Hamlet (1948)

Did you ever notice how Laurence Olivier never looks to camera when he speaks in this film? Even during the most potent of his soliloquies, he always manages to avoid any direct eye contact with the audience! His "Hamlet", here, though, is the definitive representation of this troubled Shakespearian character and combined with an excellently selected cast, we are presented with quite a compelling 2½ hours of tautly directed and gloriously eerily lit tragic drama. His father has been slain and his mother "Gertrude" (Eileen Herlie) has remarried his brother, now the king, "Claudius" (Basil Sydney). "Hamlet" is suspicious that this man had a hand in that murder, quite possibly his mother did too - but he cannot prove anything. That's where his father's ghost helps out - he reveals the secrets of his assassination and his son decides to incorporate these deeds into a play that he hopes, will shame the murderers and torture their souls. Not quite, and an unfortunate altercation in his mother's chamber sees him despatched, formally, to England but en route he encounters some pirates who might just be able to return him home for a show-down with the conniving liars and schemers at court. Olivier's masterful interpretation of this troubled and vacillating character is probably as near to that intended by the playwright as it's possible to get. That said, it's still an abridged version he delivers (I saw this on stage at the RSC many years ago with Kenneth Branagh, and it came in at over four hours) so he does have to sacrifice some of the dialogue from this longest of his plays, but that isn't so important as the dark and gloomy photography does much of the supportive heavy lifting and we can actually see enough to compensate for the dispensing of some of the more descriptive narrative. Jean Simmons is remarkable as the young "Ophelia" - a woman in whom "Hamlet" has a romantic interest, but who has been sternly warned by father "Polonius" (Felix Aylmer) to stay away! That relationship is further compromised as she struggles, mentally, when her father is also a victim of murder most foul. Sydney is also quite effective here as the king gradually begins to struggle with the guilt of his crime - and as ever with this writer, that inevitable descension into madness is grippingly presented by a series of increasingly desperate monologues. The extended denouement is the literal epitome of tragedy and confusion - with poison abounding: but rarely does it go into the right mouth, and at the conclusion it falls to "Fortinbras" to promise to regale this story to any who will listen. A solid and engaging story, with twist, turns, treachery and duplicity, love, honour and betrayal - all of the ingredients for a great drama with an excellent cast that really does captivate the imagination.

Feb 4, 2024