User reviews

I'm a fan of both Shakespeare and MST3K, so I waited anxiously to see this episode. I'll comment on the movie first, then the MST3K episode. The recipe for this movie: take talented actors, rich and beautiful Shakespeare material, and a $1.25 budget. Mix well, then drain of all life and movement, until dull and lifeless. Serve cold in a big, plain stone cauldron. Movie, I give 3 out of 10, because the actors at least deserve a little bit of credit. Okay, now the MST3K episode. I'll admit it, the first time I saw it, I fell asleep halfway through. I understand that was the reaction of several other veiwers as well. However, when I watched it a second time, I realized that there was a whole host of intelligent references and good lines I missed the first time around. The trick with this episode is: listen carefully! It takes a couple of viewings to catch each line. Give it a second chance, and You'll see what I mean. MST3K Episode: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Yay!... I think. It's hard to say. It's hard to have an emotion about a movie that has no emotion. This movie is as sterile as a surgeon's scalpel. For a setting, it has a few stone pillars, some stone seats, a couple stone crosses and some stone actors. They have no emotion! The only thing that saves this movie is the fact that it is Hamlet, and Hamlet is a terrificly written piece of literature. The dubbing really wasn't all that bad though. The voices stuck true to the dull, gloomy, dreary, life-sucking atmosphere the movie gave forth. I have seen this version of Hamlet on the fabulous Mystery Science Theater 3000 three times, and each of the three times, I was on the brink of turning off the TV, despite it being MST 3K.

Not an uplifting production of a drama that deserves so much better.

...this verson doesn't mangle the Bard that badly. It's still a horrible minimalist production, Hamlet's Dutch uncle is inexplicably dubbed by a Spaniard (whether it's Ricardo Montalban or not is subject to debate), and Maximilian Schell overacts like never before. Most of the dialogue makes it through unscathed, and the fact that the MST3K version feels obliged to point out repeatedly that the speeches are long *duh* doesn't strike me as incredibly humorous. Mostly it's just bad acting, though.

"Hamlet" by William ("We all make his praise") Shakspeare is arguably the greatest play ever written - in fact, it's possibly the greatest work of literature ever written in the English language. Given these facts, imagine my surprise when Mystery Science Theater 3000 (the recently defunct TV show in which bad movies are goofed on by a janitor and his two robots) decided to give this their special treatment.

Specifically, they did this 1960 production for German Television, featuring the highly respected Maximilian Schell in the title role. Now laugh I as I did along with the jokes made at the movie's expense, I really can't see too much wrong with the movie. Herr Schell is more than credible as the Melancholy Dane, and the dark dreary scenery only serve to underscore the mood of the play and its characters. As for dialogue, well how could you possibly go wrong?

As for complaints that much of the play was missing, it must be remembered that our friends at Best Brains had to edit the movie (which as I understand, ran for about 3 hours) to fit their little TV show, which ran for 2 hours, including commercials.

I, for one, am inclined to cut this movie a good bit of slack.

I've seen all kinds of "Hamlet"s.

Kenneth Branagh's was most ambitious, Mel Gibson's was quick and to the point, Laurence Olivier's was the best - hands down. But now we come to Maximilian Schell's take on the Bard.

For one, this is a dubbed version of a German TV production of William Shakespeare's venerable chestnut. But if there's a slower, more plodding, more lethargic and worse-staged version out there somewhere, it must have been acted at grade school-level.

Having seen it on MST3K helps, with Mike and the robots taking jolly good jabs at the old boy, puncturing the profundity of black and white TV, Shakespeare and the wisdom (?) of Germans acting out an English play and making it look like an Ingmar Bergman reject.

Of course, the best parts are the MST riffs. Best lines? "I'm gonna unleash the Great Dane", "I don't think so, 'breather'", "Meet the Beatles", "Hey, Dad, will you help me with my science project" and, my personal favorite, during a party - "Garrison Keillor's leaving Germany (YAAAY!!)".

But then there's Schell, playing Shakespeare's greatest character much like a department store mannequin would, only not as expressive. No doubt he's a great actor, but here he comes off about as well as Paul Newman in "The Silver Chalice". Ever see that one? You GOTTA watch these two on a double-bill!

In the end, this is one instance where it's true that you're much better off to just read the book. At least the book isn't dubbed by Ricardo Montalban.

One star only for this "Hamlet"; ten stars, naturally, for the MST3K version.

Good-night, not-so-sweet prince.

