Hamlet (1948)

IMDb plot summary: Prince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former King.
Directed by Laurence Olivier. Starring Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Basily Sydney, and Eileen Herlie.

I'm a theater person. I like Shakespeare. I do not like Hamlet. I'm with the crew that says Hamlet spends most of his time just wandering around being sad and not doing anything. It's extremely difficult as an actor to pull off his mood swings and shifting motivations, and I have yet to be convinced by anyone in that role, and it's CERTAINLY not going to be Laurence Olivier, whose Hamlet seems to have no core at all. I haven't the faintest idea who his Hamlet is, or, really, what he wants -- even the "revenge for his father" bit gets lost in all his mood swings and meandering. The story itself still has some cool elements, and I enjoy the interesting cinematic choice to sometimes shift between scenes by having the characters fade into existence, giving it all a sort of dreamlike quality. But this is not the version of Hamlet that is going to change my mind about the show.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Hamlet < Ramona and Beezus
Hamlet > The Life of David Gale
Hamlet > Nashville
Hamlet > The Women
Hamlet < The Tempest (2010)
Hamlet > House of Games
Hamlet < Must Love Dogs
Hamlet < Interstate 60
Hamlet < Imitation of Life (1959)
Hamlet > Shane
Hamlet > Stagecoach
Hamlet < Cast Away
Final spot: #1610 out of 2952.