Hamlet (2000 film)

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Hamlet
Hamlet-Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Almereyda
Screenplay byMichael Almereyda
Based on Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
Produced byAndrew Fierberg
Amy Hobby
Starring
Cinematography John de Borman
Edited by Kristina Boden
Music by Carter Burwell
Production
company
double A Films
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release dates
  • January 24, 2000 (2000-01-24)(Sundance)
  • May 12, 2000 (2000-05-12)(United States)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2 million [1]

Hamlet, also known as Hamlet 2000, is a 2000 American drama film written and directed by Michael Almereyda, set in contemporary New York City, and based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet as a film student, Kyle MacLachlan co-stars as Uncle Claudius, with Diane Venora as Gertrude, Liev Schreiber as Laertes, Julia Stiles as Ophelia, Steve Zahn as Rosencrantz, Bill Murray as Polonius, and Sam Shepard as Hamlet's father.

Contents

In this version of Hamlet, Claudius is "king" of the Denmark Corporation, having taken over the firm by killing his brother, Hamlet's father.

This adaptation keeps the Shakespearean dialogue but presents a modern setting, with technology such as video cameras, Polaroid cameras, and surveillance bugs. For example, the ghost of Hamlet's murdered father first appears on closed-circuit TV.

Adaptations

Cast

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 58% of 96 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10.The website's consensus reads: "Stiff performances fail to produce any tension onscreen." [2] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 70/100, based on 32 reviews from mainstream critics. [3]

Film critic Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times lauded it as a "vital and sharply intelligent film," [4] while The Washington Post reviewer deemed it as a "darkly interesting distraction but not much more." [5] The reaction to Hawke's performance as the title role is also mixed. The Los Angeles Times described him as a "superb Prince of Denmark - youthful, sensitive, passionate but with a mature grasp of the workings of human nature." [6] New York magazine, however, thought Hawke's performance was only "middling." [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead</i> 1966 play by Tom Stoppard

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet, the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the main setting is Denmark.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Hamlet</span> Character in Hamlet

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References

  1. "Hamlet (2000) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  2. "Hamlet". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 8, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. "Hamlet Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  4. Mitchell, Elvis (May 12, 2000). "'Hamlet': A Simpler Melancholy in a Different Denmark". The New York Times . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  5. Howe, Desson (May 19, 2000). "'Hamlet': A Melancholy Dude". The Washington Post . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  6. Thomas, Kevin. "Hamlet - Movie Review". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  7. Rainer, Peter (May 22, 2000). "Get Thee to Moomba". New York . Retrieved March 12, 2021.