Discovering Hamlet

Discovering Hamlet (1990)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely fascinating documentary taking a look at Hamlet, being brought to the stage by first time director Derek Jacobi with Kenneth Branagh in the lead. The documentary really gives one a crash course on the Shakespeare play in general as we start off hearing about the various legends who have played the part throughout the years and then we get to the production of this play. Jacobi, who at one time played Hamlet, goes into very good detail about the various jobs he has to do in regards to directing for the first time and we see him not only help the actors but also make decisions on lighting, costume and how scenes should be staged. Also fascinating to hear is that they're working on such a small stage that the director really has tough decisions to make to try and get the scene to work on such a smaller scale. Branagh goes into great detail about his thoughts on the play as well as the various changes that the character goes through. Some of the most interesting moments deals with the behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsals where the star and director discuss the character and scenes. I'd also say that this documentary is probably stronger today than it was when it was originally released simply because we all know that Branagh went on to make his own film version of the play so it's interesting to see and hear his thoughts here compared to what they were in the theatrical film. At just 52-minutes there's no question that this isn't the definitive look at Hamlet but if you're new to the subject then I think this documentary is a good place to start.