Hamlet

Hamlet is a 1990 drama film based on the Shakespearean tragedy of the same name, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the eponymous character. The film also features Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, and Nathaniel Parker. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy, the film was the first produced by Icon Productions, a company co-founded by Gibson. Plot The film largely follows the plot of the original play, albeit omitting certain dialogue and minor characters to fit the average length of a feature film. This version also makes no modern day adaptations. Cast Mel Gibson as Prince Hamlet Glenn Close as Queen Gertrude Alan Bates as King Claudius Paul Scofield as the ghost of King Hamlet Ian Holm as Polonius Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia Stephen Dillane as Horatio Nathaniel Parker as Laertes Michael Maloney and Sean Murray as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Trevor Peacock as the Gravedigger Pete Postlethwaite as the Player King Christopher Fairbank as the Player Queen John McEnery as Osric Richard Warwick as Bernardo Christien Anholt as Marcellus Production Zeffirelli announced production of the film in April 1989 at a press conference in Los Angeles. Mel Gibson was at that same press conference, where it was announced that he would play Hamlet. Zeffirelli had set out to make a Shakespearian adaptation that would be accessible and appealing to younger viewers, and casting Gibson was considered an intent to lure said audience into seeing it. Glenn Close was another obvious choice, having had recent box-office success with such Hollywood thrillers as Jagged Edge and Fatal Attraction.