Branagh's Hamlet is the entirety of the Second Quarto, with a few lines from the Folio, therefore clocking in at 4+ hours. It's also a stunning argument for editing Shakespeare down for performance.

Oh, lordy. That one shot just before the intermission where the camera pulls back on Hamlet all isolated yet noble in Elsinore. I sat there thinking, "Keep backing up, camera person. You'll fit Branagh's ego in the frame eventually."

"Keep backing up, camera person. You'll fit Branagh's ego in the frame eventually."

::snicker::

I think with Hamlet, he was on the cusp of no longer being the young arrogant lion who'd taken the theatre and film worlds by storm. It was kind of a defining moment before he became old guard. At least, that was always my interpretation of it.

I sat there thinking, "Keep backing up, camera person. You'll fit Branagh's ego in the frame eventually."

I left at intermission. Only the 3rd movie I've ever walked out on. My thoughts were similar, but more along the lines of "If he just wanked for the camera, it would have taken up a lot less of my time."

"If he just wanked for the camera, it would have taken up a lot less of my time."

Or this.

Oh, dear. And here I am with the Branagh Hamlet waiting on the TiVo.

I'd also recommend a decent background in English history before tackling English Lit, especially English novels.

oh man! I wanted to watch Hamlet too. Maybe I'll skip it.

Achilles has problems.

Didn't so many of the Greeks. I mean really - think about Oedipus. What a motherfucker!

I adored Branagh's Hamlet. There are some over the top bits, but for the first time the whole thing made sense. And you owe yourself to see Billy Crystal as the First Gravedigger. "Because, my lord, she's dead."

edit: And Charlton Heston really could act, not just rant about guns.

Billy Crystal is much better as the Gravedigger than Michael Keaton is as the guard in Much Ado, although the worst of all was Keanu as Don Juan.