalog titles for a dollar special, but the selection was terrible and I couldn't find a 5th title I hadn't seen that looked watchable. Finally, I stumbled across this movie. I'd never heard of it, but considering The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing, & The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover are some of my favorite movies, and Bale is also talented, I figured this should be a winner. Big mistake!

The writing was all around horrible. Generic 4th grade script where some things happened, but you could see them coming a mile away and even if you couldn't you still weren't given any reason to care. The movie was half over before Bale was sent off and it became remotely interesting. Bale did a great job considering he had nothing to work with, but that was the only positive of the movie. Byrne gave his usual professional performance, but the weakness in the scripting of his lines undermined it. Mirren tried, but her only scenes that could have had potential were in the first half when there was no emotion to be found anywhere else, so she almost seemed insincere in trying to bring some. Kate Beckinsale also made an appearance, but her part was basically just smiling at Bale, who quickly married her. Aside from the script, the movie was also filmed with all the style of the various Saturday WPIX TV series. 2/10

I've been waiting so long to see "Royal Deceit" that I had almost given up hope of ever finding it at any video store. Then on-line film purchasing came along and all my prayers were answered. As I sat and finally witnessed that majesty and of the original Hamlet story, I couldn't help but be thoroughly moved by it. The leading players are marvelous, Christian Bale especially. I am a "Bale-head" and have seen every other one of his films. Everything the young actor touches deserves recognition as a work of true art. He only chooses the best subject matter and scripts. He should certainly be hailed as the best and most courageous actor of the millennium. A must for any Christian Bale fan, or for that matter any fan of true artistic film.

I liked this. It was the only version of the Hamlet story I've ever seen that used the Saxo Grammaticus original, and I got a kick out of that. The costumes, sets and locales were authentic, for once. I particularly like the addition of a sauna. If you didn't recognize this as the Hamlet story, you might think it simple-minded, but I thought it was wonderful to see Hamlet's bare bones, as it were.

If you have seen Babette's Feast and can appreciate the difference between a more European, understated style of film making and the slam-bang, in-your-face style the Yanks dish out year in and year out... Then this may be a movie for you.

Here is a small film by a director working in a language that is not his own. An experiment in story telling that succeeds on its own terms. Here is a film that is scored by one of the more highly rated, avant-guard classical composers in Europe. It re-tells a well beloved story by going at it by the roots in order to give it a fresh spin. The wonderful cast of British (and Irish) stars can be applauded for endorsing what must have been a modestly budgeted film.

Of course it is not Shakespeare. But it sheds new light on the Hamlet play by exploring the legend that inspired the bard to choose it as story material. For fans of history and drama.