kenneth branagh hamlet hit all the mark . the acting be magnificent and the 70mm cinematography be gorgeous and the oscar nominate costume and set be stun and and patrick doyle score ( also oscar nominate ) be sensitive and move . oh yeah the screenplay and by some guy name will s. and isn not too bad either . film critic rib branagh for receive the film fourth oscar nod for adapt the screenplay and but his decision to use the full text be a gutsy one . i can not think of many good way to make four hour fly by . nearly every decision branagh make work brilliantly represent the use of england blenheim palace for exterior and the edwardian dress and and the staging of to be or not to be in a hall of mirror and to name a few . the casting of hollywood luminary such a robin williams and billy crystal and jack lemmon in minor part can be distract and but that nitpick . the principal cast excels represent derek jacobi capture the conflicted nature of claudius while kate winslet acutely depict ophelia descent into madness while julie christie bring passion to her portrayal of gertrude while richard brier be pitch perfect a the connive polonius while and nicholas farrell elevate the potentially thankless role of horatio to the apotheosis of true friendship . every speech and every line and every word be deliver with passion and conviction while there isn not a wasted moment in the entire film . the final scene magnify the extent of shakespeare tragedy in a way not possible with theatrical adaptation . branagh hamlet be a bold and ambitious and and ultimately successful attempt to match the grandeur and poetry of shakespeare language with equally eloquent imagery . it arguably the great shakespearean adaptation ever film strong praise and but well deserve .