--- title: "Hamlet" year: 1996 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hamlet" fi1m_id: "hamlet" imdb_id: "tt0116477" tmdb_id: 10549 wikidata_id: "Q898721" fi1m_score: 81 critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:19.820171+00:00" region: "US" 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 (1996) Directed by Kenneth Branagh · 4h 02m · MPA PG-13 · Drama ## Identity Hamlet - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/hamlet - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** hamlet - **IMDb ID:** tt0116477 - **TMDB ID:** 10549 - **Wikidata ID:** Q898721 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116477/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10549, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q898721 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 78 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* Four hours of Shakespeare, and we wanted the music turned down before we wanted a speech cut > Kenneth Branagh’s *Hamlet* earns its 242 minutes through clear speech, strong supporting performances and a proper sense of the kingdom beyond the prince. We recommend it, though the music and decoration sometimes insist on being noticed. ## Synopsis Prince Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) mourns his father at the Danish court, where his mother, Gertrude (Julie Christie), has married his uncle, Claudius (Derek Jacobi). Claudius now wears the crown. When a ghost claiming to be Hamlet’s father accuses the new king of murder, the prince faces a demand for revenge he does not know how to fulfil. Around him are his friend Horatio (Nicholas Farrell), Ophelia (Kate Winslet) and her father, the court adviser Polonius (Richard Briers). Branagh directs this adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, retaining the full text and placing the court in the nineteenth century. ## Review Kenneth Branagh’s *Hamlet* is worth the substantial evening it asks for, provided we can tolerate a production that occasionally gets carried away with its own finery. Retaining the full text gives the court’s business time to matter, as well as the prince’s grief and suspicion. The wider political story is allowed to develop without making the central performance feel smaller. At 242 minutes, this is a commitment, but Branagh makes the language clear enough that keeping up seldom feels like work. Branagh’s Hamlet is forceful, eager to make every thought reach us, and sometimes too ready to finish it with an extra push. His long speeches sound like urgent attempts to decide what to do, and their clarity allows us to follow the effort. We felt his frustration: all that energy in the speaking, so much difficulty in reaching a decision. The performance can be emphatic, but its restlessness gives the film much of its life. Derek Jacobi’s Claudius and Richard Briers’s Polonius provide the strongest reasons for giving the supporting parts their space. Jacobi makes authority sound practised; Briers makes Polonius’s confidence in his own advice understandable without making it attractive. Their ease is welcome in a production that can seem anxious to make sure we appreciate everything. Kate Winslet’s Ophelia and Julie Christie’s Gertrude also benefit from an adaptation that has not hurried past the relationships to get to the familiar speeches. Alex Thomson’s 70mm photography gives Tim Harvey’s elaborate Elsinore the space it demands, and the court has a grandeur that makes its public business worth attending to. This is useful in a version that allows the wider politics to develop. Yet Harvey’s decoration can distract us from the person speaking, particularly when Branagh seems reluctant to let the surroundings go unnoticed. The nineteenth-century setting brings a great deal of finery with it. Editor Neil Farrell deserves some credit for making this much spoken material remain comprehensible. The pace gives us time to hear an exchange and understand what each person wants from it; the length rarely feels like an inability to choose. Patrick Doyle’s music is less helpful, insisting on emotions the actors have already made clear. We wanted it to leave them alone, especially when the words were doing the work without assistance. As screen Shakespeare, this succeeds at the difficult practical business of keeping complicated speech clear without making it sound laboured. Branagh’s full-text approach also trusts us to stay interested in people outside the central crisis. The conspicuous guest casting occasionally interrupts that concentration: Robin Williams as Osric and Gérard Depardieu as Reynaldo can pull attention towards the guest list. These distractions are irritating because the film has already proved how well it can hold us with actors speaking plainly. Do not approach it as a test of how much Shakespeare can be endured in one sitting. There is pleasure in hearing the less familiar exchanges given this much care. Give it an evening when nobody needs to be anywhere else. *Fi1m score 81, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics welcome Branagh’s full-text Hamlet as a clear, engaging adaptation whose four-hour length is less daunting in practice than it sounds. Praise centres on the performances, elaborate production design and the confidence with which the film makes Shakespeare’s language accessible without cutting it down. The reviews also value its outward-looking approach, giving the political circumstances space alongside Hamlet’s private turmoil, with Branagh’s robust performance setting the tone. The reservations concern how much embellishment the text needs, and the spread runs from wholehearted enthusiasm to a mixed assessment. Variety admires the staging and cast but finds some flourishes literal-minded. The Independent is the clearest dissenter, arguing that the nineteenth-century setting, elaborate designs and cameos distract, while the camerawork and exaggerated action undermine the production. Even that review finds value in Branagh’s trust in the complete text. ## Straight answers **Is Hamlet worth watching?** *Hamlet* is worth watching for anyone prepared to give four hours to Shakespeare spoken clearly, and we scored it 81. Branagh keeps the full text, so the court's politics and the supporting parts, Derek Jacobi and Richard Briers especially, get room to matter. Patrick Doyle's music and the decorated Elsinore sometimes insist on being noticed when the actors have already done the work. **How long is Hamlet, and what is it rated?