| Hamlet | |
|---|---|
 Advertisement fromThe Age 27 Sep 1961 | |
| Based on | Hamlet 1599 play byWilliam Shakespeare |
| Written by | Royston Morley |
| Directed by | Royston Morley |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Royston Morley |
| Running time | 120 mins[1] |
| Production company | ABC |
| Budget | £2,500[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 13 June 1959 (1959-06-13) (Sydney, live)[3] |
| Release | 22 July 1959 (1959-07-22) (Melbourne, taped)[4] |
Hamlet is a 1959 Australian TV play starring William Job and produced byRoyston Morley.[5][6]
It was one of the first two productions of Shakespeare transmitted by ABC, the other beingAnthony and Cleopatra.[2]
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William Job had played Hamlet on stage in Adelaide in 1952. He then went to England and Canada and had only recently returned to Australia, appearing in a TV production ofThe Seagull.[7] It was Georgie Sterling's third TV appearance afterThe Multi-Coloured Umbrella andSorry Wrong Number.
The show used some basic special effects to create the ghosts.[8]
Owen Weingott helped choreograph the fight scene.[9]
The production had a ten-minute intermission.[4]
The production was well received. TheAustralian Woman's Weekly called it "two hours of engrossing TV... It was just pleasure and wonderful entertainment. Even if you didn't like Shakespeare, any televiewer would appreciate the notable production and camera work.... A most satisfying night of TV."[9]
A critic from the SundaySydney Morning Herald said that it "proved that Shakespeare can be successfully translated to television" with Morley's direction responsible for "much of the credit... he kept the field of action small, relying on _closeups to intensify the drama. I also thought that William Job's portrayal of the young and tragic Dane was outstanding... A night to remember"[10]
A critic from the dailySydney Morning Herald thought the production suffered from "the skimping of preparation time, the skimping of histrionic talent, and the skimping of imagination and subtlety" although it said Job's performance was one of "sensitiveness, vision and skill".[11]
The critic fromThe Age thought it was much better thanAnthony and Cleopatra.[12]
TheBulletin thought the tragedy of the play "shrank to middle-class size; Hamlet was a G.P.S. boy angry and hurt by what had been going on at home during term" but felt "the production was sound enough—even, in places, admirable."[13]
It was repeated in 1961 and 1964.[14]
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