Which is the best Hamlet movie? Here are my assessments of the film adaptations of Hamlet I’ve seen ranked in order of personal preference. I have also summarized the rankings of other critics from around the internet to give you more perspectives. “Have at you now!”
1. Richard Burton: Hamlet 1964.
Richard Burton wins the title “best Hamlet” with the range, insight, and power of his acting in this filmed stage production. Burton plays all of Hamlet’s emotions with extraordinary conviction: grief, fear, doubt, anger, indifference, easy acceptance. His transitions from line to line and emotion to emotion feel like the natural consequence of the previous idea and feeling. When he is funny, Burton is funny without the viciousness or condescension you often see in other performances. No Hamlet has ever sounded better. The sheer physical stamina of Burton’s work is impressive. And all this outweighs the serious limitations director John Gielgud faced filming a live performance in a Broadway theater as well as some less than stellar acting in the other roles.
Other rankings of Burton’s Hamlet. 7.6 out of 10 on IMDb. 74% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
2. Kenneth Branagh: Hamlet 1996.
Branagh’s performance swings wildly between Hamlet’s famous indecision and the Danish prince’s other signature (but often overlooked) characteristic: his recklessness. This choice creates a satisfying Hamlet and turns Branagh’s conspicuous habit of overacting into a virtue. Branagh films the whole text, and so includes the essential framing character of Fortinbras and allows us to fully see how Laertes and Ophelia together serve as a double for Hamlet. Some of Branagh’s directing is very fine (the two-way mirror in “To be, or not to be”) and some of it is not. The ghost scene in 1.5 is unwatchable, and Branagh stages the climactic duel in action-movie land.
Other rankings of Branagh’s Hamlet. 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb. 95% Tomatometer and 89% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. Laurence Olivier: Hamlet 1948.
Olivier is the better actor, and gives a better performance, but his concentration on Hamlet’s indecision makes less sense than Branagh’s choices. (Could an always-hesitating Hamlet improvise the murder of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern or jump into the middle of a battle with pirates?) Olivier edits the text so heavily that the story is unintelligible unless you know it. The way his camera stalks the corridors of dark, Freudian Elsinore castle hasn’t aged particularly well. And Olivier’s ditzy, hysterical Ophelia – played by Jean Simmons – not only offends contemporary tastes, but also begs the question, “What does Hamlet see in her?”
Other rankings of Olivier’s Hamlet. 7.6 out of 10 on IMDb. 95% Tomatometer and 80% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
4. Derek Jacobi: Hamlet 1980.
Derek Jacobi plays Hamlet as amazed by his weakness, rather than desperate for strength, and is one of the few Danish Princes who feels like he could actually be the son of a warrior king. Jacobi’s voice has an extraordinary range of emotional colors, and his acting is often supple and subtle. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is uneven and in some scenes, dull. This version is filmed like the stodgy stage play it is with the occasional rough close-up, for which none of the actors except Jacobi seem prepared.
Other rankings of Jacobi’s Hamlet. 8.0 out of 10 on IMDb.
5. Benedict Cumberbatch: Hamlet 2015.
Cumberbatch’s superb Hamlet is marred by the choice of making his Danish prince entirely sane and pretty well adjusted. This makes Cumberbatch the most appealing and engaging Hamlet on my list, but it also robs his Hamlet of the philosophical transformation that powers the last third of the play, leaving the end feeling rushed and flat. Some clunker performances among the supporting cast and staging a bit heavy on gimmicky spectacle also knock this version down the list. My longer review of Cumberbatch’s Hamlet is here.
Other rankings of Cumberbatch’s Hamlet. 8.5 out of 10 on IMDb. 100% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
6. Mel Gibson: Hamlet 1990.
A “Mad Max” Hamlet is a piece of stunt casting, but Gibson climbs into the middle of the list by exceeding expectations. He’s really not bad. Gibson’s Hamlet is angry, wounded, and fearful, and he brings off the role well. There are strong actors throughout the supporting cast who are interesting in their roles. Zeffirelli substitutes his habitual spectacle for any fresh ideas about the play, however.
Other rankings of Gibson’s Hamlet. 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb. 76% Tomatometer and 59% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
7. Nicol Williamson: Hamlet 1969 and 8. Kevin Kline: Hamlet 1990.
Both of these performances are solid, intelligent, and affecting. But they are also familiar. With so many Hamlets on film, Williamson’s and Kline’s successes are less fun than the interesting failures below.