** *Hamlet* runs 4h 02m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch Hamlet in the US?** *Hamlet* is streaming on The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. It leaves The Roku Channel on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Hamlet compare to Fanny and Alexander?** *Hamlet* and [*Fanny and Alexander*](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander) both put family grief inside theatrical splendour, but Bergman's film is the warmer and the better of the two. Branagh gives you the whole play, spoken clearly, with strong support and an occasionally overdressed court. Bergman gives you a household seen through a watchful child, with more room for domestic warmth, humour and fear; we would send a stranger to that one first. **What should I watch after Hamlet?** After *Hamlet*, try [*Throne of Blood*](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood) (1957, Fi1m 88): Shakespearean ambition stripped down to fear, weather and a ruler’s growing panic. Then [*Chimes at Midnight*](https://film.one/film/chimes-at-midnight) (1965, Fi1m 88): Another Shakespeare adaptation with room for affection, folly and the costs of power; and [*Fanny and Alexander*](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander) (1982, Fi1m 92): Family grief and theatrical splendour, with more room for domestic warmth. ### Reviews we read (8) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The critic praises Branagh's full-text adaptation as long but engaging, with breathtaking 70mm visuals and strong performances that place Hamlet in a broader political context rather than focusing solely on introspection. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hamlet-1996) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kevin Thomas (85/100, inferred): The critic commends Branagh for presenting the full text with remarkable clarity and meaning in a handsome, compelling production that immerses viewers in the tragedy without feeling overly long. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-25-ca-12363-story.html) - **Empire**, Mike Jeffries (80/100, inferred): Branagh's grand cinematic Hamlet is the clear choice over other versions, delivering quality, scale and an interval. Performances are uniformly awesome, with stunning support turns and splendid art direction. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hamlet-2-review/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights Branagh's robust performance as the centerpiece of a lavish, four-hour production that remains engaging despite its length, noting the stellar cast and preference for bold strokes over gloomy introspection. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/25/movies/more-things-in-hamlet-than-are-dreamt-of-in-other-adaptations.html) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the full-text version rewarding for its clarity, richness, and accessibility, praising the staging, performances (especially Jacobi and Briers), and visual splendor while noting some literal-minded flourishes. [Read](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/hamlet-8-1117436936/) - **The Independent** (50/100, inferred): Branagh's four-hour film is a greatly flawed project with good and bad ideas scrambled together, redeemed by its faith in trusting the full Shakespeare text. The 19th-century setting, elaborate designs and cameos are often distracting, with tentative camerawork and hyperbolic action in places. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-winter-s-tale-to-play-the-king-1278327.html) - **Time Out**, SGr: Branagh's ambitious four-hour film carries itself well and assembles one of the finest casts ever seen. The production design of Elsinore stands out as a highlight, though an intrusive score and some casting choices are drawbacks. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hamlet-6) - **Eye for Film**, James Benefield: Branagh delivers an uncompromised, unabridged four-hour adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy that is essential viewing for fans of the Bard despite its length. The production is a grand, cinematic spectacle with an all-star cast and consistent visual ambition that turns the play into a blockbuster. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hamlet-film-review-by-james-benefield) ## Details - **Director:** Kenneth Branagh - **Director:** Kenneth Branagh - **Cinematography:** Alex Thomson - **Editor:** Neil Farrell - **Music:** Patrick Doyle - **Production design:** Tim Harvey - **Costume design:** Alexandra Byrne - **Producer:** David Barron - **Cast:** Kenneth Branagh as Prince Hamlet; Derek Jacobi as King Claudius; Kate Winslet as Ophelia; Julie Christie as Gertrude; Richard Briers as Polonius; Nicholas Farrell as Horatio; Rufus Sewell as Fortinbras; Reece Dinsdale as Guildenstern - **Runtime:** 4h 02m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 25 December 1996 - **Genres:** Drama - **Budget:** $18 million - **Box office:** $5 million ## Where to watch in the US - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $12.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-13.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1997: Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Original Dramatic Score (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Throne of Blood* (1957), Fi1m 88: Shakespearean ambition stripped down to fear, weather and a ruler’s growing panic. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md) - *Chimes at Midnight* (1965), Fi1m 88: Another Shakespeare adaptation with room for affection, folly and the costs of power. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/chimes-at-midnight.md) - *Fanny and Alexander* (1982), Fi1m 92: Family grief and theatrical splendour, with more room for domestic warmth. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander.md) - *The Lion in Winter* (1968), Fi1m 81: A royal family treats succession as permission to say the unforgivable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter.md) - *Haider* (2014): Hamlet’s suspicions acquire a different political urgency in a Kashmiri setting. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/hamlet