Olivier's Hamlet film (1948): To Be Or Not To Be soliloquy

Laurence Olivier's wonderful 1948 film, with music by Sir William Walton. The entire film may be downloaded from movieberry.com (membership fees apply)

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• LaurenceOlivier
• Hamlet
• WilliamWalton
• ToBeOrNotToBe
• Shakespeare
• soliloquy

[nonh1]

I believe the best way to perform it is to really think about the meaning of the monologue and see if you ever felt that way (forget big academic interpretations for a while) and try to remember how did you react in those occasions. I know, it sounds like a cheesy answer, but it worked for me (at least in other kind of roles)

[cammurabi]

@Nathanianianiel Acting, like all arts, changes with the times, and what was fashionable a generation or two ago might not be so fashionable now

[ruzickaw]

too artificial, 

[Shnufkin]

@Raggedy9 what a ponse

[moshava728]

The only thing that's believable about this performance is that it is a performance. And the waking up from the dream part was god awful.

[Googlypap]

@nonh1 You are absolutely right you have to make the words your own. This is indeed the question of life.

[xZosu]

Fucking awful music

[Raggedy9]

Aside from his line readings, his "acting" so to speak, what I find astonishing is his realization of the soliloquy as a piece of film. He probably would have played it quite differently in a stage performance. Here the camera [that is, the viewer] climbs to the highest turret in the castle, sees the waves crashing below, thinks of jumping, and enters Hamlet's brain from behind. Also very strong use of the knife. A movie must show us, not merely tell us. Olivier accomplishes this quite daringly.

[NestoriusAlpha]

disprized not despised!