Alas, poor Hamlet. I knew him, dear reader, and let me tell thee, THIS VERSION SUCKS! I don't know who of all people put up the money for this flotsam, but I hope that they're proud of themselves. They took THE classic play and turned it into the most boring melodrama imaginable. This version is quite literally so bad, that not even the presence of a great thespian like Maximilian Schell in the title role can save it. This movie's only redeeming quality is that it made great fodder for "MST3K"; Mike, Servo and Crow had a lot of fun with this one.

But either way, I'm sure that Shakespeare, had he been alive when they made this, would not have wanted his name associated with it. This "Hamlet" is not even so bad that's it good; it's just plain bad. Absolutely dreadful.

This Hamlet made for one of the boringest MST3000 episodes ever. I am not a Shakespear fan, but I do not believe he ever intended his works to be this slow paced and drab. It is also one of the hardest movies to find because there are so many Hamlets listed. Like I said though this one is quite boring. It is in black and white, the pacing is slow, and there is minimal scenery. The actors are all dubbed too so that doesn't help. This is the one MST 3000 I can't watch in one sitting cause the way the guy playing Hamlet says his lines can put anyone to sleep.

Take:

1. a famous play

2. a director with now ideas of his own who is using

3. a copy of the stage design of a popular theatre production of the play mentioned in 1.

4. an actor for the lead - who has no feeling for the part he's playing And you'll get: "Hamlet, Prinz von Dänemark"

I listened to the radio play of "Hamlet" with Maximilian Schell as Hamlet and I was so disappointed. I hoped that the filmed version would be better, that Schell would at least have a body language to underline what he's saying - nothing. Then the set... the minimalistic design is not everyone's taste, but usually I like it when there's just enough on the stage to make clear what's the setting and nothing more. Alas, that's on a stage, in a theatre. It won't work in a film based on a play that actually has believable settings. That the idea for the set was copied from the theatre production in which Schell played the Hamlet already... let's say if that was the only thing to complain about... I ask myself how Schell could get the part of Hamlet anywhere in first place and how anybody could allow him to play Hamlet a second time. If you've got the choice to view any of the about sixty films based on "Hamlet", don't watch this one, unless you're a masochist, or really hardcore, or like to poke fun on untalented actors.

I have seen only about 70 episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (my personal idea of the greatest achievement in television), but this version of Hamlet, produced for German television, probably has to be the best film I've ever seen shotgunned on that program (whoops - I forgot they did "Day of the Triffids"). Don't get me wrong - it's not very good (I gave it a '5') - but it's certainly no "I Accuse My Parents," or something from the beloved Coleman Frances oeuvre. It's even better than "Marooned" (aka "Space Travelers").

note to George Litman, and others: the Mystery Science Theater 3000 riff is "I don't think so, *breeder*".

my favorite riff is "Why were you looking at his 'like'?", simply for the complete absurdity. that, and "Right well did not!" over all, I would say we must give credit to the MST3K crew for trying to ridicule this TV movie. you really can't make much fun of the dialog; Bill S was a good playwright. on the other hand, this production is so bad that even he would disown it. a junior high school drama club could do better.

I would recommend that you buy a book and read 'Hamlet'.

While not to everyone's tastes, I actually prefer the dreary tone of this production. I prefer this over the one Gibson was in, at any rate. The dark and sparse sets give you a real sense of Hamlet's brooding mind.

Poor Will would be rolling over in his grave if he could this this horiible German-TV adaptaion of his classic play. It's obvious that very little money was spent on it. A stage riser, a catwalk and some randomly placed columns pass off as a set. The movie was ineptly dubbed into English, with the English voice actors occasionally mumbling their lines. The whole production had an incredibly dark and dreary feel to it. And just where was Fonterbras in this movie anyway? MST3K gave this sorry production the treatment it justly deserved.

To be or not to be? I wish this movie never was in the first place.

You'd think that the immortal words of William Shakespeaere would be able to rise above just about anything, but alas bad acting and really bad sets will drag down even the most wonderful playwright. As usual, Hamlet broods over the death of his father. In this version, Elsinore is nothing more than some pillars, stairs, and a lot of black backgrounds. The fact that it's dubbed into English from German doesn't help this production. The actors seem to be forcing the lines from their mouths, and climatic battle between Laertes and Hamlet doesn't have the punch or tension that it should have. It was great seeing this on MST, their satiric tounges ripping into the acting and sets but sparing the dialouge. By the way, we're out of ear poison.

Ming The Merciless does a little Bardwork and a movie most foul!

