| Hamlet | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Screenplay by | Christopher De Vore Franco Zeffirelli |
| Based on | Hamlet byWilliam Shakespeare |
| Produced by | Bruce Davey Dyson Lovell |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Edited by | Richard Marden |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
Production companies | |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 134 minutes[1] |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States Italy France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £12.6 million[2] |
| Box office | $22.3 million (US/UK) |
Hamlet is a 1990drama film based on theShakespeareantragedy of the same name, directed byFranco Zeffirelli and starringMel Gibson as theeponymous character. The film also featuresGlenn Close,Alan Bates,Paul Scofield,Ian Holm,Helena Bonham Carter,Stephen Dillane, andNathaniel Parker. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, the film was the first produced byIcon Productions, a company co-founded by Gibson.
The film largely follows the plot of theoriginal play, albeit omitting certain dialogue and minor characters to fit the average length of a feature film. This version also makes no modern adaptations.
Zeffirelli announced production of the film in April 1989 at a press conference in Los Angeles. Mel Gibson was at that same press conference, where it was announced that he would play Hamlet. Zeffirelli had set out to make a Shakespearian adaptation that would be accessible and appealing to younger viewers, and casting Gibson was considered an intent to lure said audience into seeing it.[3] Glenn Close was another obvious choice, having had recent box-office success with such Hollywood thrillers asJagged Edge andFatal Attraction.
Financing was provided on loan from a Dutch bank byCarolco Pictures,Barry Spikings' Nelson Entertainment, and Sovereign Pictures for approximately $16 million. Filming was set to begin on 23 April 1990, with an 11-week shooting schedule.[3]
Gibson, who had grown up idolizing one of his costars, legendary Shakespearean actorPaul Scofield, compared the experience of performing Shakespeare alongside him to being, "thrown intothe ring withMike Tyson".[4]
Dunnottar Castle,Stonehaven andBlackness Castle were used as locations in the film.Dover Castle provided the main location for Elsinore Castle, the home of Hamlet and his family.[5] Interiors were filmed atShepperton Studios in London.[3]
Norma Moriceau was the project's initial costume designer, but quit for unknown reasons, to be replaced byMaurizio Millenotti. Tailors from Shepperton assembled the costumes.[3]
The film attracted little attention from major Hollywood studios, until post-production, when companies such asWarner Bros.,Paramount, andOrion expressed interest in purchasing the film. Nelson Entertainment, which held the North American distribution rights, licensed theatrical exhibition to Warner Bros. as part of an incentive to lure Gibson into makingLethal Weapon 3. Despite Nelson owning a home video arm, they sold the video rights to Warner Bros. as well. Warner Bros. attempted to attract high schools with study guides and vouchers for students. An hour-long educational video titledMel Gibson Goes Back to School was released in conjunction with the film, showing the actor lecturing onHamlet to a group of high-school students in Los Angeles.[3]
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".[6] To this end, he cast Gibson – then famous for theMad Max andLethal 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 theaction film genre that made Gibson famous, noting that its average shot length is less than six seconds.[7] 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".[8] Indeed, Zeffirelli cast Gibson after watching the scene inLethal Weapon in which Gibson's character,Martin Riggs, contemplates suicide.[9] The fight between Hamlet andLaertes is an example of using Gibson's experience in action movies; Gibson depicts Hamlet as an experiencedswordsman.
Initial reviews for Zeffirelli'sHamlet were mixed.[3]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, callingMel Gibson's portrayal of the Danish Prince "a strong, intelligent performance."[10] Caryn James ofThe New York Times praised Zeffirelli's "naturalistic, emotionally-charged" direction and also commended Gibson's "visceral" performance, describing it as "strong, intelligent and safely beyond ridicule."[9]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone gave the film a negative review, calling Gibson's performance "an earnest but pedestrian reading."[11] Michael Wilmington of theLos Angeles Times called Gibson's Hamlet an "Oedipal wreck" and stated that eitherKenneth Branagh orDaniel Day-Lewis would have been preferable to play Hamlet than Gibson.[12] A later editorial in the same paper would refer to Gibson's performance as "the most unaffected and lucid Hamlet in memory."[3]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 76% based on reviews from 37 critics. The site's consensus was, "It may lack some of the depth and complexity of the play, but Mel Gibson and Franco Zeffirelli make a surprisingly successful team."[13] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 53% based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade A on scale of A to F.[15]
The film grossed $20.7 million in the United States and Canada and $1.6 million in the United Kingdom.[16][17]
The film was nominated for twoAcademy Awards, forBest Art Direction (Dante Ferretti,Francesca Lo Schiavo) andBest Costume Design (Maurizio Millenotti).[18] Sir Alan Bates received aBAFTA nomination as Best Supporting Actor for playing Claudius.[19]
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