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Noted critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, calling Mel Gibsons portrayal of the Danish Prince "a strong, intelligent performance." Caryn James of The New York Times praised Zeffirellis "naturalistic, emotionally-charged" direction and also commended Gibsons "visceral" performance, describing it as "strong, intelligent and safely beyond ridicule." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film a negative review, calling Gibsons performance "an earnest but pedestrian reading." A Los Angeles Times review called Gibsons Hamlet an "Oedipal wreck" and stated that either Kenneth Branagh or Daniel Day-Lewis would have been preferable to play Hamlet than Gibson. Initial reviews for Zeffirellis Hamlet were mixed. The fight between Hamlet and Laertes is an example of using Gibsons experience in action movies Gibson depicts Hamlet as an experienced fencer. Indeed, Zeffirelli cast Gibson after watching the scene in Lethal Weapon in which Gibson’s character, Martin Riggs, contemplates suicide. In casting Gibson, the director has been said to have made the stars reputation part of the performance, encouraging the audience "to see the Gibson that they have come to expect from his other films". Lawrence Guntner has suggested that Zeffirellis cinematography borrows heavily from the action film genre that made Gibson famous, noting that its average shot length is less than six seconds. Cartmell also notes that the text is drastically cut, but with the effect of enhancing the roles of the women. To this end, he cast Gibson – then famous for the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films – in the title role. An hour-long educational video titled Mel Gibson Goes Back to School was released in conjunction with the film, showing the actor lecturing Hamlet to a group of high-school students in Los Angeles.įilm scholar Deborah Cartmell has suggested that Zeffirellis Shakespeare films are appealing because they are "sensual rather than cerebral", an approach by which he aims to make Shakespeare "even more popular". attempted to attract high schools with study guides and vouchers for students. Despite Nelson owning a home video arm, they sold the video rights to Warner as well. Nelson Entertainment, which held the North American distribution rights, licensed theatrical exhibition to Warner as part of an incentive to lure Gibson into making Lethal Weapon 3. The film attracted little attention from major Hollywood studios, until post-production, when companies such as Warner Bros., Paramount, and Orion expressed interest in purchasing the film. Tailors from Shepperton assembled the costumes. Norma Moriceau was the projects initial costume designer, but quit for unknown reasons, to be replaced by Maurizio Millenotti.
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Interiors were filmed at Shepperton Studios in London. Dover Castle provided the main location for Elsinore Castle, the home of Hamlet and his family. Filming was set to begin on 23 April 1990, with an 11-week shooting schedule.ĭunnottar Castle, Stonehaven and Blackness Castle were used as locations in the film. Glenn Close was another obvious choice, having had recent box-office success with such Hollywood thrillers as Jagged Edge and Fatal Attraction.įinancing was provided on loan from a Dutch bank by Carolco Pictures, Barry Spikings Nelson Entertainment, and Sovereign Pictures, to the tune of roughly $16 million. Zeffirelli had set out to make a Shakespearian adaptation that would be accessible and appealing to younger viewers, and casting Gibson was considered an intent to lure said audience into seeing it. Mel Gibson was at that same press conference, where it was announced that he would play Hamlet. Zeffirelli announced production of the film in April 1989 at a press conference in Los Angeles.