I saw this production on Broadway in 1964, from the 9th row orchestra. I was in my early teens and had recently started taking drama lessons. My parents had gotten me the ticket. It was absolutely awe-inspiring. Richard Burton, that voice, that magnetic stage presence. Unforgettable. After the performance I waited outside the theater and his limousine drove slowly right past me. I bent down and looked into the window - right into those incredible blue eyes, and he was smiling. What an experience! Thank you SO much for posting this 💖
I just saw the play Motive and the Cue yesterday in London and did NOT expect the whole play to be on TH-cam. What a wonderful time we live in that we can access this piece of theatrical history at our fingertips!!!
I saw it on NT Live in USA and looking forward to watching this- I feel I didn't get quite enough out of it because I am not superlative at understanding Shakespeare , however the moving parts of the play was the relationship between Gielgud and Burton.
Ditto here ... They showed moments of it from the interval but I wasn't aware it was recorded and available ... Will definitely watch it and see what all the fuss was about..
I am deeply indebted to you for posting this. I was in a choir with two of Richard's brothers. They spoke warmly of his portrayal of Hamlet. I can see why. He was a glorious actor.
I'm 29 and I've just recently started my journey into Shakespeare and the English language. I feel guilt for not having the interest in experiencing all of this earlier. Better late than never, I guess. Thank you for making this wonderful channel.
I was 18 when I saw the show on Broadway (twice), including the last performance. I also saw this video when it was shown in theaters a few months later. Thank heavens it wasn't destroyed as it was contractually required to be after the theater showings. Burton kept a copy and his widow found it after he died and that's why we have this gem for posterity. I wrote a book about my sixty years of theater and opera going titled "Reflections from the Audience." I have a whole section on my viewing of Burton's Hamlet, including his curtain speech at the last performance. Also the story of how his understudy, Robert Burr, got to play Hamlet onstage even though Burton never missed a performance.
Thanks for uploading this. I have the VHS video box set I bought about 30+ years ago… as you’d expect ‘less-than-good’ quality. Looking forward to watching this digital upload over the weekend.
I did an independent study for English Honors in high school in 1968 of Hamlet, the Dane. and I developed a lifelong love for Hamlet the Dane. Thank you very much for this recording. I have seen four other actors perform this role. Olivier, Plummer, Chamberlain, Jacobi, and.Branagh. They were all excellent. Burton ranks at the top. Thank you so much for this recording. I loved every minute of it.
Just saw the marvellous play The Motive and the Cue, at London's National Theatre which is about the creation of this legendary production of Hamlet. The entire run is sold out. Funny and moving in equal measure. Mark Gatiss is a touching Gielgud.
I saw this when I was in high school. Something took place which I had never seen before, or after. In the scene with Claudius “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; words without thought never to heaven go.” Alfred Drake, playing Claudius, was very loudly bood - I don't even know how to spell that - the member of the audience was expressing strong disapproval of Mr. Drake's performance. It was really shocking, and Drake visibly reacted. I used to go to the theater often in those days, and on a night when a friend and I had seen another play and were walking past Schubert Alley we noticed that there was a great commotion, with a huge crowd lining the street and police on horseback to control the crowd. Elizabeth Taylor, sitting in the well lit back seat of a fancy car, dressed and bejeweled like the huge star that she was, was waving to the fans as the car inched its way down the street. She was "picking up" Burton after his performance of Hamlet that night. Because the car was moving so slowly I got a really good look at her, and she was the epitome of beauty and glamour.
As @JadeValour below. I too! At age 16 from very good seats my father had gotten us. It was indescribable. Burton was riveting, magnetic. I vowed I would never see another production of Hamlet as long as I lived so as not to dim that singular memory. A promise kept. How wonderful to find it here! Many thanks! It is a treasure! Seeing something that extraordinary at such an impressionable age renders it indelible. The aftermath of the performance was another matter entirely. We emerged onto 46th Street into a mob of humanity filling the street and sidewalks, blocking traffic to the annoyance of angry, honking cabbies. The crowd was clamoring to catch a glimpse of Richard and Elizabeth exiting the stage door into their waiting limousine. Still under the spell of the extraordinary emotional impact of Burton's performance, I had no desire to join them. We watched from a respectful distance across the street till the crowds finally parted and away the legendary, triumphant (at least then) couple went.
