There are many film interpretations of Shakespeare's best-known plays, and you should never depend on seeing a single one to get a good interpretation of the play. Based on watching six different film versions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" I heartily agree with the reviewer who says versions made for film bring the special talents of the cinematographer and editor to bear, which are absent when the film is a record of a stage performance, or directed as if it were being done on the stage.
And, since this is Shakespeare's best known play, and perhaps the finest play written in any language, the more versions you see the better. I already mentioned one reason, the added depth achieved by camera close ups and long range views, for recommending this version. A second reason is that this production makes a point of adding every word Shakespeare wrote, even to the point of reconciling different editions to get the best lines. Almost all versions of Shakespeare's plays, and especially Hamlet, are cut down, with one or more sup-plots shrunk or deleted. This does not, which is why it runs to over 4 hours. Added to Shakespeare's words are a number of flashbacks and "interpretation" scenes which imagine what meaning is lurking behind some of the words spoken on stage.
The cast is stupendous. It is the kind of cast usually assembled for such epics as "The Longest Day" where most characters may be on the screen for about 5 minutes, so they need a familiar face in order for you to remember who that pilot was after he was shot down (Oh yes, that's Richard Burton. He was in the pub scene 90 minutes ago.) Most of the key roles are played by well known Shakespearian specialists, such as Branagh, Derek Jacobi, and Richard Briers. Several of the minor characters are Shakespearean regulars too, like Brian Blessed as the ghost. I especially liked to see Jacobi in a solid, major role, and not as window dressing in the first episodes of costume dramas, to lend weight to the cast.
There are also lots of good non-Shakespearean actors in the main rank, especially Julie Christie and Kate Winslet. Among the incidental characters, talent is used with such abandon that one is almost inclined to refer to casting pearls before swine, bot so many of them work to perfection. My favorite is Charlton Heston as the leader of the traveling company of players who performs for the court of Denmark. He plays the role to perfection, and he seems perfectly cast. The other extreme is Jack Lemmon as Marcellus, one of the guards who first spots the ghost during the night watch at Elsinore Castle. It is not a comic role, and you have to look twice to recognize him. He only has two or three short scenes.
Speaking of comedy roles (and Shakespeare always manages to include one or two, even in tragedies, there are Billy Crystal as the first gravedigger and Robin Williams as a courtier, who scores the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes in the last act. Williams seems wasted, but Crystal is pitch perfect.
For the first time, I get the sense that Shakespeare's main interest in this play was not justice or revenge, but madness, as two of the main characters either feign madness or actually become mad. And, dare I say it that it seems the most sane character, Polonius, is belittled by all the other characters, then killed, from madness. But an analysis like that is above my Shakespearean pay grade...
Which makes me think that almost all actors in this production worked for scale (that is, peanuts).
I have seen at least two other productions which are done in bright light, for the camera, and neither can hold a candle to this one. And for all the lights and cinematic expanses, the key speeches come off perfectly.
Highly recommended.
| Additional VHS Tape options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
VHS Tape
March 3, 1998 "Please retry" | — | — | $5.40 | $2.99 |
|
VHS Tape
April 18, 2000 "Please retry" | Special Edition | 2 | $6.39 | $2.99 |
Watch Instantly with 
| Rent | Buy |
Reviews with images
Submit a report
A few common reasons customers report reviews:
- Harassment, profanity
- Spam, advertisement, promotions
- Given in exchange for cash, discounts
When we get your report, we'll check if the review meets our Community guidelines. If it doesn't, we'll remove it.
Sorry, there was an error
Please try again later.
Top reviews from other countries
Nicholas Casley
Branagh as bleached-blond Hamlet
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2008
pierre
Il y a quelque-chose de pourri dans ma vidéothèque
Reviewed in France on March 23, 2023
