Moviewise | There Hasn't Been a Better Film in 30 Years @Moviewise | Uploaded August 2024 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
A video essay about William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1996). Kenneth Branagh’s extraordinary adaptation of the greatest play ever written and perhaps the highest achievement of the English language.
//Join me on Patreon: patreon.com/Moviewise
//Follow me on Twitter: https://x.com/MrMoviewise
//Read David Bordwell’s brief opinion on the film: davidbordwell.net/blog/2008/04
Whenever asked what’s my favorite movie, instead of balking and saying there are too many to choose from in that famous cop out, I always answer Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. And this video is a work of love to tell you why.
The only unabridged adaptation of Shakespeare’s longest play, Branagh’s Hamlet was shot – as many great epics of old – in 70mm format by Alex Thomson. With Patrick Doyle’s beautiful music and the gorgeously creative sets of Tim Harvey, the film is a truly breathtaking artistic experience visually, musically and literarily (what screenwriter could even compete with the Bard’s poetry?).
The amazing international cast features Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Rufus Sewell, Robin Williams, Gerard Depardieu. In non-speaking parts you’ll also get John Gielgud, Judi Dench and John Mills. Oh, there’s Richard Attenborough too. Frequently unmentioned but definitely worthy of note are Nicholas Ferrell, Richard Briers, Brian Blessed, Michael Maloney, Rosemary Harris, and even Simon Russell Beale. And Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are there too.
And in one of the best performances in the history of cinema is Derek Jacobi as King Claudius. He acts so astoundingly well and naturally I couldn’t help but dedicate a portion of the video to him.
00:00 What's your favorite movie?
00:37 Screenplay
02:13 Music and Sets
03:49 Direction
12:02 Waltzing with Ken
15:45 Walk & Talk & More
17:53 Some notes
20:56 A Bunch of Random Things I Love in Hamlet
25:44 Derek Jacobi Appreciation Time
28:57 Curtain Time
#videoessay #filmdirecting #shakespeare
Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100301
Artist: incompetech.com
Scheming Weasel (faster version) by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/scheming-weasel
Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/2CapGaKMsWU
Investigations by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100646
Artist: incompetech.com
Hero's Theme by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: twinmusicom.org/song/280/heros-theme
Artist: twinmusicom.org
A video essay about William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1996). Kenneth Branagh’s extraordinary adaptation of the greatest play ever written and perhaps the highest achievement of the English language.
//Join me on Patreon: patreon.com/Moviewise
//Follow me on Twitter: https://x.com/MrMoviewise
//Read David Bordwell’s brief opinion on the film: davidbordwell.net/blog/2008/04
Whenever asked what’s my favorite movie, instead of balking and saying there are too many to choose from in that famous cop out, I always answer Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. And this video is a work of love to tell you why.
The only unabridged adaptation of Shakespeare’s longest play, Branagh’s Hamlet was shot – as many great epics of old – in 70mm format by Alex Thomson. With Patrick Doyle’s beautiful music and the gorgeously creative sets of Tim Harvey, the film is a truly breathtaking artistic experience visually, musically and literarily (what screenwriter could even compete with the Bard’s poetry?).
The amazing international cast features Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Rufus Sewell, Robin Williams, Gerard Depardieu. In non-speaking parts you’ll also get John Gielgud, Judi Dench and John Mills. Oh, there’s Richard Attenborough too. Frequently unmentioned but definitely worthy of note are Nicholas Ferrell, Richard Briers, Brian Blessed, Michael Maloney, Rosemary Harris, and even Simon Russell Beale. And Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are there too.
And in one of the best performances in the history of cinema is Derek Jacobi as King Claudius. He acts so astoundingly well and naturally I couldn’t help but dedicate a portion of the video to him.
00:00 What's your favorite movie?
00:37 Screenplay
02:13 Music and Sets
03:49 Direction
12:02 Waltzing with Ken
15:45 Walk & Talk & More
17:53 Some notes
20:56 A Bunch of Random Things I Love in Hamlet
25:44 Derek Jacobi Appreciation Time
28:57 Curtain Time
#videoessay #filmdirecting #shakespeare
Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100301
Artist: incompetech.com
Scheming Weasel (faster version) by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/scheming-weasel
Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/2CapGaKMsWU
Investigations by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100646
Artist: incompetech.com
Hero's Theme by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: twinmusicom.org/song/280/heros-theme
Artist: twinmusicom.org
