Hamlet is a 1996 film version of William Shakespeare's classic play of the same name, adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also starred in the title role. Derek Jacobi and Julie Christie were King Claudius and Queen Gertrude, Kate Winslet was Ophelia, Richard Briers was Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell was Horatio. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ... Kenneth Charles Branagh (born December 10, 1960) is a versatile British actor and film director. ... Sir Derek George Jacobi KBE, (born October 22, 1938), is a British actor, knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre. ... Julie Christie (born April 14, 1941) is a British actress, winner of an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1965 film, Darling. ... Kate Winslet Kate Winslet Kate Winslet Mademoiselle, February 2000 Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975 in Reading, Berkshire, England) is an English actress most famous for her role of Rose DeWitt Bukater in the 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic. ... Richard Briers (born January 14, 1934) is a British actor, chiefly associated with sitcom. ... Polonius is a character from William Shakespeares Hamlet. ... Horatio is a city located in Sevier County, Arkansas. ...

It is notable for being the first unabridged screen version of the play, running for slightly over four hours. (A shorter edit, approximately two-and-a-half hours long, was shown in some markets.)

Branagh set the film with Victorian era costuming and furnishings. (Blenheim Palace, built in the early 18th century, became Elsinore Castle in the external scenes). Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, June 20, 1837) gave her name to the historic era. ... Blenheim Palace, The Great Court. ...

The film is very visual; most of the play's many monologues and soliloquies are accompanied by silent flashbacks or dream sequences depicting the events being spoken of. (Hamlet's famous reminiscence of the jester Yorick, for instance, is accompanied by a flashback depicting the man himself performing for the child Hamlet.) It also has the distinction of being the last film (as of Spring 2005) to have been shot entirely with 65 mm film. As in film, a flashback in literature is a technique which takes the narrative back in time from the point the story has reached, to recount events that happened before and give the back-story. ... Yorick can refer to: Yorick, the deceased court-jester whose bones are exhumed by the gravedigger in Act 5, Scene 1, of Shakespeares Hamlet. ... 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a high-resolution motion picture film format. ...

Another notable aspect of the film was the large number of celebrity cameos; seemingly no role was too small to be played by a star (Gerard Depardieu's turn as the servant Reynaldo, who appears only briefly in a single scene and is often left out of abridged versions of the play, is a case in point). The flashbacks and dream sequences even allow for celebrities appearing as characters that usually don't appear in the play at all, including Sir John Gielgud and Dame Judi Dench as Priam and Hecuba (mentioned in the monologue performed by the First Player on his arrival at Elsinore) and Ken Dodd as the aforementioned Yorick. Other appearances by well-known actors include Charlton Heston as the First Player/Player King, Robin Williams as the courtier Osric, Richard Attenborough as the English Ambassador, Brian Blessed as the ghost of Hamlet's father, and Jack Lemmon as Marcellus, the palace guard. Billy Crystal made a notable appearance as the gravedigger. Since its first use in 1851, a cameo role or cameo appearance has been a brief appearance in a play (or later, a movie) that stands out against the general context for its éclat or dramatic punch. ... Gérard Depardieu (born December 27, 1948) is a French actor. ... John Gielgud as photographed in 1936 by Carl Van Vechten Sir Arthur John Gielgud OM CH (April 14, 1904–May 21, 2000) was an English theatre and film actor, regarded by many as one of the greatest of his time. ... Judi Dench as M in GoldenEye Dame Judith Olivia Judi Dench, CH, DBE (born 9 December 1934) is a renowned British stage, film and television actress. ... In Greek mythology, Priam (Greek Πρίαμος) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War, and son of Laomedon. ... Hecuba (also Hekuba or Hekabe) was a Trojan queen in Greek mythology, daughter of Dymas. ... Ken Dodd, born November 8, 1929, Liverpool, is a veteran British comedian and singer, famous for his buck teeth, frizzy hair, feather duster (or tickling stick), and his catchphrase, How tickled I am! He works largely in the music hall tradition, although he has appeared in several dramatic plays. ... Charlton Heston (born October 4, 1924), born John Charles Carter, is an American film actor noted for heroic roles. ... Robin Williams performing in Iraq. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames, Kt, CBE, (born August 29, 1923 in Cambridge, England) is an actor, director and film producer. ... Blessed (centre) as Exeter in Henry V Brian Blessed (born October 9, 1936) is a respected English actor. ... Jack Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was a consummate Hollywood actor. ... Crystal on Hollywood Squares. ...

See also: Hamlet (the Shakespearean play and the many subsequent movies) The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ...

External link

• Hamlet at the Internet Movie Database