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Hamlet (Original title)
Date: 1948 (Release)

Country: United Kingdom

Director: Laurence Olivier

Synopsis: Filmed adaptation of the Shakespeare play.

Genre:
Drama

Subject:
Hamlet (play)
Releases
Date: 1948Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: 35mm Film - Black and White - SoundRuntime: 155 mins Length: 13926 FeetDialogue (original): English
Date: April 2016Country: United KingdomRelease type: InternetFormat: not specified - Black and White - SoundRuntime: 155 mins Dialogue (original): EnglishDistributor: BFIPlayer

Credits (87)
Production Company: Two Cities Films, Producer: Laurence Olivier, Assistant Producer: Anthony Bushell, Associate Producer: Reginald Beck, Production Executive: Herbert Smith, Production Manager: John Gossage, Under the Management of: Filippo Del Giudice, Assistant Production Manager: Peter Berg, Production Supervisor: Phil C. Samuel, Associate Director: Reginald Beck, Assistant Director: Peter Bolton, 2nd Assistant Director: Cecil F. Ford, 2nd Assistant Director: Alec Gibb, 3rd Assistant Director: Frank Ernst, 4th Assistant Director: Lawrence G. Knight, Continuity: Elizabeth Everson, Assistant Continuity: Gladys Goldsmith, Casting: Weston Drury, Casting: Maude Spector, Crowd Casting: William Fleming, Text Editor: Alan Dent, By: William Shakespeare, Photographer: Desmond Dickinson, Camera Operator: Ray Sturgess, Focus Puller: Gerry Surman, Clapper Loader: Buddy Minchin, Chief Electrician: James Hamilton, Stills: Wilfrid Newton, Special Effects: Paul Sheriff, Special Effects: Henry Harris, Special Effects: Jack Whitehead, Special Processes: Francis Carver, Special Processes: George Blackwell, Special Processes: Bill Warrington, Special Processes: Sid Howell, Jimmy Snow, Editor: Helga Cranston, Assistant Editor: Peter Taylor, 2nd Assistant Editor: Gerald Thomas, 2nd Assistant Editor: John Pomeroy, 2nd Assistant Editor: Richard Sidwell, Designer: Roger Furse, Art Director: Carmen Dillon, Assistant Art Director: Betty Pierce, Set Dresser: Roger Ramsdell, Draughtsman: William Bowden, Scenic Artist: E. Lindegaard, Wardrobe Designer: Roger Furse, Assistant to Roger Furse: Elizabeth Hennings, Wardrobe Supervisor: Fred Pridmore, Wardrobe Mistress: Barbara Gillett, Make-up: Tony Sforzini, Make-up Supervisor: Geoffrey Rodway, Make-up Artist: Ernest Westo, Make-up Artist: Michael Morris, Basil Newall, Hairdressing: Vivienne Walker, Hairdresser: Joyce Wood, Hairdresser: Pearl Bremner, Frances Watson, Music: William Walton, [Music] Played by: The Philharmonia Orchestra, Assistant Music Director: John Hollingsworth, [Music] Conducted by: Muir Mathieson, Music Mixer: E.A. Drake, Mime Play: David Paltenghi, Sword Play: Dennis Loraine, Sound Supervisor: C.C. Stevens, Sound Recorder: John W. Mitchell, L.E. Overton, Sound Camera Operator: Graham Martin, Jack De Connack, Sound Assistant: Jack Goodwin, Sound Department Chief Engineer, Denham Studios: Eric Vast, Boom Operator: Dudley Messenger, Assistant Boom Operator: Gus Lloyd, Gerry Bennett, 1st Assistant Dubbing Mixer, Denham Studios: Peter T. Davies, Supervising Dubbing Mixer, Denham/Pinewood: Desmond Dew, Chief Dubbing Mixer, Denham Studios: L.E. Overton, Sound Editor: Harry Miller, Dubbing Crew: F.J.V. Dobson, Maintenance Engineer, Denham Studios: Derek Taylor, Publicity: Margaret Marshall, Unit Press Representative: Ken Green, Studio: Denham Studios
Cast (19)
Laurence Olivier (Hamlet), Eileen Herlie (Gertrude), Basil Sydney (Claudius), Jean Simmons (Ophelia), Felix Aylmer (Polonius), Norman Wooland (Horatio), Terence Morgan (Laertes), Stanley Holloway (gravedigger), Peter Cushing (Osric), Esmond Knight (Bernardo), Anthony Quayle (Marcellus), Harcourt Williams (first player), John Laurie (Francisco), Niall MacGinnis (sea captain), Patrick Troughton (player king), Tony Tarver (player queen), Russell Thorndike (priest), John Mcgarry (the ghost), Christopher Lee (spear carrier)
Articles held in BFI Reuben Library (23)
In: Film International v6 n5 2008  Pages: 70-72
Title: DVD reviews: Olivier's Shakespeare (1944-55)Author: GARTSIDE, Will Article type: DVD ReviewLanguage: English
Description: DVD reviews for: HENRY V / HAMLET / RICHARD III.

