From a two-minute French picture made in 1900 starring Sarah Bernhardt as the Danish prince or a 1920 adaptation in which Hamlet is born female but disguised to protect the royal lineage, to the 1948 Olivier classic or the stunning 1964 Russian translation, from Burton and Gielgud or Gibson and Zeffirelli to Ethan Hawke’s modern allegorical effort or Kenneth Branagh’s faithful, and unabridged, four hours, Hamlet is perfectly suited to almost endless alteration and interpretation. One could spend days debating on the subject simply because there have been such a great many film versions over the years, but that’s part of what makes Shakespeare, and particularly Hamlet, so enduring. The previous standard bearer is a matter of widely varied opinion.
Since the release of the film, Tennant’s depiction has been hailed as the definitive Hamlet for a new generation. Though there have been several other stage productions starring high profile actors recently (including Jude Law last year and John Simm upcoming later this year, to name two), this RSC rendition has overshadowed them all. The production was so well-received that the RSC teamed with the BBC to translate it into a film, which was broadcast at Christmas 2009 in the UK and in the spring of 2010 as part of Great Performances on PBS stations in the US. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2008-2009 season produced a wildly successful staging of Hamlet, directed by Gregory Doran and starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.
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