Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark (1980)

The Prince (Derek Jacobi) to the Danish throne is greatly disturbed that his mother (Claire Bloom) has married his uncle (Patrick Stewart) so soon after his father's death. But a visit from the ghost of his father (Patrick Allen) incenses him even more as he discovers his uncle poisoned his father and he sets on his journey to avenge his father. I've lost count of the countless productions on stage, screen and television that I've seen of Shakespeare's tragedy. The role of Hamlet is considered by many actors the true test of an actor's mettle. This adaptation done by the BBC was highly praised and Derek Jacobi's Hamlet declared one of the best Hamlets. My enthusiasm is more reserved. At over 3 1/2 hours, this is a near complete presentation of the complete HAMLET but there's a good reason why it is usually trimmed down for performance. There's some fat in the bard's opus. This production is on the dull side, presented without much style or imagination and essentially a camera placed on a sound stage for the actors to play out the tale. Jacobi's Hamlet didn't work for me though I imagine it might have been thrilling on the stage which is how Jacobi plays it ... to the back of the theater. I was much more impressed by Bloom's Gertrude and Stewart's Claudius, one of the best Claudius I've seen and I liked Eric Porter's Polonius a lot too. Directed by Rodney Bennett. With Lala Ward as Ophelia, Jonathan Hyde and David Robb.