Other rankings of Williamson’s Hamlet. 7.0 out of 10 on IMDb. 70% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Other rankings of Kline’s Hamlet. 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb.
9. David Tennant: Hamlet 2009.
This 2009 Royal Shakespeare Production productively mines the play for maximum humor but comes up short on emotional punch. David Tennant nails Hamlet’s jokes, and his fear, but falls back on acting louder when he plays the Danish Prince’s anger and grief. Patrick Stewart’s Claudius is charismatic but doesn’t quite seem the fratricidal type. My longer review of Tennant’s Hamlet is here.
Other rankings of Tennant’s Hamlet. 8.1 out of 10 on IMDb. 100% Tomatometer and 91% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
10. Ethan Hawke: Hamlet 2000.
Much of the plot of Hamlet ceases to make sense when it is set in modern New York City, as this version is. But Ethan Hawke’s louche, slacker Hamlet is perfect for its time and his “To be, or not to be”” is superb.
Other rankings of Hawke’s Hamlet. 6.0 out of 10 on IMDb. 59% Tomatometer and 46% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
11. Campbell Scott: Hamlet 2000.
Most actors play Hamlet as unsteady but basically sane. Scott’s Hamlet is actually unhinged, which is what makes this performance from a good actor so intriguing. The problem is that a Hamlet who has actually suffered a mental breakdown would be unable to function in the play after Act 2. A supporting cast that is adequate at best doesn’t help matters.
Other rankings of Scott’s Hamlet. 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb. 70% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.
TBD. Innokenty Smoktunovsky: Hamlet 1964.
I need to track down a full version of this Russian language Hamlet before I can offer a capsule review. However, the clips available on the internet look promising as does the Shostakovich score. The production designer for Olivier’s film should demand royalty payments from the Russians, however.
Rankings of Smoktunovsky’s Hamlet. 8.3 out of 10 on IMDb. 100% Tomatometer and 92% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
12. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hamlet 1993.
Arnold’s hilarious turn as the perfect anti-Hamlet in The Last Action Hero is not to be missed by fans of the Danish prince. Here’s the video from YouTube:
How Many Hamlet Movies Are There?
That depends on how you want to count them. Two recent film versions of Hamlet, David Melville in 2010 and Bruce Ramsay in 2011, both cut the play to a running time of under 90 minutes. Iain Glen played Hamlet in scenes of the 1990 film version of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. There are many film adaptations “inspired” by Hamlet, from The Lion King to the just released Haider set in Kashmir. Wikipedia says there are more than 50 film adaptations of Hamlet. My counting criteria is more strict (a reasonably intact version of the original text) which is why Melville and Ramsay fall here. This criteria should exclude Schwarzenegger from the running too, of course, but Arnold was simply too funny to consign to a footnote.
Have you seen the recent version with David Tennant? I don’t think he was the best Hamlet ever, but Patrick Stewart was marvelous as Claudius. Two complaints: I don’t think Tennant handed the soliloquy as well, and I didn’t like the actress who played Ophelia. But I loved the set, and they way they modernized it.
Haven’t seen it, but knowing Stewart plays Claudius bumps it way up my to-do list. Claudius is often portrayed as weak, in part because he struggles with his guilt, but he has to be ruthless enough to kill his brother, and I can see Stewart handling that well. Stewart had a nice turn as Macbeth which I caught on Netflix. Played him as not too bright, which worked pretty well, but his Macbeth was the most self-reflective not-too-bright guy I’ve ever seen. Liked the death scene too.
I see your point about Branagh turning his over-acting into a virtue, but it’s still way over the top for me. Too much HAM in his Hamlet.
I won’t argue with anyone who thinks Ken gives us too much acting, because he sure does serve up a lot — except in Henry V.
It seems weird that Smoktunovsky’s performance (1964) is never mentioned. He was highly praised by the great Laurence Olivier and I think that of all Hamlets Olivier is probably the only one competitive with him… But it’s really hard to get hold of this version. And Iain Glen (1990) is amazing, isn’t he? I’d consider him superior at least to Hawk and Schwarzenegger… Tennant as well, I think…
Hey, these are great tips and thank you! I didn’t know about Smoktunovsky and I’m wondering if I could lay hands on a subtitled version? As for Ian Glen, is it his performance in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead?” I saw that one twenty years ago, and it would be easy enough to see again. Would have to decide if there is enough Hamlet in his Hamlet … or if he’d have to go right above Arnold as a footnote.
Yeah, I meant “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”. I also watched it long ago, but I remember this Hamlet to be as much Hamlet as he should; more Hamlet than some “proper” ones.