I sa this film in the theater when it was first released, although that was a limited release. I'm so glad that this had been saved for other people to watch. Thank you TH-cam.
Just read in Burton's Wikipedia bio that Burton and Peter O'Toole had both decided to play Hamlet and that with a flip of a coin between them, Burton chose Geilguld and Broadway and O'Toole got Olivier and London. Thrilled to have discovered you and this production in particular. I have subscribed and look forward to many hours of education and entertainment.
Thank you so much for posting this. I remember well listening to the LP recording, in the mid-60s, when I was at school in Kingston upon Hull. Last night I, too, saw 'The Motive and the Clue' - a fine production of a Terrific play and with superb performances by all - particularly by Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn. Touching, funny - splendid Theatre.
1:01:45 the best performance of this monologue that I’ve seen so far- so natural and enigmatic! When reading the material one would never think to be so energetic, but Richard Burton brings a whole new perspective.
Good to see burton at the height of his stage power when i was reliably informed you couldnt take your eyes off him. So wish i had seen him at the outset of his career in the 50s. Im told he was electrifying .
Thanks so much for making this available! I have known this performance for many years, having studied the audio version on LP's as a high school student in the '80's. Did a little research and yes, the actor of the Player Queen, Christopher Culkin is indeed Macauley's dad!
Speaking of great voices, Burton AND GIELGUD’s (as the Ghost) together! Wow. I remember reading about this production in my little Maryland hometown and vowing I’d get to Broadway and see something like it someday. And then came Mark Rylance’s Twelfth Night …
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy came to see the theater majors at NCSA in the fall of 1982. We gathered in a rehearsal hall. (Forget its name.) Mr. Cronyn and Ms. Tandy just answered questions, no speeches. They told funny interesting anecdotes about Burton, Brando, and other actors. I most remember they were self-deprecating, gracious, and fun. They seemed to enjoy each other's company, a happy fun couple. We were mesmerized. Never found out why they were in Winston-Salem.
The final scene starting from Hamlet's last soliloqui has me weeping. It transcends TH-cam, internet, space and time - the Shakespeare's and Richard Burton's geniuses.
Tuned in just to see and hear Richard Burton after reading his biography and the the mention in the book made me curious . I like that it was a mod interpretation like how I imagined the beatnik and mod poetry readings of the time.Knew of the reputation of Shakespeare plays from excerpts in English lit but never have seen a play as I always considered it high intellectual art beyond my grasp. The magnetic stage presence of Burton and that voice ( after watching Becket ) led me here thank you for making this approachable to the common person.. enriching !
God, Burton is just so Right. Every choice, every intonation, every pause. It's so considered, so precise. Like watching an Olympic athlete. I don't have a single favorite Hamlet, but Burton manages to capture the spirit on the page, and he does it with a confidence and ability that is staggering. Obviously gifted with a voice and presence, but truly a methodical and capable performer
Most excellent oration by them all. I did wish the wardrobe were at least a little more classic, such with a purple robe to describe kingship, and the length of robe to show rank. Hamlet, the greatest play tragedy ever created. Shakespeare's golden tongue with an uncanny wit to shift the English language language into the higher form our original parents once must have spoken before their great fall. Such wit and elaboration. Bravo. Life is such a brief candle, is it not?
Interesting. I think Lear is the most difficult of Will's plays to perform. I've seen the play several times. Most of the starred actors were not impressive. My favorite was Simon Russell Beale's Lear -- both his portrayal and the production.
They came as far as early rehearsals for it in the mid to late 1970's. I was told about it by the great actress Marian Seldes who was to have been the Goneril. They were forced to cancel because Burton had one of his many health crises. They always meant to return to it, in fact Burton was determined to make it happen, but tragically it was not to be.
Thank you very much for uploading such rare gems in amazing quality. You are providing a valuable resource for the general public to truly appreciate art. But if I could make a suggestion, could you please upload subtitles if it's not too much work? That would be an invaluable addition to this.
