Hamlet (1969)

Hamlet (Nicol Williamson), the prince of Denmark, plots to expose the murder of his father by his Uncle Claudius (Anthony Hopkins) who has married his mother (Judy Parfitt) only two months after his father's death. Based on the classic play by William Shakespeare and directed by Tony Richardson (TOM JONES). Adhering to "the play's the thing", this is a stripped down version of the Shakespeare classic that eschews elaborate sets and costumes and opening up the play. It's shot almost entirely in close ups which puts the burden on the actors to hold the play together and in spite of some dubious casting, the actors pull it off. Williamson was one year younger than Parfitt who plays his mother and one year older than Hopkins who plays his uncle. That they all look the same age is disconcerting at first but eventually the performances push the age issue to the back. The film does suggest a possible incestuous relationship between Ophelia (Marianne Faithfull) and her brother Laertes (Michael Pennington). There are better filmed versions of HAMLET but this is worth watching for the acting. With Roger Livesey, Mark Dignam, Gordon Jackson and Anjelica Huston (who decided to focus on modeling and wouldn't do another movie for 7 years).