Am I Missing Something?

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

One of the greatest films of all time. Olivier creates a perfect setting, the castle is vast yet intimate. Magnificent score camerawork and lighting. Benefits from discarding minor characters Fortinbras, Rozencratz, etc. Film gives you real sense of Hamlet's confusion. He doesn't want the responsibilities of kingship. Can't agree with Horatio at the end, that Hamlet would have made a great King. Too indecisive. Hamlet or Shakespeare have never been bettered on the screen

Laurence Olivier directed, shaped the dialogue adaptation, and starred in this first spoken film version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Olivier famously bleached his locks to portray the Danish prince who is consumed by his suspicion that his uncle has murdered his father. Larry's wife Vivien Leigh wanted to play Ophelia, but he preferred to cast a lesser known actress, so he chose Jean Simmons instead. Jean was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, and Larry won both Best Actor and Best Picture at the 1949 ceremony.While there was great attention to detail in the sets, costume, and direction of this version, it's not my favorite. I prefer Richard Burton's energy in his 1964 version, a filmed Broadway performance. I'm don't like to insult the great Laurence Olivier, but I was far from riveted by his Shakespearean performance. If you want to watch this version, you can make up your own mind about him, but I felt too much egotism radiating off the screen. I didn't believe he was distraught and at the brink of insanity, like I felt when watching Richard Burton on the stage. If you prefer a more subdued, more internal performance, you might like this interpretation better. But if you're like me and don't generally like Shakespeare, you might find yourself nodding off after the first fifteen minutes.

Sir Laurence Olivier takes a stab at the brooding Danish prince in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He's really too old to play the prince realistically. At most, he looks like the same age as his mother Gertrude. Even that is a great feat since Eileen Herlie is in actual life 11 years younger than Olivier. Olivier makes his version concentrate more on Hamlet's self doubt. "This is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind." He also plays up the Oedipus complex aspect of Hamlet. This may not be the definitive theatrical version of Hamlet. It is an interesting one made by a master. He has obviously thought it through and made the necessary cuts in his own ways. Olivier is obviously comfortable with the material. It is classically made with enough cinematic flourishes to keep it interesting.

I understand that Laurence Olivier called his adaptation of William Shakespeare's masterpiece more of a study of "Hamlet" than a direct adaptation. Nonetheless, the result was a marvelous film. At heart, the movie is a look at base impulses. In fact, I see a connection to another 1948 movie: "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". The latter focuses on the horrific actions to which greed drives people, much like how "Hamlet" looks at vindictiveness. Neither offers a rosy view of humanity.The cold, Gothic sets frame the story perfectly. Elsinore's dreary look does as much to emphasize the characters' futile existence as any of the actors do. I should note that I've never seen a stage production of "Hamlet", so I'm not the best person to offer a comparison to a live version. I understand that Olivier cut much of the story to condense the movie so that he could emphasize the psychological aspect. Even so, he turned out a masterpiece, becoming the first person to direct himself to an acting Oscar, and giving us the first Best Picture winner not from the US. As for whether it was the year's best movie, I'd rank it as equal to "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", with both offering devastating focuses on the human condition. Definitely see it.