Hamlet at Elsinore
- Synopsis
- 1964 television broadcast of the English/Danish co-production of the play which was filmed at Kronsberg Castle, Elsinore, Denmark. Christopher Plummer is Hamlet with a supporting cast that includes Michael Caine as Horatio, Donald Sutherland as Fortinbras and Lindsay Kemp as the Player Queen. Released on DVD in the USA by the BBC in October 2011.
- Language
- English
- Country
- Denmark; Great Britain
- Medium
- Television
- Year of release
- 1964
- Transmission details
- 19 Apr 1964 at 20:05 (Channel: BBC)
- Duration
- 170 mins
Credits
- Director
- Philip Saville
- Producer
- Peter Luke
- Writer
- William Shakespeare
- Music
- Richard Rodney Bennett
- Costume
- Olive Harris
- Art Direction
- Poul Arnt Thomsen
- Cast
Additional Details
- Production type
- Television and Radio Drama
- Plays
- Hamlet
- Subjects
- Drama; Shakespeare
- Keywords
- Denmark; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- Notes
- First television play to be filmed entirely with outside-broadcast cameras on location in Kronsberg Castle, Elsinore, in co-operation with Danmarks Radio.
The BFI National Archive holds a complete tape record of the broadcast, plus 495ft (16mm) extracts: Hamlet meeting the Ghost and the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy (A3S1).
DVD released 2011, Region 1 only. Extras include a 90-minute conversation with Christopher Plummer recorded at the 2011 Sarasota Film Festival, where the restored video was first shown. - General
- Other than a 1910 silent version, this is the only production of Hamlet (so far) to actually be filmed in Elsinore, Denmark, where most of the play takes place (imdb). The production was conceived and executed in eight weeks and four days. The shooting style emphasising close-ups oddly makes little use of the setting.
- History
- BBC’s major contribution to the Shakespeare quatercentenary celebrations in 1964. Broadcast in two parts with a ten-minute break for the news.
- Awards
- Nominated for an Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama’
(Christopher Plummer). - Textual information
- Based on 1603 First Quarto.
- Reviews
- Kliman, Bernice W., Hamlet: Film, Television and Audio Performance (London: Associated University Presses, 1988), pp. 154-67.
Michael Brook, "Hamlet at Elsinore (1964)'", http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1164575/index.html
Online Availability
Production Company
- Name
BBC
- Notes
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- Name
Danmarks Radio
Archive
- Name
BFI National Archive
- Web
- http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 020 7255 1444
- Fax
- 020 7436 0165
- Address
- 21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN
- Name
BoB
- bob@learningonscreen.ac.uk
- Web
- https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 020 3743 2345
- Address
- Learning on Screen - the British Universities and Colleges Film and Video Council
330 Holborn Gate
1st Floor, Suite 120
London
WC1V 7QH - Notes
- Formerly a service from BUFVC, British Universities Film & Video Council
- Name
Paley Center for Media
- Web
- http://www.paleycenter.org/ External site opens in new window
- Phone
- (212) 621-6600
- Address
- 25 West 52 Street
New York
New York
110019
USA - Notes
- Formerly Museum of Television and Radio (MTR). The name changed in 2007.
Online Retailer
- Name
amazon.com
- Web
- http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Hamlet at Elsinore". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av36691 (Accessed 13 Dec 2024)