uta hagen respect for act be the standard textbook in many college theater course . in the book and hagen present two fundamentally different approach to develop a character a an actor represent the presentational approach and and the representational approach . in the presentational approach and the actor focus on realize the character as honestly a possible and by introduce emotional element from the actor own life . in the representational approach and the actor try to present the effect of an emotion and through a high degree of control of movement and sound . the representational approach to acting be still partially in vogue when this hamlet be make . british theater have a long history of this style of act and and olivier could be say to be the ultimate king of the representational school . time have not be kind to this school of act and or to this movie . nearly every working actor today use a presentational approach . to the modern eye and olivier highly enunciate and stylize delivery be stodgy and stiff and stilted . instead of create an internally conflict hamlet and olivier make a declaiming and self important bullhorn out of the melancholy dane an acting style that would have carry well to the back of the large london theater and but be far too starchy to carry off a modern hamlet . and so the movie creak along ungainfully today . olivier tendency to e nun ci ate make some of hamlet line unintentionally funny represent in stead and you must ac quire and be get a tem purr ance that may give it . smooth ness . instead of cry at meet his father ghost ( a any proper actor could ) and bright fill light in olivier pupil give u that impression . eileen herlie be the only other actor of note in this hamlet and put in a good essay at the queen and despite the painfully obvious age difference ( he be 41 while she be 26 ) . the other actor in this movie have no chance to get anything else of significance do and give olivier tendency to want to keep . the camera . on him . at all . time . sixty year later and you feel the insecurity of the shakespearean stage actor who lack the confidence to portray a breakable and flawed hamlet and and instead elect to portray a sort of elizabethan bullhorn . final analysis represent i would have such a fellow whip for oer do termagant while it out herod herod represent pray you and avoid it .