Director
Kenneth Branagh
Leading Actors/Actresses
Kenneth Branagh
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Kate Winslett, Richard Briars
Genre
Period Drama, Shakespearian Drama
Language
English
Awards
4 Academy Award Nominations including Best Adapted Screenplay,
Date of Release
December 25, 1996
Producer
David Barron
Setting and Context
Denmark, during the reign of King Claudius, who has taken the throne by murdering King Hamlet
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of Prince Hamlet, as he tries to avenge his father's murder.
Tone and Mood
The tone is dark and combative; there is a mood of subterfuge and intrigue.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Prince Hamlet is the protagonist, King Claudius is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
There is constant conflict between Prince Hamlet and his mother Gertrude; he feels that she married Claudius too quickly after his father's murder. There is also conflict between Hamlet and Claudius.
Climax
Hamlet is murdered at the end of the film, killed with a sword with a poisoned tip.
Foreshadowing
Laertes learns that his father was killed by Hamlet, which foreshadows his murdering Hamlet by way of revenge.
Understatement
No specific examples.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The staging of the film is based on the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Hamlet" that Branagh starred in. This gives the film a play-like quality even though it is a big screen version.
Allusions
The film alludes to "Dr Zhivago" in that it is shot in the style of an epic.
Paradox
Laertes forces Hamlet to end his relationship with Ophelia; he then blames Hamlet for Ophelia's distress that the end of the relationship caused.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the way in which Hamlet and his father are murdered, both poisoned, and both murders a result of Claudius' manipulations.
