Find release information for hamlet 1948 laurence olivier on allmovie. After the opening credits, olivier reads the slightly cut speech about a personal defect i. I guess just about all hamlet productions do the same kind of thing. In the case of this 1948 version, laurence olivier makes a few intriguing changes to the hamlet were used to. It was adapted and directed by and starred sir laurence olivier. The film also won both an oscar and a bafta for best film, and olivier was oscarnominated for best direction. A file photo of laurence olivier, dated november 12, 1954. He has two roles in common with kenneth branagh, who played him in my week with marilyn 2011. Laurence oliviers hamlet was the first version of the play shot on film with full sound. Hamlet was olivier s second film as director and the second of the three shakespeare films that he directed the 1936 as you like it had starred olivier, but had been directed by paul czinner. Actor and director laurence olivier was one of shakespeares great onscreen interpreters, and, while i have always enjoyed his film version of richard iii 1955, i was a bit reluctant to take on his 1948 version of hamlet, mostly because i think shakespeare is still best played onstage where the audiences reactions become part of the storytelling the best. Multi awardwinning film of the classic shakespearean play within a play. Oliviers hatchet is sharp by comparison, the kenneth branagh version of the full play runs 242 minutes but so is his sense of good storytelling.
Olivier is at his most inspiredboth as director and as the melancholy dane himselfas he breathes new life into the words of one of the worlds greatest. A file photo of joan plowright and laurence olivier, dated september 16, 1960. Olivier makes his psychological interpretation clear from the beginning. Jul 29, 2018 it certainly is one of the most satisfying. Olivier is at his most inspiredboth as director and as the melancholy dane himselfas he breathes new life into the words of one of the worlds greatest dramatists. Set in the kingdom of denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge prince hamlet exacts on his uncle claudius for murdering king hamlet, claudiuss brother and prince hamlets father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as. Sir laurence oliviers 1948 film is very good, though it didnt strike me as quite the masterpiece its often said to be. Hamlet might have well have been called laurence oliviers hamlet. This is largely thanks to the fact that olivier s screenplay completely omits the entire subplot involving rosencrantz, guildenstern, and the king trying to prove hamlet is mad. Olivier observed that his 1948 film production of hamlet is hamlets point of view, and that if hamlet is not in a scene, then it is hamlets imagination. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
Im writing about laurence oliviers version of hamlet and how it conforms to the concept of quality cinema laid out by british critics of the 1940s. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Hamlet 1948 posted on march 5, 2015 march 12, 2015 by jasminemercado27 in this version of hamlet, the costume design was done by roger furse, who was also in charge of art direction in the film. Laurence olivier could speak william shakespeares lines as naturally as if he were actually thinking them, said english playwright charles bennett, who met olivier in 1927. A story of wall street, first published in putnams magazine in 1853. Reviewing laurence oliviers 1948 film of hamlet, james ageethen a critic at timewrote. O principe dinamarques hamlet laurence olivier procura vingar a morte do pai o rei. Hamlet at kronborg castle, elsinore, denmark, 1937. Im rating olivier s version at an ok 3 stars out of 5. Librivox recording of hamlet, by william shakespeare. In hamlet 1948 olivier used a probing, interrogating camera and deepfocus photography to ferret out every nook and cranny of elsinore. Prince hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has. Unsurprisingly, given the tone and content of the play, the overall mood is that of brooding introspection tellingly, in a phrase not in shakespeares original, olivier opens by telling us that it is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind.
The tragedy of hamlet, prince of denmark is a tragedy by william shakespeare. The film was black and white, so the colors that they worked with werent transmitted on the screen. Countless film adaptations, not to mention stage performances, have been made of his work. Laurence olivier s first stage appearance as hamlet ran in january and february of 1937 at the old vic theatre under the direction of the famedtheatrical director tyrone guthrie. Oliviers oscarwinning film a milestone in cinema shakespearean. This is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind. Words and music william walton from the 1948 film hamlet produced and directed by laurence olivier philharmonia orchestra muir mathieson, conductor 1. This is largely thanks to the fact that oliviers screenplay completely omits the entire subplot involving rosencrantz, guildenstern, and the king trying to prove hamlet is mad. Laurence kerr olivier was born in dorking, surrey, england, to agnes louise crookenden and gerard kerr olivier, a high anglican priest.
Hamlet is a 1948 british film adaptation of william shakespeares play of the same name, adapted and directed by and starring laurence olivier. Laurence olivier s hamlet was made four years after his rousingly patriotic henry v 1944, and is a very different proposition. Hamlet arranges for a troupe of travelling actors to stage a reconstruction of the murder, hoping that claudius will break down and incriminate himself. Although sarah bernhardts 1900 production of the play had accompanying sound cylinders, these were used exclusively for dialogue and the sound effects of hamlet and laertess duel, precluding the use of a film score. This page was last edited on 29 september 2019, at 02. Sir laurence olivier picture taken in london chichester theatre for the film the broken heart.
