Pssst, want to check out Discovering Hamlet in our new look?
Information
- Year
- 1990
- Runtime
- 53 min.
- Director
- Mark Olshaker
- Genres
- Drama, Documentary
- Rating *
- 8.0
- Votes *
- 47
- Checks
- 10
- Favs
- 2
- Dislikes
- 0
- Favs/checks
- 20.0% (1:5)
- Favs/dislikes
- 2:0
Top comments
-
Siskoid
In 1990, Derek Jacobi agreed to direct Kenneth Branagh's first (theatrical) Hamlet, and Discovering Hamlet is a 53-minute documentary that follows that process from rehersal to opening night. Jacobi has some really interesting ideas (that I'll have to discuss on my Hamlet blog eventually), but there's entirely too much narration explaining what the story of the play is for my tastes. Useful for high school students, say, but the interviews and rehearsal scenes, while illuminating, are too short and sparse. That's where the rest of the DVD comes in. The second disc provides unedited interviews with cast and crew (but mostly Jacobi) and the full footage of many rehearsal sections as well as a drunken cast party. Disc 1 also has a current day interview with Jacobi, looking back at his sole directing project (some repetition may occur). This package as a whole is MUCH MORE interesting than the original documentary, providing fascinating insights into the play and how it is approached from the actors' point of view (as even Jacobi only ever sees himself as an actor). 8 years 8 months ago