Hamlet (1990)

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Franco Zeffirelli directs his third Shakespeare adaptation (after Romeo and Juliet and Otello) with this film version of the tragedy Hamlet. The titular prince of Denmark (Mel Gibson), returns home to his family's castle of Elsinore after years of attending school in Germany to find out his father has died and his uncle Claudius (Alan Bates) is the new king. To make matters worse, Claudius has married Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Glenn Close), whom he has unusually strong feelings for. Hamlet is visited by his father's ghost (Paul Scofield), who asks him to seek revenge for his murder. In order to find out who the real killer is, Hamlet stages a theatrical scene resembling his father's death. Claudius is upset by the production and leaves to arrange for Hamlet's murder. In the ensuing confusion, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonious (Ian Holm) instead of Claudius; Hamlet's lover, Ophelia (Helena Bonham Carter), goes mad and commits suicide; and eventually Hamlet and Claudius both meet their fate. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

135 mins

Complete Cast:

Director(s):

Franco Zeffirelli

Writer(s):

Christopher de Vore, Franco Zeffirelli

Producer(s):

Dyson Lovell, Bruce Davey

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

PG(Nudity, Adult Situations, Suitable for Children, Violence, Mild Violence)

Closed Captioning:

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Subtitles:

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