Reading Shakespeare is like anything in this world in that requires skill, it takes practice to become good at it. To understand the diction and the language, the meaning and the story, you have to put in multiple hours of reading an analyzing the test. I can only speak to this with such certainty because I am an English Minor and had to go through the hours of analyzing to pass most of my classes. An understanding of the text when reading Shakespeare is dependent on the reader but the understanding of the text when watching Shakespeare is dependent of the actor. A good Shakespearean actor can take what many people find to be a jumble of odd words (I am not one of those people) and take it to the stage or screen only to have it make perfect sense. Sir Lawrence Olivier is perhaps the greatest cinematic Shakespearean actor and his adaptation of Hamlet is one of the greatest examples of Shakespeare to be put on the big screen.
The story of Hamlet is a famous one, it even served as the groundwork for Disney’s The Lion King, and Olivier stayed very true to the original plot. The story begins with a ghost, the ghost of King Hamlet. Previously thought to have died of a snakebite, King Hamlet tells his son Prince Hamlet (Lawrence Olivier) that he was in fact murdered by his brother Claudius (Basil Sydney), who is now king and married to Prince Hamlet’s mother Gertrude (Eileen Herlie). Hamlet comes up with a plan to feign madness in the hopes of drawing a confession out of his uncle. Hamlet’s madness attracts the attention of Polonius (Felix Aylmer) who believes the madness has come from Hamlet’s love of his daughter, Ophelia (Jean Simmons). As Claudius and Polonius investigate Hamlet’s madness, Hamlet convinces a group of travelling performers to put on a play for King Claudius in which the events Claudius’ murder of King Hamlet are a key point in the play. Hamlet watches Claudius’ reaction to seeing the play, thus determining that what the ghost told him was true.
Hamlet decides to confront Gertrude about his father’s death. During the conversation, Hamlet hears a voice and believes he is being spied on. Attacking without looking, Hamlet kills Polonius. Claudius has Hamlet deported to England, ordering him to be killed upon arrival but Hamlet is able to return to Denmark when his ship is attacked by pirates. During his absence, Ophelia, believing to have been rejected by Hamlet, kills herself. Laertes (Terence Morgan) vows vengeance upon Hamlet for the death of his sister, Ophelia, and his father, Polonius. Conspiring together, Claudius and Laertes concoct a situation to kill Hamlet that leads to the film’s classic, tragic end.
I can say that this is easily the best adaptation I have ever seen of Hamlet, on screen or on stage. Not only is Olivier one of the greatest Shakespearean actors to ever grace the big screen but the cinematography and camera work on this film was outstanding. Though he used only about half of the dialogue, Olivier stayed true to play. He reordered a few of the speeches but other than that he used the words that Shakespeare wrote in the order he wrote them. This version of Hamlet really plays with the idea of Hamlet’s madness. Throughout the film it is very difficult to determine whether Hamlet is actually going mad or if the madness is feigned. This film contains the shot that made me realize how much I love watching and analyzing films. During Hamlet’s “To Be or Not To Be” speech the camera zooms into the back of Hamlet’s head, making it look as if it is going through his head to show a wide shot of the turbulent sea in front of him. Hamlet is troubled, his mind is turbulent and Olivier is using the camera as well his acting to tell you that.
Lawrence Olivier’s Hamlet was masterpiece, an adaptation of the play with which even Shakespeare himself would be happy. Beating Johnny Belinda, The Red Shoes, The Snake Pit and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre for Best Picture, Lawrence Olivier also won Best Actor for his brilliant portrayal of Hamlet. Roger K. Furse won Best Costume Design, Black and White, and Best Art Direction, Black and White. This film was a great portrayal of one of Shakespeare’s most classic plays and I give it a B+. Don’t let a fear of not being able to understand Shakespearean English keep you away from this one, a great Shakespearean actor makes for a great Shakespearean film.