This should have been pretty good, seeing that it's based on a timeless play and that it had Maximillian Schell as Hamlet and Ricardo Montalban dubbing Claudius. That it did feature on MST3K and that it was placed #1 on the "Mystery Science Theater 3000: 10 Worst Movies They Riffed" list did make things rather dubious though. Then again the list did have Sampo(aka The Day the Earth Froze), I personally found that a good Soviet-Finnish film that suffered from bad unnecessary American dubbing, so I thought maybe Hamlet isn't as bad as all that. However, other than for the fact that Monster A-Go Go, Manos, Pod People or Space Mutiny should have taken the #1 spot instead on the list this version of Hamlet is as bad as all that. It is structurally pretty faithful to Shakespeare's play and has Ricardo Montalban's menacing and droll voice dubbing that saves it from being unwatchable, but of the Hamlets I've seen this is the worst by a considerable distance(I was mixed on the Mel Gibson version but thought Laurence Olivier's and Kenneth Branagh's were outstanding). It is a poor-looking film, the starkness could have been effective with the mood and Hamlet's state of mind but actually the lighting and sets looked too amateurish and dreary to give off any real atmosphere. The costumes are a mixture of dull and exaggerated, I saw a plumped-up Oliver Reed comparison in relation to how Claudius was attired and looked and that isn't far off really.

The music at best is annoying and whatever movie it is meant to be part of, it sure ain't Hamlet. The story just plods along with no sense of life or tension, the ending usually shocks and moves me but I was left completely cold here while everything is just too slow-moving and perhaps too calculated. I can see why the movie was dubbed, but the actual dialogue came across as stilted and voices didn't fit with the characters, the only real notable exception was Montalban. The acting is not much better either, even Maximillian Schell- so good in Judgment at Nuremberg- gives a very uninspired performance, it is very one-note and mannequin-like with just one real facial expression. Dunja Movar is a total blank as Orphelia, and Hans Caninenberg's Claudius verges on pantomimic. In relation to the MST3K episode, it was fun enough- much more so than the movie- but perhaps because trying to riff Shakespeare is in a very different style to what is usually seen from them it really wasn't one of their best episodes in my opinion. Overall, plodding and dreary, not among the worst movies featured on MST3K but it is really the worst Hamlet you'll ever see and one of the worst Shakespeare adaptations I've come across. 3/10 Bethany Cox

I literally fell asleep 3 times watching this movie. Granted, it's Shakespeare and that takes a certain mindset to be interested or not. But this movie exceeds any barrier of long soliloquies and what not, that may prevent many from just not caring about a Shakespeare based story.

The largest roadblock to this production is the complete flatness of the characters. Often during character's interacting, it's nearly difficult to distinguish who's lines are who's. Granted, I believe this movie is dubbed in English. Certainly they could've obtained voice actors which could've added a bit more drama to these classic, literary lines.

It would be difficult to rate this movie greater than 1, although perhaps that's based on prejudices of perhaps age and what would seem a very low budget. Still, it's absolutely painful and boring. If you insist on Hamlet, do yourself a favor and read the book again. 1/10

I'm watching this on Mystery Science Theater 3000, but I'm just going to talk about the film, not the MST3K treatment, which has been discussed by others here.

This production really isn't all that bad, really, for a German TV production from 1960 (or 1961, depending on where you look), but one needs to make allowances. It stars Maximilian Schell as Hamlet (with Ricardo Mantelban doing some dubbing work - it sounds like Schell dubbing for Hamlet). This is right around Schell's appearance in "Judgment at Nuremberg". He's a fine actor, and does a pretty reasonable job.

All in all, it does seem a little stiff and dry. But as I said, you need to make allowances. This is a German TV production, with the look of a PBS production, not surprisingly, given when it was produced and by whom (not produced by Mike Myers' Dieter, but it could have been). Kind of a Eurotrash vibe. The sets are amazingly sparse, as if it were shot in a TV studio with a very limited budget, which I expect it was. The play itself had been translated into German for the production, and then this version was dubbed back into English, so it looks kind of clumsy. It also was apparently shot on black & white video tape, during its short-lived era in the early 60s. A major motion picture, it ain't.