Thank you for your message and enthusiasm. Please feel free to use TH-cam’s Closed Captions (English Subtitles - automatic captioning) which are +-70% accurate i.e. Turn on Closed Captions by clicking the “CC” button on the video player. Unfortunately, we do not have any specific subtitle file with the actual text used in this production and/or synchronized to our remastered version. Indeed, the preparation of a proper subtitle file requires a substantial amount of time and work. Best regards, Shakespeare Network -TH-cam Channel Team
13:20 "Oh, that this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew..." 1:02:00 "I have of late but wherefore I know not lost all my mirth..." 1:12:38 "Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I ..." 1:19:10 "To be or not to be ..." 1:29:00 "Speak the speech I pray you..." 1:53:05 "Now I might do it..." 2:44:38 "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him Horatio.."
SUCH A TALENTED MAN & ACTOR IN ALL HE DOES. AND A VERY CHARISMATIC & HUMBLE MAN. I am so greatful to have been alive in his prime time to have witness such precision an persona he is perfection! Another actor i am encaptive with engulfed in voice, stamina, facial features in 2nd place Christopher Plummer, 3rd Laurence Olivièr.
He is truly amazing in the role …. He nails it! But also do remember that Gielgud co-directed this production so I’ve no doubt he had his hand in many of the choices.
Definitely one of the more comedic & energetic Hamlets, as opposed to the sombre Olivier, “musical” Gielgud, or logical Branagh. They all bring a new temperament
Please consider subscribing to our channel - th-cam.com/users/ShakespeareNetwork New Film adaptation - MISANTHROPOS - www.misanthropos.net - Timon of Athens - Shakespeare on Film! Adapted by Maximianno Cobra, from Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens", the film exposes the timeless challenge of social hypocrisy, disillusion and annihilation against the poetics of friendship, love, and beauty. IMDb page: www.imdb.com/title/tt6946736/
my high school english class saw this movie but were disappointed because it was modern dress.next year the drama club did the play and went all out,i was a grave digger..1965..
In 1964 I saw this production live on Broadway twice and in the movie theater once. It was not transmitted live. It was filmed at a live performance in a new process they called electrovision for a limited run of two nights in select movie theaters. It actually was shown in movie theaters some months after the show closed on Broadway. The original press release stated all negatives were to be destroyed after the movie theater showing. Thank heaven that didn't happen and posterity can see one of the great Hamlets of all time. Also a shout out to the magnificent Polonius of Hume Cronyn.
Watching the play here on TH-cam is not so interesting, but it must have been a pleasant experience to see it live. Pleasant because something good always comes from enacting Shakespeare, but I didn't find Burton this special actor people say he is. If I hadn't known him, and the fame that follows, since I was born, I wouldn't have payed any special attention to his work. At least in this play, he's at the same level of everybody else.
The definition of "close-minded". And do remember that this is a stage performance as opposed to a film, and this was consciously designed with minimal sets and the costumes were street clothes, although carefully chosen - so the actors only had their acting prowess to rely on.
I saw this production on Broadway in 1964, from the 9th row orchestra. I was in my early teens and had recently started taking drama lessons. My parents had gotten me the ticket. It was absolutely awe-inspiring. Richard Burton, that voice, that magnetic stage presence. Unforgettable. After the performance I waited outside the theater and his limousine drove slowly right past me. I bent down and looked into the window - right into those incredible blue eyes, and he was smiling. What an experience! Thank you SO much for posting this 💖
You SAW this in person? OMG, so jealous! 😮
How Wonderful ❤
😍❤️
Lucky you. I have tried to imagine the feeling amongst the audience at one of these great performances.
You clearly had a good life Ma’am.
I, too, was fortunate to see this production. To experience the great Burton - and as Hamlet, no less - was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I just saw the play Motive and the Cue yesterday in London and did NOT expect the whole play to be on TH-cam. What a wonderful time we live in that we can access this piece of theatrical history at our fingertips!!!
