Hamlet | |
Director: | Tony Richardson |
Producer: | Hans Gottschalk Neil Hartley Leslie Linder Martin Ransohoff |
Based On: | the play by William Shakespeare |
Starring: | Nicol Williamson Marianne Faithfull Anthony Hopkins Judy Parfitt |
Music: | Patrick Gowers |
Cinematography: | Gerry Fisher |
Color Process: | Technicolor |
Studio: | Filmways Pictures Woodfall Film Productions |
Distributor: | Columbia Pictures |
Runtime: | 118 minutes |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Language: | English |
Budget: | $350,000[1] |
Hamlet is a 1969 British tragedy period drama film. It is a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play Hamlet, starring Nicol Williamson as Prince Hamlet.[2] It was directed by Tony Richardson and based on his own stage production at the Roundhouse theatre in London.[3] The film also stars Anthony Hopkins as King Claudius, Judy Parfitt as Queen Gertrude, Marianne Faithfull as Ophelia, Mark Dignam as Polonius, Gordon Jackson as Horatio, and Michael Pennington as Laertes.[4]
The film, a departure from big-budget Hollywood renditions of classics, was made with a small budget and a very minimalist set, consisting of Renaissance fixtures and costumes in a dark, shadowed space. A brick tunnel is used for the scenes on the battlements. The Ghost of Hamlet's father is represented only by a light shining on the observers. The film places much emphasis on the sexual aspects of the play, to the point of strongly implying an incestuous relationship between Laertes and Ophelia. Williamson was only one year younger than Parfitt, who played his mother, and was one year older than Hopkins, who played his uncle.
Hamlet was released to DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on 3 July 2012 via the Choice Collection DVD-on-demand setup from Amazon.