Laurence Olivier masterfully directs and superbly acts which might very probably be the best adaptation of this William Shakespeare classic to the screen.

Visually enchanting with various tracking shots and interesting (even sort of experimental) effects and all that through the surroundings of a magnificent set, we get completely submerged into the various setting, either being the grand room of the castle, the little chapel, the private bedrooms, or even outdoor spaces such as on the top of the castle towers (where guard takes place) and the graveyard. Another element to highlight on the visual department has to be the fantastic array of costumes that make the images even more pleasant and attention-grabbing.

When it comes to acting, Olivier is simply on another level, even on the scenes that he does not spud one word, you can perceive all the emotions that Hamlet is running through during that particular moment. Pain, mourn, sorrow, anger, love, you name it. Unfortunately, other key characters in the story such as King and Uncle Claudius, Queen and Mother Gertrude and Laertes are acted either too stiffly or theatrical by their actors (Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie and Terence Morgan respectively). The rest of the cast holds their own well enough although they might never reach Olivier’s level. There is only one sole exception to this, which is the short but scene-stealing performance from Peter Cushing as Osric, whose flamboyance takes over the story maybe at its lowest moment.

Precisely lead by Osric we reach the duel between Hamlet and Laertes which deserves a lot of praise since its choreography and action is much more calculated and thrilling that what you could expect from a film made so many years ago.

In conclusion, it is to admire that Olivier manage not only to do what he is best known for, which is performing, but also to create a brilliantly well-crafted piece which does not suffer at all from the potential risks of being a theatre adaptation, like becoming too much of a staged performance put into film, providing us a true cinematic experience. Although if having some slight downs when it comes to acting it is definitely an obligatory stop for whomever that wants to check either the movie adaptations of Shakespeare material, a fantastic example of lead acting or simply a great movie overall.