There was never any doubt in his mind that they would again collaborate on the current project.
Its legacy is notable as being the first British film to earn the Best Picture Award.ĭirector Laurence Olivier was effusive with his praise of William Walton upon completing his previous film Henry V in 1944, stating, that when all was said and done, that Walton’s music actually made the film. The film however earned seven Academy Award nominations including Best Director, Best Supporting Actress and Best Score, winning four for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design. Critical reception was mixed with many calling the film overly reductive for eliminating two major characters and over half of the play’s dialogue.
The film was profitable earning £779,700, which more than covered its production costs. Yet death, begets death and in the end, all suffer ruin. Hamlet’s father’s ghost appears to him and reveals evidence of his murder, which sends Hamlet on a quest to avenge his father’s death. They succeed in poisoning him and Claudius usurps the throne and marries Gertrude to provide a fig leaf of legitimacy, thus denying Prince Hamlet the throne.
King Hamlet’s brother Claudius and Queen Gertrude conspire to kill him. The film is set in 15th century Denmark and offers one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Olivier also provided the voice of the ghost King. For the cast, joining him as Hamlet, would be Basil Sydney as Claudius, Eileen Herlie as Gertrude, Norman Wooland as Horatio, Felix Aylmer as Polonius, Terrence Morgan as Laertes, and Jean Simmons as Ophelia. He would produce, direct and star in the film and secured the necessary financing from the British production company Two Cities, who provided a budget of £527,530. He decided to adapt another of the Bard’s plays and chose Hamlet for his second film. Producer, director, and actor Laurence Olivier had achieved critical acclaim and commercial success with his film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Henry V in 1944.
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