I saw it on NT Live in USA and looking forward to watching this- I feel I didn't get quite enough out of it because I am not superlative at understanding Shakespeare , however the moving parts of the play was the relationship between Gielgud and Burton.
Wasn't the play fantastic!!!! Can't wait to watch this 🤗
Just seen the NT live in Clapham ❤
The Motive and The Cue brought me here too. Johnny Flynn as Burton was superb.
Ditto here ... They showed moments of it from the interval but I wasn't aware it was recorded and available ... Will definitely watch it and see what all the fuss was about..
I am deeply indebted to you for posting this. I was in a choir with two of Richard's brothers. They spoke warmly of his portrayal of Hamlet. I can see why. He was a glorious actor.
How wonderful that they spoke like that of him. Were you in a male voice choir in Wales? I’m originally from Wales, and a singer.
@@LaureninGermany Yes I used to sing baritone.
Wow, thank you for sharing! I took my late mother to see him perform “Camelot” in the early 80s in SF. Front row seats.
Wow this is incredible to see this what a gem. A chance to see an actual Broadway production with these actors.
Cheers!
I'm glad that Burton's Broadway HAMLET survives. I saw it at the Campus Theater in 1964, and it was impressive.
What a fantastic opportunity to be able to see this extraordinary production.
Such a golden treasure! A million times thank you!
You're so welcome! Cheers!
As a senior in high school I watched the original performance on closed circuit television at our local movie theater. It was absolutely fantastic.
It still is 😎
I like the 48 version
Was that in 1964?
I'm 29 and I've just recently started my journey into Shakespeare and the English language. I feel guilt for not having the interest in experiencing all of this earlier. Better late than never, I guess. Thank you for making this wonderful channel.
I was 18 when I saw the show on Broadway (twice), including the last performance. I also saw this video when it was shown in theaters a few months later. Thank heavens it wasn't destroyed as it was contractually required to be after the theater showings. Burton kept a copy and his widow found it after he died and that's why we have this gem for posterity.
I wrote a book about my sixty years of theater and opera going titled "Reflections from the Audience." I have a whole section on my viewing of Burton's Hamlet, including his curtain speech at the last performance. Also the story of how his understudy, Robert Burr, got to play Hamlet onstage even though Burton never missed a performance.
Thanks for uploading this.
I have the VHS video box set I bought about 30+ years ago… as you’d expect ‘less-than-good’ quality.
Looking forward to watching this digital upload over the weekend.
You're very welcome! Cheers!
I did an independent study for English Honors in high school in 1968 of Hamlet, the Dane. and I developed a lifelong love for Hamlet the Dane. Thank you very much for this recording. I have seen four other actors perform this role. Olivier, Plummer, Chamberlain, Jacobi, and.Branagh. They were all excellent. Burton ranks at the top. Thank you so much for this recording. I loved every minute of it.
I was there! Took my brother. Fabulous to SEE. Divan seating.
Just saw the marvellous play The Motive and the Cue, at London's National Theatre which is about the creation of this legendary production of Hamlet. The entire run is sold out. Funny and moving in equal measure. Mark Gatiss is a touching Gielgud.
I saw it last night. I have not see an entire audience rise to its feet so fast, at the end. What joy! A fine play with wonderful performances.
Mark Gatiss makes the moments before the interval so moving.
What a great was Burton !
I saw this when I was in high school. Something took place which I had never seen before, or after. In the scene with Claudius “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; words without thought never to heaven go.” Alfred Drake, playing Claudius, was very loudly bood - I don't even know how to spell that - the member of the audience was expressing strong disapproval of Mr. Drake's performance. It was really shocking, and Drake visibly reacted.
I used to go to the theater often in those days, and on a night when a friend and I had seen another play and were walking past Schubert Alley we noticed that there was a great commotion, with a huge crowd lining the street and police on horseback to control the crowd.
Elizabeth Taylor, sitting in the well lit back seat of a fancy car, dressed and bejeweled like the huge star that she was, was waving to the fans as the car inched its way down the street. She was "picking up" Burton after his performance of Hamlet that night. Because the car was moving so slowly I got a really good look at her, and she was the epitome of beauty and glamour.
