I thought this was an amazing Hamlet. As my theatre company prepares to perform Shakespeare's tragedy, I've watched a LOT of Hamlets starring a variety of different actors set in a variety of different places. I thought this one was the best by far. Some the ultra-modernness I could have done w/o, such as the filming w/ the security cameras. I thought David Tennant was brilliant in this production. Instead of being whiny like most Hamlets tend to be, he was vengeful & strong willed. The only bit of acting that I was thrilled with was I thought the King's (Patrick Stewart) reaction during the play w/in a play could have been much stronger. Over all I loved this production of Hamlet and look to using some of the aspects in our upcoming stage production.

I checked the spoiler check-box to be sure, but I don't think anyone would be surprised by the bits of storyline I'll reveal. :)I wasn't fortunate enough to see the production on stage, so I was very excited when I found out that they will release it on DVD. I watched it the day when finally arrived till 2 am and totally worth the next sleepy workday. I saw David Tennant in many roles and I think he's one of the most talented actors in his generation. He never fails to connect his character with me and I was curious to see his Hamlet. I wasn't disappointed. I saw quite a few Hamlets over the years, but this was the first when I was able to see the human behind the role. I don't know anything about the inner work of theater, I'm merely one of the audience, I only can say what I feel. Don't get me wrong, Kenneth Brannagh was an amazing Hamlet, but even he couldn't get Hamlet close to me. David Tennant did. He showed me the real meaning and depth of those beautiful words Shakespeare written. He made me feel all of Hamlet's pain and uncertainty, the educated man who not only lost his beloved father, had to see his mother married so close after the funeral, but witness an appearance of a ghost and based on its words he was expected to commit a murder. No wonder he was considering suicide to escape from all of this. I could totally understand, even sympathize with him like I never did before. This version of Hamlet is the most memorable for me because of his powerful performance.Also Sir Patrick Stewart was an authentic and subtle villain, the essence of the "smiling in your face than stab you in the back" type. His Claudius showed genuine love for Gertrude as well which was one of the main reasons why he murdered his own brother. I always felt that many actors (or directors) failed to put some focus on that. After all there should be some very good reason to kill your closest kin and it's not like Denmark was especially powerful or rich at the time with Fortinbras and his army at the borders.I also loved Penny Downie as the clueless, "goes with the flow" Gertrude, even if I wonder all the time that how is it possible that she doesn't suspect anything right until the bedroom scene. Penny made me think that maybe she does, only she choose not to see what happens in front of her eyes.Unfortunately I couldn't love Mariah Gale's Ophelia, I couldn't connected with her like I did with the others. Maybe it's my fault but I couldn't see her as the beautiful and intelligent young woman who worth of the love of the prince and who return his feelings so strongly, that when she lost him to the madness she takes her own first step to that way as well.This review gets quite long so just some quick words about the set: I think the modernization worked very well, the black, mirror-like floor, the security camera system helped me to rethink the play from a new viewpoint and showed it like it would be the first time anyone perform it. It seemed new and fresh to me and I wondered if that was the way (aside from the modern technique of course) they used to perform in the first days before the play was burdened with so much expectation and history.All in all, I highly recommend this movie for those who have never seen Hamlet before and for those who have seen a lot, but are open for some fresh version of it.

It was more out of curiosity than anything else that I rented this DVD from Netflix. I have always adored Patrick Stewart and have recently been introduced to David Tennant as the Tenth "Doctor Who". I think everyone is somewhat familiar with the story. Uncle Claudius(Stewart) kills the king and usurps the throne by marrying the widow. Hamlet(Tennant), the son finds out about the duplicity and plots to kill him. Stewart's "Claudius" is distinctly kindly and menacing at the same time. Stewart is always exceptional and his cool performance stole the show. It was difficult to know what to make of Tennant's "Hamlet". I made it a point to try not to think of "Dr. Who". It's always easy to see an actor as one character and not another. At the beginning I found his performance rather scattered, but after the "...to be or not to be..." speech the performance settled down. Although a bit long, I thought it a great movie, very tense and somewhat melancholy.

I enjoyed the modern setting of this production, which, lacking period frills, brings across more of the daily life of the palace than is usually shown; I enjoyed the clarity of the readings, especially in the interactions between Polonius and his children; and I enjoyed Penny Downie's atypically neurotic Gertrude.On the other hand, Patrick Stewart seemed to me a very dull Claudius. When he played the part opposite Derek Jacobi in an earlier TV production, he did it in his earlier, blood-and-thunder mode; this time it's in his post-STNG, mild-mannered mode, as everybody's nice uncle (who just happens to have murdered Dad). And to me the conceit of everyone's being on surveillance video all the time just became a nuisance.Then there was David Tennant. I can't see Hamlet as being at all the same character as the Doctor (Who) in any of his incarnations, and so he probably shouldn't be played in the same way. Moreover, a lot of what Tennant carries over isn't really the Doctor, but the actor doing whatever he feels like, which usually is to play the prat. He could get by with it on the series, and might as one of Shakespeare's fools, but how could Hamlet be anything like this? I begin to understand better how the expression "ham" came into being.