Olivier was the first film actor to be elevated to peerage (knighted) for his work in film by the queen.

Olivier is considered one of the greatest actors of the 20 th century and this version of Hamlet is considered his seminal work. Hamlet was the second film that Olivier directed and his second Shakespearean adaptation. Olivier also appeared in an earlier best picture winner, 1940’s Rebecca directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film won Sir Laurence Olivier two Oscars- one for his acting and one for best picture due to his producing role in the production of the film. Hamlet is a take on William Shakespeare’s classic play that Sir Laurence Olivier directed and starred in.

Is something rotten in Hollywood? I wouldn’t go that far but Hamlet is definitely not one of my favorite films. He even proved to be an excellent swordsman. Laurence Olivier, often considered one of the greatest Shakespearean actors, did win the Oscar for best actor and that is an award that is well deserved. Similarly, the musical score I felt was overly melodramatic and distracting. The black and white production is atmospheric but stark and at times visually harsh. However, I don’t believe this would unique enough to qualify for best picture. The film was produced in England so it may be the first film we’ve watched that would be considered a “foreign” film.

But is it a best picture? – I’m not so sure. Obviously, Hamlet, being one of William Shakespeare’s greatest plays, is a well-known story with more memorable lines than I had remembered. I’ve always viewed a “best picture” winner as a movie with a great original screenplay, amazing characters, a larger than life epic, or something unique that possibly we’ve never seen in a movie before. To be or not to be the best picture, that is the question. Alex – 7.0 Elliot – 7.2 IMDB 7.8 Rotten Tomatoes 8.4 Alex’s Commentary:

Laurence olivier hamlet full movie