HAMLET (1964—Russian version)

This visually stunning film from Russian director Grigoriy Kozintsev may be the best film adaptation of Shakespeare that I've seen. I imagine it helps to have some familiarity with the original play; this is in Russian with English subtitles, and I don't know if the subtitles are taken directly from Shakespeare—the most famous speeches and lines are, but I wondered if some lines were translations into English of the Russian translations (written by Doctor Zhivago author Boris Pasternak) of the original. Partly because my eyes were dazzled by the visuals, I occasionally had a hard time keeping up with the subtitles, but I know the play so I had no problem keeping up. The performances are all solid. I think Hamlet is a difficult role because the text leaves it open to so much interpretation. The play has famously been described as being about a man who can't make up his mind—I won't do a full plot summary, but basically Hamlet spends the whole play trying to decide when and how to take revenge against Claudius (Hamlet's uncle) who killed the king (Hamlet's father) and married the widowed queen (Hamlet's mother). The general consensus among the play's characters is that Hamlet, who is acting acting strange from the start, goes insane, but is he really or is he faking it? The famous phrase about there being a "method to the madness" comes from this play, but it's not always clear how much of Hamlet's behavior is deliberate method. Some actors have made him almost playful at times, others make him fixate on revenge more seriously, and some play him as psychologically confused. Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy leans into the confusion. His performance is not especially layered but it is effective enough. At nearly 40, he’s a bit too old for the part of the student prince, but most other major films have featured actors between 35 and 40 in the role (Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson) so we're used to that—in fact, Ethan Hawke in the modern 2000 adaptation is probably the youngest big screen Hamlet at thirty. Smoktunovskiy goes the naturalistic route, with his monologues delivered as voiceovers, and gives the part the gravitas it needs. The other actors are fine, though none really stand out except for Anastasiya Vertinskaya who is the best Ophelia I've seen, handling the sad downward spiral of the character with restraint and believability. 

But as I've noted, it's the look of the film that will impress you. Much of the movie is shot on outdoor locations, hence hills and beaches and fields galore. The traveling players' play is performed in an outdoor setting and it works well. The very impressive castle looks for all the world like a real castle but it's apparently a set that took six months to build. Much if not most of the action takes place at night, taking advantage of the stark black and white cinematography. In widescreen, the deep focus shots are remarkable. One online reviewer noted a resemblance to the style of Ingmar Bergman, and that is emphasized by the leading man's blond hair and Max von Sydow look. The voiceover "To be or not to be" soliloquy starts with Hamlet looking right at the camera, then walking along the castle walls against the tumult of the sea next to him. The appearance of the king's ghost is a fantastic visual effect. At two and half hours, the text has obviously been cut, but as far as I'm concerned, no harm has been done. A beautiful and powerful movie. [YouTube]