In: Literature/Film Quarterly v34 n2 2006  Pages: 120-129
Title: "To be or not to be" in "The Belly of the Whale"; A...Author: KHOURY, Yvette K. Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: "...Reading of Joseph Campbell's "Modern Hero" Hypothesis in Hamlet on Film". Focuses on the Laurence Olivier, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh and Michael Almereyda films.

In: Sight and Sound v15 n9 September 2005  Page: 90
Title: The Rank CollectionAuthor: MACNAB, Geoffrey Article type: DVD ReviewLanguage: English
Description: Includes BRIEF ENCOUNTER, The 39 STEPS, GENEVIEVE, The WICKED LADY, HENRY V, HAMLET, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, The RED SHOES.

In: Literature/Film Quarterly v28 n2 2000  Pages: 101-111
Title: Gertrude's willow speech: word and film imageAuthor: SCOLNICOV, Hanna Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Part of a whole issue on Shakespeare on film, this article examines the contradictory accounts of Ophelia's death in Hamlet, looking at the Olivier (1948), Kozintsev (1964), Zeffirelli (1990) and Branagh (1996) versions.

In: Literature/Film Quarterly v28 n2 2000  Pages: 112-117
Title: The effects of primacy and recency upon audience response...Author: LAKE, James H. Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Part of a whole issue on Shakespeare on film, this article examines audience response to Hamlet, focusing on the versions directed by Olivier (1948), Kozintsev (1964), Lyth (1984), Zeffirelli (1990) and Branagh (1996).

In: Shakespeare Bulletin v16 n3 Summer 1998  Pages: 36-37
Title: The Fortunes of Fortinbras in three film versions of...Author: WALTON, David Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: A discussion of the character of Fortinbras in film versions of Hamlet directed by Laurence Olivier, Rodney Bennett and Kenneth Branagh

In: Literature/Film Quarterly v25 n2 1997  Pages: 111-118
Title: "In the Rank Sweat of an Enseamed Bed": Sexual Aberration...Author: SIMMONS, James R Jr. Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: ..."and the Paradigmatic Screen Hamlets". Argues that Hamlet's sexuality is a central issue in a number of screen versions of the play. In an issue about Shakespeare adaptations.

In: Literature/Film Quarterly v25 n2 1997  Pages: 119-124
Title: Freud's Footprints in Films of HamletAuthor: WELLER, Philip Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Examines how the Oedipal nature of the Hamlet story has become fixed in the popular understanding of the play and its film versions. In an issue about Shakespeare adaptations.

In: Cinéaste v22 n3 December 1996  Pages: 46-47
Title: [Cinéaste - v22 n3 December 1996: no known title]Author: CROWDUS, Gary Article type: CreditsLanguage: English

In: Shakespeare Bulletin v11 n1 Winter 1993  Pages: 36-37
Title: Three Hamlets on FilmAuthor: SHALTZ, Justin Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Comparison of three versions of HAMLET; the Tony Richardson (1969); Laurence Olivier (1948); and Franco Zeffirelli (1990), especially their depiciton of the ghost of Hamlet's father and the final duel scene.

In: Empire n3 September 1989  Page: 93
Title: Empire directoryAuthor: ERRIGO, Angie Article type: ReviewLanguage: English

In: Eyepiece v10 n7 October 1989  Pages: 17-18
Title: There is a Divinity that ShapesAuthor: STURGESS, Ray Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Brief account of the production of HAMLET, written by one of the technicians working on the film.

In: Cinema Journal v26 n4 Summer 1987  Pages: 22-48
Title: [Cinema Journal - v26 n4 Summer 1987: no known title]Language: English
Description: 'Olivier, Hamlet and Freud'.

In: Literature/Film Quarterly v1 n4 Autumn 1973  Pages: 316-320
Title: [Literature/Film Quarterly - v1 n4 Autumn 1973: no known title]Language: English

In: Celulóide v4 n58 October 1962  Page: 5
Title: [Celulóide - v4 n58 October 1962: no known title]Language: Portuguese

In: British Journal of Photography v96 n4673 9 Dec 1949  Page: 591
Title: [British Journal of Photography - v96 n4673 9 Dec 1949: no known title]Article type: ArticleLanguage: English
Description: Article on the music in the film.

In: La Revue du Cinéma v3 n18 October 1948  Page: 57
Title: [La Revue du Cinéma - v3 n18 October 1948: no known title]Language: French
Description: Comparison between Olivier's HAMLET and Welles' MACBETH.

In: Today's Cinema v70 n5643 5 May 1948  Page: 15
Title: [Today's Cinema - v70 n5643 5 May 1948: no known title]Language: English

In: Monthly Film Bulletin v15 n173 May 1948  Page: 60
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v15 n173 May 1948: no known title]Language: English
Description: 15.