If someone said this is the greatest speaking voice that ever sounded, I couldn't argue and wouldn't want to.
There are many voices in this video. Who’s are you referring to?
ditto
@@DeanH92
He surely means Richard Burton, whose voice was really singular and unmistakeable - but that goes for many others of course.
You can't compare it to Gielgud's
If you are referring to anyone other than Gielgud, you are mistaken.
As @JadeValour below. I too! At age 16 from very good seats my father had gotten us. It was indescribable. Burton was riveting, magnetic. I vowed I would never see another production of Hamlet as long as I lived so as not to dim that singular memory. A promise kept. How wonderful to find it here! Many thanks! It is a treasure! Seeing something that extraordinary at such an impressionable age renders it indelible. The aftermath of the performance was another matter entirely. We emerged onto 46th Street into a mob of humanity filling the street and sidewalks, blocking traffic to the annoyance of angry, honking cabbies. The crowd was clamoring to catch a glimpse of Richard and Elizabeth exiting the stage door into their waiting limousine. Still under the spell of the extraordinary emotional impact of Burton's performance, I had no desire to join them. We watched from a respectful distance across the street till the crowds finally parted and away the legendary, triumphant (at least then) couple went.
Fantastic performance indeed! Thank you for the experience!
Our pleasure! Cheers!
I sa this film in the theater when it was first released, although that was a limited release. I'm so glad that this had been saved for other people to watch. Thank you TH-cam.
As much as I love Olivier in this role, Burton gives a tremendous performance
What a voice (Burton) was a legend, he commands you listen, and you do.
1:19:00 is the start of "To be or not to be", Hamlet's soliloquy.
I'm enthralled by the provenance of this film. Thanks, Richard, for holding onto the last copy!
What a gift. Thank you, whoever you are.
1:02:00 "what a piece of work is a man..."
And taken, almost verbatim, and turned into a song for the musical "Hair" (which is roughly based upon Hamlet).
Just read in Burton's Wikipedia bio that Burton and Peter O'Toole had both decided to play Hamlet and that with a flip of a coin between them, Burton chose Geilguld and Broadway and O'Toole got Olivier and London.
Thrilled to have discovered you and this production in particular. I have subscribed and look forward to many hours of education and entertainment.
Excited to see the real Richard Burton
My English Lecturer had narrated this in 1972
Now after 50years I am able to see
Thanks
Superb.
Thank you so much for posting this. I remember well listening to the LP recording, in the mid-60s, when I was at school in Kingston upon Hull. Last night I, too, saw 'The Motive and the Clue' - a fine production of a Terrific play and with superb performances by all - particularly by Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn. Touching, funny - splendid Theatre.
1:01:45 the best performance of this monologue that I’ve seen so far- so natural and enigmatic! When reading the material one would never think to be so energetic, but Richard Burton brings a whole new perspective.
I watched Motive and the Cue last night in Prague so am really pleased to see this scene 1:56:41 😊
WOW 👏 THIS is Shakespeare 👌
So much talent in a single man.
Shakespeare, Gielgud … or Burton?(!)
Good to see burton at the height of his stage power when i was reliably informed you couldnt take your eyes off him. So wish i had seen him at the outset of his career in the 50s. Im told he was electrifying .
Gold. Pure gold.
Been looking for this. Thanks so much for posting it!
Thanks so much for making this available! I have known this performance for many years, having studied the audio version on LP's as a high school student in the '80's. Did a little research and yes, the actor of the Player Queen, Christopher Culkin is indeed Macauley's dad!
Amazing performance by Richard Burton! Thanks for uploading and sharing. I love this TH-cam channel.
Such a beautiful language, English, Richar can do it exstremelly well. love it xx
2:12:38 I never truly understood the mockery of the line “my mother!” until Burtons delivery, hes great
Speaking of great voices, Burton AND GIELGUD’s (as the Ghost) together! Wow. I remember reading about this production in my little Maryland hometown and vowing I’d get to Broadway and see something like it someday. And then came Mark Rylance’s Twelfth Night …
Great projection by these actors
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy came to see the theater majors at NCSA in the fall of 1982. We gathered in a rehearsal hall. (Forget its name.) Mr. Cronyn and Ms. Tandy just answered questions, no speeches. They told funny interesting anecdotes about Burton, Brando, and other actors. I most remember they were self-deprecating, gracious, and fun. They seemed to enjoy each other's company, a happy fun couple. We were mesmerized. Never found out why they were in Winston-Salem.
