MisterWhiplash 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.

lonelylight Take:1. a famous play2. a director with now ideas of his own who is using3. 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.

Apearlo How bad is this version of Hamlet? The original dialogue was translated into German, which was in turn dubbed in English... I don't know about you, but my head is spinning.Anyway, this looks like a filmed play, on the set of an Obsession advert, and the only amusement to be had is trying to catch the words match the lips.Notable as being the only film to bring culture (?!) to MST3K. Actually, their version is pretty funny, but only under those circumstances.

Gislef ...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.