Amazon.com video review:
Kenneth Branagh's four-hour production of Shakespeare's full
text for Hamlet is visually lush (shot in 70mm, which is rarely
done) and full of fascinating story moments that normally get cut from
shorter stage versions. (Your idea of what kind of fellow Polonius is
may change quite a bit.) The unexpurgated approach is truly
enlightening, and Branagh intermittently succeeds at giving familiar
moments in the drama an original cinematic spin, including Hamlet's
spooky confrontation with his father's ghost (Brian Blessed). (Branagh
also imposes some Hollywood glitter on the proceedings by casting the
likes of Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Charlton Heston, and Jack
Lemmon in the smaller parts.) The pre-Titanic Kate
Winslet is very good as the doomed Ophelia, and Derek Jacobi delivers
a wonderfully nuanced performance as Claudius, whose character is
definitely filled out by the restored material. Branagh's own
performance is a little revisionist--some viewers have quibbled with
it while others seem fine with it. --Tom Keogh