So it should be no surprise that if youre on the lookout for silver screen adaptations, youve got about a zillion to choose from. Laurence olivier plays the narrator, a successful manhattan lawyer, in this adaptation of herman melvilles bartleby, the scrivener. Dubbed the greatest actor of the twentieth century, sir laurence olivier, the classically trained and majestically handsome english theater veteran and onetime codirector of londons old vic, first transplanted his passion for shakespeare to the big screen in the 1940s, and in so doing, allowed elizabethan verse to break free of its stagebound origins. Prior to wwii, british cinema was not regarded in a very serious light. However, ive heard that branaghs 1996 version hamlet 1996 includes the whole thing its four hours long. Hamlet was the first british film to win the academy award for best picture. Im just about finished with my essay for my british cinema class. Very likely there will never be a production good enough to provoke less argument than praise. Vivien leigh as ophelia, laurence olivier as hamlet since his death on april 23, 1616, william shakespeare has continued his reign as the most famous playwright of all time. The acting is mostly strong and the lines are generally well delivered, and the way olivier conveys hamlets moods and sensibilities in a subtle and sensitive way throughout is probably the best thing about it. The idea succeeds but hamlet still cannot bring himself to kill claudius. During this time hamlet has been troubled by his love for ophelia the. Hamlet was oliviers second film as director, and also the second of the three shakespeare films that he directed the 1936 as you like it had starred olivier, but had been directed by paul czinner. Mar 01, 2016 actor and director laurence olivier was one of shakespeares great onscreen interpreters, and, while i have always enjoyed his film version of richard iii 1955, i was a bit reluctant to take on his 1948 version of hamlet, mostly because i think shakespeare is still best played onstage where the audiences reactions become part of the storytelling the best example of the magic of a live.
Theres laurence oliviers 1948 version, in good oldfashioned black and white. His brilliant performance as the title character in a filmed and subsequently televised richard iii 1955 identified him to millions of viewers as that bottled. Of the more than fifty filmed versions of shakespeares most famous play that have been made since 1900, laurence oliviers 1948 adaptation remains the most celebrated. This version nabbed the best picture oscar, and olivier. Shmoopers, its hamletarguably the most important play, you know, ever. Hamlet by eileen herlie, basil sydney, jean simmons. Jan 05, 2011 im just about finished with my essay for my british cinema class. Laurence oliviers hamlet was made four years after his rousingly patriotic henry v 1944, and is a very different proposition. Winner of four academy awards, including best picture and best actor, sir laurence oliviers hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of shakespeares beloved tragedy. One day, he recruits a new clerk for his growing practice, the. Laurence olivier hamlet eileen herlie gertrude basil sydney claudius felix aylmer polonius. Oliviers was one of the great hamlets of the previous centuryit is unfortunately that perhaps the greatest of all of them, john gielguds, was never made into a film. Hamlet was oliviers second film as director and the second of the three.
Winner of four academy awards, including best picture and best actor, sir laurence olivier s hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of shakespeares beloved tragedy. Of the more than fifty filmed versions of shakespeares most famous play that have been made since 1900, laurence olivier s 1948 adaptation remains the most celebrated. So boun d have these poetic dramas lon g been to the. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. In this version of hamlet, the costume design was done by roger furse, who was also in charge of art direction in the film. Hamlet is a 1948 british film adaptation of william shakespeares play hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring sir laurence olivier. It is also the first sound film of the play in english. Olivier stresses hamlets psychology, particularly his oedipus complex. He is perhaps more brooding and less action that many hamlets. One day, he recruits a new clerk for his growing practice, the strangest man he has ever met. The man who brings hamlet, his friends, and his antagonists to life has tackled one of the most fascinating and most thankless tasks in show business.
Olivier s hatchet is sharp by comparison, the kenneth branagh version of the full play runs 242 minutes but so is his sense of good storytelling. Watch hamlet full movie in hd visit winner of four academy awards, including best picture and best actor, sir lau. Laurence olivier won an oscar and golden globe for his performance as the danish prince, while jean simmons was oscar nominated for her role as ophelia. First, the pacing of the play is radically altered. Laurence oliviers first stage appearance as hamlet ran in january and february of 1937 at the old vic theatre under the direction of the famedtheatrical director tyrone guthrie. Is lawrence oliviers version the best film adaptation of. Hamlet might have well have been called laurence olivier s hamlet. Winner of five academy awards, the international grand prix of venice, the new york film critics award, and the parents magazine award for extraordinary merit, oliviers hamlet is no doubt the premier teaching tool for shakespeare classesoliviers breadth of view of both the protagonist and the entire play will be enjoyed again and again by the teacher, while making the. With laurence olivier, jean simmons, john laurie, esmond knight.
Olivier recreated the role later that summer for a series of special performances at kronborg castle in elsinore helsingor, denmark. Posted on march 5, 2015 march 12, 2015 by jasminemercado27. Hamlet, regizor laurence olivier, crima,drama,romantic,thriller,dragoste. Laurence olivier, introducing his film of hamlet, which he produced, directed and starred in i do not see william shakespeares peerless hamlet, which was written about 1600 and whose action is set many centuries earlier, as the tragedy of a.
It was the first english language sound film version of hamlet. A wellexecuted labor of love from star and director laurence olivier, hamlet not only proved that shakespeare could be successfully adapted to the big screen, it paved the way for further. Hamlet was olivier s second film as director, and also the second of the three shakespeare films that he directed the 1936 as you like it had starred olivier, but had been directed by paul czinner. A mais consagrada obra cinematografica do classico ingles.