Lucky!
The final scene starting from Hamlet's last soliloqui has me weeping. It transcends TH-cam, internet, space and time - the Shakespeare's and Richard Burton's geniuses.
Tuned in just to see and hear Richard Burton after reading his biography and the the mention in the book made me curious . I like that it was a mod interpretation like how I imagined the beatnik and mod poetry readings of the time.Knew of the reputation of Shakespeare plays from excerpts in English lit but never have seen a play as I always considered it high intellectual art beyond my grasp. The magnetic stage presence of Burton and that voice ( after watching Becket ) led me here thank you for making this approachable to the common person.. enriching !
Thank you very much !!!!!
Our pleasure!
If you know Hamlet, this is probably the finest performance ever filmed in the 20th century 👏
Richard Burton was the greatest actor of all time.
What a rare treat! I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Hume Cronyn earned a well deserved Tony Award for his performance as Polonious. He might be my favorite take on the role.
God, Burton is just so Right. Every choice, every intonation, every pause. It's so considered, so precise. Like watching an Olympic athlete. I don't have a single favorite Hamlet, but Burton manages to capture the spirit on the page, and he does it with a confidence and ability that is staggering. Obviously gifted with a voice and presence, but truly a methodical and capable performer
Revelation!
Thank you so much for restoring this lost gem.
FANTASTIC! GOD BLESS
The National Theatre’s ‘The Motive and the Cue’ brought me here.
Same here :)
This is fantastic. Thank you.
I saw this in Detroit when I was a kid.
Bravo! Thank you
Thank you!
Listen to the Broadway audience hoop and holler like it's the rodeo. Or like they're the studio audience at a sitcom. YEE HAH!
Absolutely fantastic! Full stop.
Amazing being able to memorize the whole play without a break
Not like the movies!
Richard The Great!
Back here after a new play The Motive and The Cue at the National Theatre directed by Sam Mendes is about Burton and Gielgud.
MAGNIFICENT!
Most excellent oration by them all. I did wish the wardrobe were at least a little more classic, such with a purple robe to describe kingship, and the length of robe to show rank. Hamlet, the greatest play tragedy ever created. Shakespeare's golden tongue with an uncanny wit to shift the English language language into the higher form our original parents once must have spoken before their great fall. Such wit and elaboration. Bravo. Life is such a brief candle, is it not?
I've always been sad that Burton didn't live long enough to have been in a major production of my favorite Shakespearean tragedy, "King Lear." :(
Interesting. I think Lear is the most difficult of Will's plays to perform. I've seen the play several times. Most of the starred actors were not impressive. My favorite was Simon Russell Beale's Lear -- both his portrayal and the production.
Burton would have been immense
They came as far as early rehearsals for it in the mid to late 1970's. I was told about it by the great actress Marian Seldes who was to have been the Goneril. They were forced to cancel because Burton had one of his many health crises. They always meant to return to it, in fact Burton was determined to make it happen, but tragically it was not to be.
@@SlightlySusan I saw a wonderful production by Chichester in 2014 with the great Frank Langella.
Amazing ❤
Flawless
1:19:09 to be or not to be !
Just wow.
Thank you very much for uploading such rare gems in amazing quality. You are providing a valuable resource for the general public to truly appreciate art. But if I could make a suggestion, could you please upload subtitles if it's not too much work? That would be an invaluable addition to this.
Thank you for your message and enthusiasm.
Please feel free to use TH-cam’s Closed Captions (English Subtitles - automatic captioning) which are +-70% accurate i.e. Turn on Closed Captions by clicking the “CC” button on the video player.
Unfortunately, we do not have any specific subtitle file with the actual text used in this production and/or synchronized to our remastered version. Indeed, the preparation of a proper subtitle file requires a substantial amount of time and work.
