Hamlet: Screenplay, Introduction and Film Diary

by William Shakespeare and Kenneth Branagh

Book Overview

Often credited with creating a popular movie audience for Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh has wanted for many years to bring to the screen the complete, full-length version of Hamlet, Shakespeare's greatest play.

The film, like the play, will have something for everyone, he says. Its a ghost story, a thriller, an action-packed murder mystery, and a great tragedy that is profoundly moving. With an outstanding cast of international actors--including...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393315053
• ISBN13: 9780393315059
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Hamlet and Ken

This is a great supplment to go with the best and most complet hamlet ever made. Video is excellent

Loads of fun to read!

This version of "Hamlet", brought to the screen (and page) by Branagh, is great fun to read, owing to the humorous "inner monologues" inserted by the author into the text. Although they do sound "twentieth century-ish", they fit perfectly between the lines. In this case, "reading between the lines" was most enjoyable!

Hamlet is a very difficult but excellent book

Hamlet is a very intricate book that requires very in-depth reading or even a little help from essays written on Hamlet or something of that nature. It is a very good book with a nice blend of puns and paradoxes to foreshadowing. It is a story of a Danish prince caught in the middle of an uncle who recently became king at the death of Hamlet's father, a mother who married Hamlet's uncle after Hamlet's father's death, and a girlfriend who is a bit crazy. This all sets up a Shakespeare's classic. It is a reference of the monarchies of the late 1500's early 1600's when family members killed other family members for the monarchy. Their is the outside conflict Hamlet has with his mother and uncle but also their is the intricate inner conflict in Hamlet of what to do. This discussion leads to the question is Hamlet crazy. This all sets up one of the most famous speech in literature, "To be or not to be? That is the question."

branagh's hamartia: "Hamlet" version

kenneth branagh, genius. tragic flaw...same as greatest asset...the dual nature of innovation. when you cast mega stars is mini roles, some things dont exactly match up. fodder happens. in much ado...keanu reeves? ugh. hamlet...jack lemmon. oh well. an amazing film. if you can find "the heart of hamlet, the play shakespeare wrote" by professor bernard grebanier buy it. learn something...change the universe, at least your little portion of it by having an understanding of the greatest single literary achievement in the history of man. got something better to do?