Is it great? No, not hardly. Is it horrible? Also, no. Look at it more like an artifact, which is how the MST3K people treated it. 🤔😉😊

Yes folks that WAS Ricardo Montalban dubbing for Claudius, and his voice, his reading was quite good! That didn't stop the comedian-hosts of MST3K" from making cracks about Cordoba car commercials & "Fantasy Island." I'd say the worst thing about this thing is the cheapness of production (lost of black background, very few set pieces, very simple pieces) and the god-awful dubbing! Maximillian Schell, an excellent actor, is not half-bad as Hammie, but my favorite thing was listening to Ricardo Montalban. "Smiles, everyone, smiles!"

Although I prefer the darker tale of Macbeth, this is a decent production of Shakespeare's classic. Having seen the English dubbed version, I would have preferred seeing the original in German with subs; dubbing tends to affect the emotional performance(s). This results in actors saying lines which at times come off as mismatched and leaving the viewer scratching their noggin in befuddlement. Having Hamlet being shot in black in white gives the production a bleak, surreal sort of mood. For a second, I had thought that Rod Serling would come out with cigarette in hand saying:

'These guard sentries do not realize it yet, but that shadowy spectre looming off in the darkness..will set off a series of events..all beginning with one Danish prince.'

Kudos to Maximilian for his portrayal of Hamlet. I also strangely enjoyed the leery presence of Hans Caninenberg..he makes you realize that Claudius is just up to no good whatsoever. A few extra points for Denmark being in another dimension..a dimension not only of sight and sound but of...ah, you know the rest!

Produced in German for German television, this production of Hamlet becomes distinctly eerie when dubbed back into English. The production design is also "German Minimalist", typical of that era, making the movie rather bleak, even for Hamlet.

Despite the virtually non-existent sets and English-German-English translation, Maximilian Schell turns in an admirable performance as Hamlet.

This film was screened on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Whether or not this movie was "bad" enough for such dissection is open to debate, but Mike and the Bots leveled some excellent quips ("Honey, what happened to all the ear poison?").

There's probably a reason why no one's heard of this German version of Hamlet, or that no one's heard of anything else the director Mr. Wirth did, or as well why the only recognizable name here (acting-wise) is Maximillian Schell, the noted character/stage actor. That is, simply, because it stinks. It's not a horrible movie, it's just really turgid and boring and staged like at one of those stiff parties that your friend tries to tell you is something hip while you feel like gouging your eyes out with the monotony of the proceedings. Nothing is staged with invention or wit, the actors either are poorly staged or with nothing to express except blank SHOCK faces (or, as with the King during the final fencing duel a weird stoned expression), and as if that wasn't bad enough it's dubbed in such a way that I would very definitely nominate it as one of the worst dubbings in all humanity. Oh sure, Ricardo Montalban is there to carry some of the hammy weight of scenes, but overall it's such a drag that you end up wanting to insert words of your own.

Which leads me as to why you should see it: the only way to watch it now is in a truncated version via the guys at Mystery Science Theater 3000. Never thought they could tackle the Bard? Guess again! It's one of their funniest with Mike Nelson, with many of the lines going not just for the horrid acting and weird staging in some instances (there's one particularly dancing type of scene that gives them plenty of good ammo to shoot at the screen) but the actual Hamlet dialog itself. As usual they make the drekkiest drek to ever drek on crap street more than tolerable, but with an added appreciation that for all of the effort, whatever it was, it comes out swell such as that really, really bad death scene with Schell (I'm not spoiling Hamlet! read the darn thing!) where he tops Donald Sutherland's death scene in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the longest and most ridiculously awful in movies.

When I saw this movie, I felt my soul die. It was beyond unbearable. There are NO SETS. Only black background drapes and a few pillars. At one point you can see Hamlet wearing a leather jacket. There is NO MUSIC. When the actors aren't mumbling, they're all whispering for some totally unexplained reason.

I like the play Hamlet. I loved Kenneth Branagh's version, and I liked Mel Gibson's. I read the original play and found it entertaining, once I got used to the old English.

These actors male it unbearable. There is nothing worse than watching one of history's greatest dramas being DUBBED (badly) into English.

If you're at all familiar with the show "Mystery Science Theater 3000", then you'll love this.

If not, I'd run as fast as possible to the closest copy of "Ishtar". It's your only hope.

Forsooth, mine friends, I ward thee greatly away from this film. One of the reasons why the play works is that there's an underlying sense of hope in it, and that's exactly what Franz Peter Wirth takes away from this production. He takes away everything that would endear you to Hamlet and those around him. Ophelia (Dunja Movar) was definitely chosen for her buxom blonde looks and not her acting ability. Shakespeare probably turned over in his grave when this first aired.

There are thousands of productions of Hamlet. This one ranks at the bottom. View this only as a last resort.