Best regards,
Shakespeare Network -TH-cam Channel Team
All the worlds a stage!
Thank you
13:20 "Oh, that this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew..."
1:02:00 "I have of late but wherefore I know not lost all my mirth..."
1:12:38 "Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I ..."
1:19:10 "To be or not to be ..."
1:29:00 "Speak the speech I pray you..."
1:53:05 "Now I might do it..."
2:44:38 "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him Horatio.."
This production was a favourite of Harold Bloom 🎭
This is quite interesting and an innovative. Burton takes his place as part of the audience. As does the audience take united parts in the play!
A jewel 💎🎭
this is awesome.
SUCH A TALENTED MAN & ACTOR IN ALL HE DOES. AND A VERY CHARISMATIC & HUMBLE MAN. I am so greatful to have been alive in his prime time to have witness such precision an persona he is perfection! Another actor i am encaptive with engulfed in voice, stamina, facial features in 2nd place Christopher Plummer, 3rd Laurence Olivièr.
Burton did the best Hamlet. Better than Gielgud and Olivier. He fit the part much better, and his delivery was spot on.
Ian is best tho.
He is truly amazing in the role …. He nails it! But also do remember that Gielgud co-directed this production so I’ve no doubt he had his hand in many of the choices.
Great
Definitely one of the more comedic & energetic Hamlets, as opposed to the sombre Olivier, “musical” Gielgud, or logical Branagh. They all bring a new temperament
None, no none like him.
Please consider subscribing to our channel - th-cam.com/users/ShakespeareNetwork
New Film adaptation - MISANTHROPOS - www.misanthropos.net - Timon of Athens - Shakespeare on Film!
Adapted by Maximianno Cobra, from Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens", the film exposes the timeless challenge of social hypocrisy, disillusion and annihilation against the poetics of friendship, love, and beauty.
IMDb page: www.imdb.com/title/tt6946736/
Ophelia. You are keen, my lord, you are keen.
Hamlet. It would cost you a groaning to take off my edge.
Wow
❤
my high school english class saw this movie but were disappointed because it was modern dress.next year the drama club did the play and went all out,i was a grave digger..1965..
Electronovision… This was a live performance shown in real-time on cinema screens back in the 1960s.
In 1964 I saw this production live on Broadway twice and in the movie theater once. It was not transmitted live. It was filmed at a live performance in a new process they called electrovision for a limited run of two nights in select movie theaters. It actually was shown in movie theaters some months after the show closed on Broadway. The original press release stated all negatives were to be destroyed after the movie theater showing. Thank heaven that didn't happen and posterity can see one of the great Hamlets of all time. Also a shout out to the magnificent Polonius of Hume Cronyn.
Is that Sandford Meisner as Marcellus?
Full cast list in the description.
It is Barnard Hughes, Tony winner for "Da".
Wow 1 of my favourites have read his biography i would like to see stacy keach playing hamlet as well
Can't digest the modern costumes in ancient customs. Wonder, why no one bothers about this mismatch.
Burton was said to dislike period costumes, and Gielgud hoped to catch the special energy of a dress rehearsal with this approach.
Watching the play here on TH-cam is not so interesting, but it must have been a pleasant experience to see it live. Pleasant because something good always comes from enacting Shakespeare, but I didn't find Burton this special actor people say he is. If I hadn't known him, and the fame that follows, since I was born, I wouldn't have payed any special attention to his work. At least in this play, he's at the same level of everybody else.
Its hard for me to see anyone dressed in modern clothes speak in iambic pentameter. It doesn't make sense.
And god created man… well, the birth of intellect, sadly goes hand in hand with murther most foul…
Whatever is said , Hamlet means Sir Lawrence Olivier and no one else.
Pl watch "Hamlet" of 1948.
The definition of "close-minded". And do remember that this is a stage performance as opposed to a film, and this was consciously designed with minimal sets and the costumes were street clothes, although carefully chosen - so the actors only had their acting prowess to rely on.
3 bs burton bogart brando the best
Quite the list