In: Sight and Sound v17 n66 Summer 1948  Page: Summer 99
Title: [Sight and Sound - v17 n66 Summer 1948: no known title]Language: English

In: Bianco e Nero v9 n5 July 1948  Page: 76
Title: [Bianco e Nero - v9 n5 July 1948: no known title]Language: Italian

In:   Page: 17
Title: [ - : no known title]

In:   Page: 19
Title: [ - : no known title]
Description: Article on music in the film.


Books held in BFI Reuben Library (15)
Title: Shakespeare the illusionist: magic, dreams, and the supernatural on film
Author: Forsyth, Neil  Pages: viii, 223 pages

Title: Shakespearean star: Laurence Olivier and national cinema
Author: BARNES, Jennifer  Pages: xi, 216 pages
Description: The book also includes discussion of Olivier's unrealised film version of Macbeth.

Title: Cinematic Hamlet: the films of Olivier, Zeffirelli, Branagh, and Almereyda
Author: COOK, Patrick J.  Pages: v, 257 p.

Title: Shakespeare on screen: Hamlet
Author: HATCHUEL, Sarah  Pages: 550 pages
Description: Also discusses television documentary Joseph Papp Presents: Rehearsing Hamlet (1983) and television series Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014).

Title: Muir Mathieson 1911-1975: a life in film music
Author: HETHERINGTON, S.J.  Pages: 288 p.

Title: Shakespeare in the cinema: ocular proof
Author: BUHLER, Stephen M.  Pages: xi, 213p.

Title: Hamlet
Author: HAPGOOD, Robert  Pages: v-xv, 296p.

Title: Shakespeare on film
Author: SHAUGHNESSY, Robert  Pages: vii-xi, 205p.

Title: Hamlet
Author: DAWSON, Anthony B.  Pages: 261p.

Title: The tools of screenwriting: a writer's guide to the craft and elements of a screenplay
Author: HOWARD, David  Pages: 298p.

Title: Laurence Olivier and the art of film making
Author: SILVIRIA, Dale  Pages: 309p.

Title: Laurence Olivier directs Shakespeare: a study in film authorship
Author: SINGER, Susan Sugarman  Pages: 233p.
Description: Dissertation submitted to Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois, June 1979).

Title: The Oliviers; a biography
Author: BARKER, Felix  Pages: xii, 313p.
Description: CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA pp. 217-230 GONE WITH THE WIND pp. 147-161 HAMLET (1948) pp. 253-264 HENRY V pp. 202-216

Title: film Hamlet; a record of its production
Author: CROSS, Brenda  Pages: 76p.

Title: Shakespeare and the eloquence of cinematic space: a study of spatial strategy in some Shakespearean films
Author: DAVIES, Anthony  Pages: 2 vols. 418p.
Description: Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Shakespeare Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of Birmingham, April 1983.


Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(17)
Accessible materials to view(2)
Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 13827 FeetStock date: 1984BFI identifier: C-73922
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: CTASound: CombinedLength: 13808 FeetBFI identifier: C-765927
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)



Video materials(1)
Description: VHS cassetteBFI identifier: C-593696
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status



Film materials(16)
Description: BW PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-73929
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 120 FeetStock date: 1949BFI identifier: C-543107
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 13789 FeetBFI identifier: C-73928
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-73932
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 800 FeetStock date: 1949BFI identifier: C-73933
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 950 FeetStock date: 1949BFI identifier: C-518746
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: SafetySound: CombinedLength: 13827 FeetStock date: 1984BFI identifier: C-73922
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)


Description: 35mm BW PositiveBase: CTASound: CombinedLength: 13808 FeetBFI identifier: C-765927
Status: Viewing - Film print can be requested for access (servicing required)


Description: 35mm Dupe NegativeBase: NitrateSound: Combined as MuteLength: 1470 FeetStock date: 1948BFI identifier: C-73925
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 13819 FeetStock date: 1948BFI identifier: C-73927
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveBase: SafetySound: MuteLength: 13784 FeetBFI identifier: C-73930
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm Duplicating PositiveBase: NitrateSound: CombinedLength: 13822 FeetStock date: 1948BFI identifier: C-73934
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm Master PositiveBase: SafetySound: SoundLength: 13835 FeetStock date: 1985BFI identifier: C-73931
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm NegativeBase: NitrateSound: SoundLength: 14450 FeetStock date: 1948BFI identifier: C-73926
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm Original NegativeBase: NitrateSound: SoundLength: 13820 FeetBFI identifier: C-73923
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film


Description: 35mm Original NegativeBase: NitrateSound: MuteLength: 13820 FeetStock date: 1947BFI identifier: C-73924
Status: Master - Restricted access to preserved film