My first thought while watching it concerned the cinematography. The film consists largely of close-ups of the actors delivering lines. This certainly works to minimize the set. It's difficult to tell how the set might look; there are not enough wide angle shots to see it! There were occasions when the frame was so tight on the actor's face that movement caused part of it to move out of frame. We are left with a shot of the actor's face from the nose down, for instance.
The screenplay plays fast and loose with the original script. It is edited, as one might expect, in order to pare the play to a 2+ hour run time. The editing seemed very drastic, though. Additionally, there are major changes to the script. The "To be" soliloquy is moved from III, i to II, ii. Claudius' soliloquy in III, iii is moved to after IV, iii, well after Hamlet has met with Gertrude in her chamber. Actually, the soliloquy seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought. Hamlet's speech pondering killing Claudius while at prayer was omitted entirely.
Nicol Williamson plays the title role. He was 33 years old at the time, older than the college age of Hamlet. As is usually the case, though, the viewer has to suspend disbelief in order to imagine a younger Hamlet. Anthony Hopkins as Claudius is particularly slimy. Peter Gale's portrayal of Osric was most amusing.
The climactic sword fight was quick and not as impressive as others that I have seen. As with other versions I have seen, the poisoned pearl for the goblet came from Claudius' earring. The death scenes, especially Gertrude and Claudius, are rather loud and emotive.
This production was an interesting adaptation of a stage version to the screen. While it's not among my favorites, it is respectable.
For the IMDb entry, click here.
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