Hamlet

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Robert N. @Rob123456 Oct 1 I thought it was great. Gibson and cast were wonderful. Zeffirelli directed so true. I read the “no fear Shakespeare’s Hamlet “ and it was accurate. See more Bob J May 21 Mel Gibson is Hamlet. There is none other. This is the best Hamlet. See more Julian S @akajulianscott Mar 16 Zeffirelli’s HAMLET is a dull, lifeless slog that wastes its talent. See more Sanford S @Sandy44 07/21/2023 Am amazing tour de force by Mel Gibson playing the young prince - one of the best and worth the watching! See more steve d 07/10/2020 There are better versions where you don't have to deal with Mel. See more 06/16/2020 Setting aside Mel Gibson's more recent behavioral problems and questionable attitudes and opinions which, as far as I know, weren't a problem at the time, Gibson has always been a fairly competent actor. For the most part, he's not a great actor, though he's turned in some pretty good performances (Man Without a Face, for example). When it was announced he'd be playing Hamlet in the Zeffirelli production, as I recall the general reaction was "What, the Road Warrior? Riggs from Lethal Weapon? Doing Shakespeare? Are you kidding?" But, to his credit, Gibson turned in a truly competent performance. He breathes life and energy into the character, but preserves the melancholy and conflict. I recall seeing a documentary about the making of the movie which showed him working with a vocal coach to get the dialog and accent right. Whether or not the accent is right, he delivers the dialog effectively. This is an area a lot of actors not trained in Shakespearean acting fall flat. The language is generally unfamiliar to modern English speaking actors, and it can be difficult to get the flow and rhythm right. So many actors and actresses recite the lines, but don't seem to really understand the words they're saying, and it shows in how they accent the wrong words in a phrase or how the words just don't flow as they should. For a modern English audience, this can be the key to understanding the dialog. Even if you don't understand all of the words or references, the delivery can make the meaning clear. And here, Gibson does right by the Bard. The only real complaint I have with the production is the way the screenplay was truncated and somewhat rearranged. Of course, a full production of Hamlet runs over 4 hours, so truncation is necessary, it's just where the cuts are made I don't always agree with. Still, overall, Zeffirelli's production is enjoyable and the acting is, if not masterful, more than competent. I highly recommend this film. See more Read all reviews

Hamlet

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