Taglines: The extraordinary adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tale of vengeance and tragedy.
Hamlet returns to Denmark when his father, the King, dies. His mother Gertrude has already married Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, the new King. They urge Hamlet to marry his beloved Ophelia. But soon the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius and Gertrude. Hamlet must choose between passive acquiescence and the need for a vengeance which might lead to tragedy.
Hamlet is a 1990 American drama film based on the Shakespearean tragedy of the same name directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the eponymous character. The film also features Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, and Nathaniel Parker. It is notable for being the first film from Icon Productions, a company co-founded by Gibson.
Adaptation Period
Film scholar Deborah Cartmell has suggested that Zeffirelli’s Shakespeare films are appealing because they are “sensual rather than cerebral”, an approach by which he aims to make Shakespeare “even more popular”. To this end, he cast Gibson — then famous for the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films — in the title role. Cartmell also notes that the text is drastically cut, but with the effect of enhancing the roles of the women.
J. Lawrence Guntner has suggested that Zeffirelli’s cinematography borrows heavily from the action film genre that made Gibson famous, noting that its average shot length is less than six seconds.[5] In casting Gibson, the director has been said to have made the star’s reputation part of the performance, encouraging the audience “to see the Gibson that they have come to expect from his other films”.[6] Indeed, Gibson was cast after Zeffirelli watched his character, Martin Riggs, contemplate suicide in Lethal Weapon. The fight between Hamlet and Laertes is an example of using Gibson’s experience in action movies; Gibson handily depicts Hamlet as an experienced fencer.
Hamlet (1991)
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, Nathaniel Parker, Sean Murray, Michael Maloney
Screenplay by: Christopher De Vore
Production Design by: Dante Ferretti
Cinematography by: David Watkin
Film Editing by: Richard Marden
Costume Design by: Maurizio Millenotti
Set Decoration by: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Art Direction by: Franco Ceraolo, Michael Lamont, Jim Morahan, Antonio Tarolla, Alan Tomkins
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: January 18, 1991
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