Hamlet [DVD] [2009]

Always wary of modern dress versions of W.S. because of the dis+Always waty of modern dress versions of W.S. because of the dissonance between the 16th century words - the main point of appreciating Shakespeare - and the 21st century dress, but this is generally an interesting production with David Tennant giving it his all.But did not approve of Patrick Stewart playing both the Ghost of Hamlet's father and his brother Claudiusthe KIng. The whole action of the play hinges on the instructions by the Ghost to his son Hamlet to revenge his murder, so you really have to have a clear distinction between the two players - in effect it "Good versus Evil".

Being a fan of both Doctor Who (Tennant)and Star Trek The Next Generation (Stewart)I found this casting of William Shakespeare's Hamlet intriguing. I heard the play with these two was setting sell out records. So upon learning that it was out in DVD format I just had to get it. This meant getting it as an UK import DVD in PAL format. Hint, look to Philips for multi-format multi-region capable DVD players.My wife and I enjoyed it very much. We are hardly Shakespearian experts but have seen a number of different TV / Film productions of Hamlet. Hamlet is one play I can really get in to. I've seen both "modern" and "traditional" versions of Hamlet, including one "kinky" oedipian version.This version of Hamlet has traditional Elizabethan English dialog and modern dress, an unusual mix. The modern dress took a little getting used to. The opening scene of the first encounter with the ghost of the dead king had characters, with Horatio looking like Russian soldiers or prison guards. The dead king (Stewart) was wearing an odd headdress that made him remind me of his time as a Borg. The new king, the old king's brother, Hamlet's uncle, also played by Patrick Stewart looked more "normal". The women dressed well and everyone played their parts convincingly. Yes, Hamlet shoots Polonius with a pistol. Tennant was very funny, wearing a contemporary printed T-shirt through much of the play. At another point he was wearing a tuxedo that reminded me of "James Bond 007." In fact I feel David Tennant could be a good "James Bond." Back to Hamlet. For me I just can't disassociate Tennant from his role as Doctor Who and Stewart from his roles as Star Trek's "Captain Jean-Luc Picard" or X-Men's "Professor Charles Francis Xavier". It is weird, but with these Sci Fi characters and shows in mind I could not help but notice how many times Shakespeare refers to time or space in Hamlet. I had not noticed that before. After a few minutes of this version of the play I half expected Hamlet to step out of a blue wardrobe. Again with the prior associations of the main characters, I found myself laughing at things that were not really meant to be funny, but would be funny for "the Doctor." People not familiar with "Doctor Who", "Star Trek TNG", or the first three "X-Men" movies might be able to enjoy this Hamlet for it self. They say William Shakespeare was one of the most intelligent of men, this may prove it, in Hamlet he refers to time seemingly as often as Einstein! The DVD is well worth owning and seeing several times.

Loved David Tennant, less convinced by Patrick Stewart - shake not thy gory locks at me!

Hamlet is perhaps one of Shakespeare's most well-known works. For a version that is set in contemporary times, Shakespearean language fits into this "world" surprising well. Some lines were cut from the original work, but this did not seem to detract much from the play itself. The story of Hamlet is well carried through and one can really tell the labor of love coming from everyone involved in this production.The setting, direction, lighting and stellar cast are all excellent, although perhaps it loses out slightly on the immediacy (intimacy) of watching this on stage vs. in front of the television. Sometimes the cutting in and out of scenes between the videocameras were a bit abrupt, but this provides a good contrast between one merely "watching" what is happening and cutting to the character's point of view.All of the characters were exceedingly well-cast and one could truly feel for each of them, although Patrick Stewart must be applauded for his fantastic work as Claudius. David Tennant played the contrasting moods/mindsets of Hamlet excellently. However that being said, I had a few flashbacks of the 10th Doctor while he played the Prince of Denmark, but this may be perhaps due to his personality showing through his characters (crossover between Doctor Who series 3 episode "Shakespeare Code" and Hamlet?). Wonderful performances for the rest of the cast including Oliver Ford-Davies as an excellent Polonius, Penny Downie as a very very believable Gertrude, Mariah Gale as the tragic mad Ophelia and Edward Bennett as Laertes.Big *clap clap* to the RSC for this wonderful production - this is one adaptation that any Shakespeare fan would want keep in their collection for some time to come.