Hamlet | | Cast : | Richard Burton, Hume Cronyn | | Director : | John Gielgud, Bill Colleran | | Studio : | Image Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Black & White | | Released Date : | January 01, 1964 | | DVD Released Date : | August 17, 1999 | | Language : | English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 19, 2005 | | Summary | Burton puts the "ham" in Hamlet. | Content
 | Since this is a film of a Broadway production rather than a cinematic version of the play, obviously the standards one uses to evaluate it have to be adjusted. The lighting, sound and camera work leave much to be desired and one is left with just the performances to bring the text to life.
With these considerations in mind, how does it stand up? Well, the main weakness is a significant one: Richard Burton's performance. He rushes through his lines and accents the oddest words (perhaps like he is singing, as another reviewer has noted, but singing like he's forgotten what the words mean). Since this is a stage version of the play it is probably more difficult to convey subtlety in the dialogue, as one could in a film, but Burton makes this problem particularly glaring by also shouting most of his lines. His is one of the more physical Hamlets; however, whereas Mel Gibson used his physicality to provide a contrast to an inner sensitivity, Burton's portrayal actually seems more like what one would expect of an actor who is associated with action films. As another reviewer has noted, he portrays the prince as truly mad. The Hamlet in the text of the play is a man whose sanity is open to question, who reveals multiple facets the more closely he is analysed. This complexity allows for a variety of interpretations of not only the character but also the play - one of the qualities that makes the play one of the peaks of dramatic literature. Burton's interpretation brushes much of this ambiguity aside, creating a version of one of literature's most complex characters that almost manages to be one dimensional. Richard Burton undoubtedly has stage presence though and this helps somewhat in helping the viewer hold on to the end.
The other performance worth commenting on is Hume Cronyn's Polonius. He does some interesting things with the character, making him less foolish than most actors do. Significantly, he also injects some humour into the delivery of his lines. His performance is one of the few high points of the production.
Overall, this isn't the worst version you'll see, but it certainly shouldn't be anywhere near the top of your list if you're interested in screening the play. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 09, 2003 | | Summary | Low Tech, High Value | Content
| On one hand, this disc could be viewed as suffering from a number of problems: it's visually limited to the point of almost not being a movie, the sound is over-reverberant, making he ghost in particular, difficult to understand. At the same time, like Mitropoulos' Mahler Third, the virtues of the performance supercede all other considerations, and and this is the one 'Hamlet' that has come to be 'HAMLET' for me. Burton practically sings the role, as well as endowing it with an energetic, and at times tortured, physicality. The supporting cast is up to his level all the way. The modern dress minimalist staging starkly puts the primal drama where it belongs, out front. And the liveness feeds the whole proceding with an energy unknown in other filmed versions. And back to the ghost, the fact that we never see him, but only his larger-than-life shadow, and that his disembodied voice comes from nowhere and everywhere, makes his presence eerily pre-eminent. The performance is uncut, and riveting for every one of the 191 minutes. Burton is the prince of Hamlets! |
| Rating | | | Date | July 13, 2003 | | Summary | Burton is perfect, the picture quality is not | Content
| Burton played Hamlet in Canada and at the Lunt-Fontaine theatre in NYC in 1964. It was like Beatlemania with Liz and Richard walking to their waiting limo after each performance. Those were the days of Liz and Dick hysteria! This film was thought to be lost, but was thankfully unearthed in a loft at Burton's Celigny, Switzerland home. It's impossible to give this DVD 5 stars because the video quality is distressingly poor. Not only is the picture overly dark, it's taped from an actual live performance and the supporting players oftentimes are lost in the shadows. The audio remains quite good and powerful at times, but sadly, you oftentimes cannot make out who is on stage. Another criticism is that they didn't include any interviews with surviving members of the cast. Gielgud also spoke at length about this project in various interviews from 1964 and thereafter. Burton also spoke about this performance in an interview with David Frost from 1970. Why weren't these snippets included? Burton's performance is fabulous. He brings an earthy, reckless, sexy quality to the brooding Hamlet and he's phenomenal in the role. He absolutely owns the stage with this performance, completely eclipsing the supporting cast, with the exception of Hume Cronyn. The modern-day street clothes are not a distraction and Burton looks magnificent in his dark blue turtleneck sweater.
Despite the flawed video quality, this is still worth owning if you are a fan of Burton or Shakespeare. This is the most masculine and dynamic performance of Hamlet of the past 40 years. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 12, 2003 | | Summary | This `Hamlet' IS Hamlet | Content
| I have seen every filmed version of `Hamlet' there is and untold stage perfomances and never - never - have I been so thoroughly convinced of the reality of the drama as I am with this version. Taped during a live stage performance in `64, directed by Gielgud (who first interpreted the role realistically), this film offers brilliant work by Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake and Linda Marsh - but most of all by Richard Burton who delivers the lines as though they are being spoken for the first time. The entire production has that same quality though - it's the first `Hamlet' I've ever seen where I genuinely felt sorry when Polonius is killed and where I've laughed at the `fishmonger' scene. In black & white, it is certainly not as `showy' as some other filmed versions - but I don't believe there is one better. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 02, 2002 | | Summary | Burton disappointing | Content
| I had heard that Richard Burton offered the definitive Hamlet in this production. I was, however, disappointed. I found Burton to be far too intense in the opening scenes. Here, Hamlet is supposed to be melancholic, but Burton shouts the words "seems, madam? Nay, it is" almost angrily, despite the dialogue's obvious suggestion of Hamlet's brooding mood. Perhaps this angry and overly intense interpretation is rooted in the intensity of the 60s, but overall, I found it to be flawed and ignorant of Hamlet's character. The rest of Burton's performance is equally abrasive. Furthermore, I found the performances of the rest of the cast to be generally uninspired and unengaging. There are, however, some exceptional elements to the production. Gielgud's stage direction and his treatment of the ghost come to mind, but, despite this, I cannot recommend this production because of Burton's performance. |
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