Hamlet (1990) Shakespeare's brooding, medieval Dane, Hamlet (Mel Gibson), senses something rotten in the state of Denmark; specifically, he smells a rat behind his royal father's death. Hamlet's mother (Glenn Close) may be complicit in the tragedy, while ill-fated Ophelia (Helena Bonham Carter) is an innocent bystander in love with the young prince. A wonderful supporting cast includes Ian Holm as Polonius and Alan Bates as Claudius. Franco Zeffirelli directs.
What a piece of work is a (wo)man: the perils of gender-crossed Shakespeare
What a piece of work is a (wo)man: the perils of gender-crossed Shakespeare - From Maxine Peake’s Hamlet to the Donmar’s all-female Henry IV, cross-casting is all the rage. But sometimes it can be more problematic than enlightening. Maxine Peake as Hamlet, with Katie West as Ophelia