Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Sir Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy. Olivier is at his most inspired—both as director and as the melancholy Dane himself—as he breathes new life into the words of one of the world’s greatest dramatists.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.74/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
Laurence Olivier
Production
Two Cities Films, J. Arthur Rank Organisation
Cast
Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Norman Wooland, Felix Aylmer, Jean Simmons, Terence Morgan, Peter Cushing, Stanley Holloway, Russell Thorndike, John Laurie, Esmond Knight, Anthony Quayle, Harcourt Williams, Patrick Troughton, Tony Tarver, Niall MacGinnis, Anthony Bushell, Patricia Davidson, Doreen Lawrence
Where to watch
fuboTV, Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A major, still-vital Shakespeare adaptation: austere, atmospheric, and surprisingly cinematic for a 1948 stage-to-screen transfer. Olivier’s direction gives the tragedy a haunted, expressionist feel that makes it rewarding even for viewers who don’t usually seek out classic literary adaptations.
Best for
Shakespeare fans
classic film enthusiasts
viewers who like moody black-and-white drama
fans of expressionist visuals and gothic atmosphere
students of film history
Skip if
you dislike heightened theatrical dialogue
you want fast pacing or a streamlined plot
you prefer naturalistic acting
you are looking for an action-driven or contemporary drama
Overview
Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet remains one of the essential screen Shakespeare adaptations because it understands that the play is as much a psychological nightmare as a court intrigue. The black-and-white imagery, cavernous sets, and gliding camera turn Elsinore into a haunted inner landscape, giving the tragedy a distinctly cinematic pulse.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is not just its prestige but its sense of mood. Olivier leans into dread, grief, and moral rot, while still allowing the language to carry the film. Even when the adaptation is truncated, it feels purposeful rather than merely abridged.
Bottom line
This is not the easiest Hamlet for newcomers, but it is one of the most rewarding if you’re open to Shakespeare on film. It’s a landmark of classical acting and studio-era craft that still feels eerie, severe, and alive.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sam (1★) · 356 likes
y'all like this?
Ethan Colburn (4★) · 328 likes
Lawrence Olivier is totally deserving of his Shakespearean reputation. Not only is his performance spectacular but his choices as a director are quite avant garde, especially for the 40s. His sets are barren and angular, reminding me at times of German Expressionism.
If you are not familiar with Shakespeare, I highly recommend reading the story before watching, or at least reading a summary before watching. As it has been awhile since I studied Shakespeare and the language is quite dense, I don’t think I got as much from this watch as I could have.
I look forward to more of his adaptations!
Justin Peterson (4★) · 202 likes
Criterion Collection Spine #82
Everything you would expect from the definitive classic film adaptation of the tragedy of Hamlet, and a little more.
"Murder most foul, as in the best it is, but this most foul, strange and unnatural."
As a big fan of this Shakespearean play, I can't believe it has taken me this long to see the Best Picture-winning version of it. But knowing it so well did make it a challenge to stay invested the whole time,… more
Matt Singer (3.5★) · 148 likes
While truncated, this Hamlet is also a visually dynamic one. I love the gliding camera that haunts the halls of Elsinore, and the shifts in focus that signal the arrival of the Ghost (not to mention his spooky, breathy voice). For me, though, the definitive cinematic version of this material remains Schwarzenegger’s.
threepenny (5★) · 118 likes
This is Hamlet as a Horror Movie, as a late entry in Universal Studio's classics. A ghost stalks the halls of the dark, nightmarish, expressionist castle, and people go mad, kill themselves and each other, in an orgy of blood and murder, and the only one who sees things plain is a gravedigger. In what other movie can you find Doctor Who, John Steed, Q, Victor Frankenstein and Dracula? And they are all just in the background, though Patrick Troughton… more This is Hamlet as a Horror Movie, as a late entry in Universal Studio's classics. A ghost stalks the halls of the dark, nightmarish, expressionist castle, and people go mad, kill themselves and each other, in an orgy of blood and murder, and the only one who sees things plain is a gravedigger. In what other movie can you find Doctor Who, John Steed, Q, Victor Frankenstein and Dracula? And they are all just in the background, though Patrick Troughton… more
1949 · Thriller, Mystery · 1h 45m · NR · Curator 9.6/10 (377K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, IndieFlix, Cineverse, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
If the gothic mood and moral decay are what appeal, this is a perfect companion piece.