Hamlet on 70mm

Having established himself, with the Oscar-winning Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing, as a consummate interpreter of the Bard, writer-director-actor Kenneth Branagh made one of the great all-or-nothing wagers in modern literary cinema: a 70mm film version of Shakespeare’s longest—and arguably greatest—play, using the complete unabridged text. The result is a glorious cinematic feast, updating the play’s setting to the 19th century and trading the dark, noirish look of previous adaptations for bold, vibrant colors and visual pageantry. Yet beneath this splendor remains the original conspiratorial premise of a king secretly murdered, his brother’s crime concealed under the guise of legitimate succession, and a court compelled to function in spite of it all. Branagh’s opulent, mirrored sets literalize this intrigue, continually positioning characters within two-way mirrors and secret corridors that reinforce the pervasive sense of surveillance in the source text. Released by Columbia Pictures into a U.S. preoccupied with Whitewater, FBI scandals, and anti-government extremism intensified by the Oklahoma City bombing, the 1996 adaptation gave soaring, intricate poetry to institutional mistrust. Branagh is superb as the troubled Danish prince, while the all-star supporting cast includes Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Robin Williams, and many more. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Score.

Screenings will include a 15-minute intermission (following Scene IV of Act IV). 

Filmed in 65mm Panavision Super 65 by Alex Thomson and released in 70mm prints for select first-run engagements in 1992.

Please note: FLC is screening from one of the original release prints, which uses a vintage magnetic soundtrack. Audio tracks are stored on magnetic stripes attached to the film print itself and are more prone to degrade than optical soundtracks. It will sound louder and richer compared to most 35mm prints and many digital sound systems, but because it’s an older analog format you’ll also hear the wear-and-tear of its many years going through projectors. This is part of the experience, so let every hiss, softness, pop, intermittent silence and visual imperfection remind you of the many audience members who saw this same print before you.