Hamlet (1964)
Shakespeare's 17th century masterpiece about the "Melancholy Dane" was given one of its best screen treatments by Soviet director Grigori Kozintsev. Kozintsev's Elsinore was a real castle in Estonia, utilized metaphorically as the "stone prison" of the mind wherein Hamlet must confine himself in order to avenge his father's death. Hamlet himself is portrayed (by Innokenti Smoktunovsky) as the sole sensitive intellectual in a world made up of debauchers and revellers. Several of Kozintsev directorial choices seem deliberately calculated to inflame the purists: Hamlet's delivers his "To be or not to be" soliloquy with his back to the camera, allowing the audience to fill in its own interpretations.
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Sadly Over-hyped
Perfect cast and a good story
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Hamlet (1964) (original title Gamlet) is a Russian adaptation of Shakespeare's play, directed by Grigori Kozintsev. The film stars Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy as Hamlet, and Anastasiya Vertinskaya as Ophelia.I saw this movie as part of a Shakespeare in Film honors seminar that I'm auditing. It surprised me that I enjoyed this version of Hamlet so much. After all, it was filmed 50 years ago, in black and white, mainly in Estonia, during a period when the Soviet government was monitoring every frame of every movie for possible deviation from the politically acceptable.Nonetheless, the movie worked for me. Elsinore Castle--artificially constructed, as I learned from IMDb--looked very realistic. Also, the castle had life in and around it. When you think about it, most film Hamlets are shot almost in a vacuum. You don't get any sense that anyone lives in or works in the castle. This Hamlet is the exception-- extras are everywhere, working hard and keeping the castle functioning.The acting is generally excellent. I was particularly impressed by Anastasiya Vertinskaya (Ophelia). She went on to become a noted Russian film star. This role was a turning point in her career. She's extraordinarily talented. She acts--and appears--like someone who belongs in the setting. She doesn't have the buffed, "I am a star" attitude of many women who play Ophelia.Prince Hamlet tells us that, to him, Elsinore is like a prison. Kozintsev emphasizes this aspect of the castle. In the beginning of the film, the portcullis closes ominously. Even if you don't know the plot of Hamlet, you know that trouble is ahead after you've seen the first few frames.Some of he students felt that seeing Shakespeare in translation just doesn't make sense. After all, Shakespeare is the greatest master of the English language. Boris Pasternak apparently translated Shakespeare's language into Russian, but that doesn't help us. I would have thought that the subtitles who have reverted to Shakespeare's English, but they don't. Unless you speak Russian, you have no idea of what the Russian audience is hearing. Does that mean that all that's left (for us) is the plot? Some of the students thought so, but I disagree. There's a third element besides language and plot--character. Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, and Ophelia all have a distinct character, set down by Shakespeare for us to understand and interpret. I think that in this movie, even though we lose language, Kozintsev allows us to see character. So, even without Shakespeare's language, this film has much to offer us. (Music by Dmitri Shostakovich is an added bonus.)I saw the movie on the small screen, where it worked pretty well. It would work better in a theater. If it's not playing in revival, watch it on DVD. It's definitely worth seeing, and I highly recommend it.
impressive. strange. monumental. subtle. wall of music, nuanced performances, Shakespeare play heart and Slav soul. it is an adaptation but in a strange manner. because out of words and images, out of Smoktunovski performance it is small light of mystery. that is its virtue. that sparkle like descending in heart of a world of shadows and ash. and the actors, the real actors, are Sostakovici music,the Russian language, the profound feeling front to a masterpiece. it is pure delight. with cinnamon flavor and salt taste. like an ice flower. or like looniest song.it is a dark large desert in night. and, in same measure, sand rope of existence like ladder to fundamental answer about art of unforgettable search of yourself. and Elisabethan costumes completed by Mikhail Nazvanov as Claudius - alter ego for a Henry VIII Philipp II of Spain or Anastasia Vertinskaya as Ophelia - prey of spider web - veil.
I recommend this to everyone with a taste for dramatic, striking imagery. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful black-and-white picture I've seen so far. The inevitable subtitles are not that distracting if you're familiar with the basic story (I'm not a Shakespeare buff, so I may have missed some finer points, like a political message). The acting is superb, but never upstages the camera - this is a filmmakers vision, not an expanded stage play. The drama is heightened by Dmitri Shostakovich's dark, menacing score over the backdrop of rolling waves. A visual and acoustic treat.
Kozinstev does a BEAUTIFUL job with his Hamlet. The choice of black and white, the setting by the sea, his actors, Shostakovich's music... It's all brilliant. The interpretation of Hamlet and his motivations might seem a little sketchy at times, but the overall interpretation is far too commanding to be affected. The portrayal, especially, of Hamlet himself is , simply put, one of the best out there. Smotunovsky's controlled and deliberate performance cannot help but leave you stunned during some of his soliloquies. And in my personal opinion, anyone who has read Hamlet should have to see Kozinstev's vision of Hamlet Sr.'s ghost. SO awesome.