As for the Soviet adaptation, I’ve been searching for the version with decent subtitles for a couple of hours. A failure. Apparently a DVD’s available at “http://www.amazon.com/Grigori-Kozintsevs-Hamlet-Innokenti-Smoktunovsky/dp/B000HEWENA”, but I’m not sure whether it’s the good one. The problem is, the English subtitles in this “Hamlet” are sometimes not Shakespeare’s original text, but some crazy retranslation of the Russian lines by great B.Pasternack (which ‘course won’t do). I wonder what the person who generated such a great idea might look like… Anyway, if I were you, I’d try my luck. The film is truly brilliant (a bit Eisenstein-like) and does worth seeing. In the worst case scenario you’ll just have to continuously check the subtitles against Shakespeare’s words, right? I’m wondering whether your list will alter if (when) you see this movie…
I think it could be fun to see what happens when Hamlet goes into Russian then back out to English. I’ll have to see about the Amazon price. My rankings are for the most part neither here nor there – I just hope the short descriptions help folks find a version that sounds good to them, regardless of how I feel about it.
A scene from the Soviet film with Smoktunovsky starring (1964) in Russian (I failed to find in English):
[HAMLET
O, the recorders! let me see one. To withdraw with
you:–why do you go about to recover the wind of me,
as if you would drive me into a toil?
GUILDENSTERN
O, my lord, if my duty be too bold, my love is too
unmannerly.
HAMLET
I do not well understand that. Will you play upon
this pipe?
GUILDENSTERN
My lord, I cannot.
HAMLET
I pray you.
GUILDENSTERN
Believe me, I cannot.
HAMLET
I do beseech you.
GUILDENSTERN
I know no touch of it, my lord.
HAMLET
‘Tis as easy as lying: govern these ventages with
your lingers and thumb, give it breath with your
mouth, and it will discourse most eloquent music.
Look you, these are the stops.
GUILDENSTERN
But these cannot I command to any utterance of
harmony; I have not the skill.
HAMLET
Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of
me! You would play upon me; you would seem to know
my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my
mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to
the top of my compass: and there is much music,
excellent voice, in this little organ; yet cannot
you make it speak. ‘Sblood, do you think I am
easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what
instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet you
cannot play upon me.]
Watch Haider! Easily in one of the top 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xakmvJ0WPa4
It’s definitely a possibility. It hasn’t opened in my city yet.
Please do check out the latest adaptation of hamlet. It’s an Indian movie called “Haider”. It’s one of the best modern day adaptation of Hamlet & has got a 8.8 rating on imdb.
Any adaptation of hamlet-especially an Indian one, will have the ingredients of a formulaic Bollywood film-but, using Kashmir as backdrop for this version was a cinematic coup that only an Indian “Bard” (Vishal Bhardwaj) could achieve. Having already adapted “Macbeth” (Maqbool) and “Othello” (Om Kara) into successful films, the latest “Hamlet” (or HAIDER), is excellent
[…] overview post of screen versions of Hamlet has some interesting reviews and links to more info. It also points to this (amusing?) clip from […]
I used this for a little bit of research for a presentation on Hamlet for a class I’m taking. The Schwarzenegger clip was especially hilarious and I’ll be showing it to my class! Thank you!
You’re welcome and I’m glad to help. I always conceived of the post as a useful starting point – a first word on the topic, but certainly not the last.
How is the ghost scene in Branagh’s version “unwatchable?” I think it’s actually one of the better versions.
For me, it’s the combination of the “Hammer Films” horror style and certain shots that look stolen from the “Knights Who Say Ni” scene from Holy Grail. Also the really fake ground opening up and expelling the really fake smoke – although you could classify that under “Hammer” I suppose rather than make it a separate category.
Just caught the 1990 Mel Gibson Hamlet on TV and I must say I was impressed. This is the one for me.
I was not thrilled AT ALL by Branagh’s Hamlet which I saw complete on the big screen. The way various celebrity actors would pop up was unintentionally funny; though of all people Charleston Heston was good. Ophelia drowned herself in the dead of winter?? Also, Olivier did his own stunts; but I think that Branagh did not in the ending scene where he swings down into the room. Of course there are insurance costs to consider. —
Mel Gibson is my favorite Hamlet. Everyone played their role to the true character, for me.
Excellent review. I hope you had a chance to see the Russian one– it is “top five” in my opinion. I really connected with Richard Burton’s performance. In particular, I felt the way that he and Gielgud handled Hamlet’s psychological development was excellent.