Richard Burton's Hamlet [DVD]

Starring: Richard Burton, Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake, et al.

Richard Burton stars and Sir John Gielgud directs William Shakespeare's play of the Danish Prince. This is a "Hamlet" acted in rehearsal clothes, stripped of all extraneous trappings, so the beauty of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• Release Date: August 1999
• Rating: Unrated (Not Rated)
• Publisher: Image Entertainment
• Directors: Bill Colleran, John Gielgud
• Starring: Richard Burton, Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake, Eileen Herlie, William Redfield, George Rose, George Voskovec, Hugh Alexander, Philip Coolidge, Christopher Culkin
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: Black & White; Color; DVD; NTSC
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Hamlet was saved from the ashes.

Hamlet is the prince of Denmark. His father has just died, and before the funeral meats were cold, his mother married his uncle. His father’s ghost returns to tell him of a murder most foul. Now, Hamlet must decide what to do about this and how. This version of the play is well done; however, Hamlet is up for interpretation, and everyone has a favorite. The DVD itself has very few goodies other than the play. According to the pamphlet that comes with the DVD, the prints of this film were contractually ordered to be destroyed. So, we are lucky to have this interpretation. It is easy to see why ratings are all over the spectrum. First, this is a film of a play. Therefore, it is neither a film nor a play. Secondly, they use rehearsal clothes and minimum trappings (or distractions). Now, if you enjoy the novelty of the presentation style, your next hurdle is trying to understand Richard Burton's speaking style for the first 20 minutes or so. What may appear to be a long viewing time is actually a pared-down version of Hamlet, which leaves out many subtleties. It is intriguing to see the actors in the play and see how far they have come. If you do not take the time to a-n-a-l-y-z-e, then this really is a good version, and you will find yourself kibitzing.