--- title: "Hamlet: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hamlet-1948/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/hamlet-1948" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Hamlet (1948): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are all favourable, and most are warmly so. The praise gathers on Olivier himself, doing three jobs at once: critics find his Hamlet intelligent, clearly spoken and free of wasted gesture, and several credit his direction with making Elsinore feel like a place rather than a set. The supporting cast is called near-perfect more than once. The later reviews add admiration for the monochrome photography, the sound and the Ghost, reading the film as closer to noir than to filmed theatre. Where critics part is on the whole against the parts. The New Yorker thinks the fine moments do not quite add up and places it below Olivier’s Henry V, though it still recommends the film. Empire notes that some of Olivier’s contemporaries objected to the cuts made to the text. The spread is narrow: one measured recommendation among six strong ones, and nobody dissenting outright. ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 2006. The review praises Olivier's 1948 Hamlet as one of cinema's finest Shakespeare adaptations, noting its Freudian interpretation, atmospheric monochrome photography, and cinematic vision that makes Elsinore a character in itself. It highlights the director-star's compression of the text and interiorised soliloquies while acknowledging some contemporary criticism of liberties taken with the play. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hamlet-5-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Edwin Schallert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 1948. Olivier meets the challenge of Shakespeare on screen magnificently, creating an epochal film version that will be a model for future efforts. The cast is praised as the finest, with Olivier's triune duty as producer, director, and actor singled out for its power and genius. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2022-09-06/from-the-archives-hamlet-momentous-triumph-for-olivier) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 1948. The critic hails Olivier's Hamlet as a superior movie and predicts it will be one of the great popular pictures of the times. Olivier's central performance is singled out as the most cogent, with the cast's overall acting praised for its sensitivity and power. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1948/10/03/archives/oliviers-hamlet-hailing-a-shakespearean-tragedy-as-a-hit-a-very.html) ## The Telegraph — Campbell Dixon Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 1948. The film is a triumph with minor flaws, turning one of the stage's masterpieces into one of the greatest films, largely due to its content and acting rather than technical perfection as cinema. Olivier delivers a virile, fascinating performance with every line intelligible and no superfluous gesture or false note, supported by a near-perfect cast. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/william-shakespeare/10782898/Shakespeare-Laurence-Olivier-as-Hamlet-original-1948-Telegraph-review.html) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1948. Olivier's Hamlet is one of the most memorable films ever to come from a British studio, with the star-producer-director's confidence resulting in exceptional teamwork. Olivier's interpretation of Hamlet as a sensitive man lacking resolution is praised, along with the film's overall quality and prestige value. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1948/film/reviews/hamlet-4-1200415991/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 1948. Olivier's Hamlet is recommended for its many magnificent moments, including fine acting, remarkable sets, and superb music, though the parts are deemed better than the whole and it falls short of his Henry V. The editing that compresses the play and the excellent swordplay are highlighted positively. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/10/02/1948-10-02-090-tny-cards-000026468) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2023. The critic praises Olivier's 1948 Hamlet as a groundbreaking cinematic adaptation that brings Shakespeare's play to life through innovative sound design and noirish expressionism, particularly highlighting the haunting portrayal of the Ghost. It commends the film's psychological depth and its ability to make the story accessible and powerful on screen. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/william-shakespeare/hamlet-laurence-olivier-film-noir-ghost) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/hamlet-1948.md