Hamlet

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Julian S Zeffirelli’s HAMLET is a dull, lifeless slog that wastes its talent. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/16/25 Full Review Sanford S Am amazing tour de force by Mel Gibson playing the young prince - one of the best and worth the watching! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/21/23 Full Review steve d There are better versions where you don't have to deal with Mel. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Stone cold classic. Riveting stuff and Gibson is a revelation in the role. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a real shame that they've cut/shortened the play, because other than that, it's really stunning. I was very surprised at how well-put-together and intense it was. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Hamlet

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