And the Best Picture goes to....
1948
Two City Films
J. Arthur Rank, Producer
2 hours 34 minutes
Estimated Budget $1,039,000
Approved
The Other Nominated Films
Johnny Belinda
The Red Shoes
The Snake Pit
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Directed by Laurence Olivier Nominated, Best Director
CAST
Laurence Olivier Winner, Best Actor
Jean Simmons Nominated, Best Supporting Actress
John Laurie
Esmond Knight
Also Nominated for
Roger K. Furse Winner, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Black-and-White
Carmen Dillon
William Walton Nominated, Best Music Score
LOGLINE:
Shakespeare’s tragedy in which the tormented Danish Prince contemplates killing his uncle, who not only murdered his father to seize the throne, but married his mother as well.
REVIEW:
This version of “Hamlet” wasn’t the first screen adaptation of a William Shakespeare play but it was the only one to win Best Picture. It was also the first foreign film to win the award and was the first time that an individual directed himself in an Oscar winning performance.
That being said, it didn’t exactly hold my attention for its two hour and thirty-four-minute runtime.
Laurence Olivier, who both directed and starred in the film, was in his early forties when this was produced and looked a little old to play the role, which is ironic being that his wife Vivian Leigh had hoped to play the character of Ophelia but was deemed too old. Though Olivier did deliver a solid performance as the tormented Danish Prince and utter some iconic dialogue, such as “alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well”, and “to be or not to be”, his performance feels somewhat overshadowed by the drudging pace of the film. Yet I did have to ask myself if at any point if he was ever typecast for these moody, melancholy parts during his career, such as Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights” and Max de Winter in “Rebecca”.
As for the supporting cast, I felt that Jean Simmons’ performance did initially come off as flat and one-dimensional, but she did shine in the scenes when Ophelia loses her mind—it’s in her insanity that she suddenly becomes interesting. Despite this, Simmons did go on to score a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
The sets are fairly simple, reminiscent of a stage production with an atmosphere complimented by shadows, fog and dramatic lighting. Olivier does create a stark environment for the audience yet the technique was very similar to Orson Welles’ own Shakespearean productions of the time.
Overall, though there are moments of brilliance in Olivier’s “Hamlet”, I am a little surprised that it won Best Picture over “Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, which won John Huston the awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Go ahead and watch if you’re a fan of Shakespeare, but don’t expect to be completely enthralled.