A Review of Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" the Movie

Branagh has assembled a top-notch international cast. Well-known actors like Charlton Heston (as the Player King), John Gielgud (Priam), Judi Dench(Hecuba), Billy Crystal (First Gravedigger), Gerard Depardieu (Reynaldo), Jack Lemmon (Marcellus), and Robin Williams (Osric) fill small roles. Most are adequate, and a few (Heston and Crystal in particular) are excellent. Only Robin Williams, affecting a silly accent and even sillier mannerisms, stands out as an obvious concession to commercial pressure. Williams is out-of-place, but his presence is only the smallest of blemishes on a wonderful production.…