Rating: 
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: 35 years ago I was very fortunate to see this masterful piece of work during its limited theatrical release. In my humble opinion , it is Burton's greatest performance. This goes beyond simply Shakespeare's Hamlet. No frills. No distractions. No pretentiousness. Absolutely brilliant and mesmerizing.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant performace preserved, limited presentation
Review: 4 stars for presentation, 5 stars for performance. I can remember listening to Richard Burton's great HAMLET performance on the Columbia Records Broadway cast album (unfortunatly unavailable on CD).Now I can see him perform in this record of one of the Broadway perfomances. It was worth the long wait. Having been informed that this film was destroyed only to have resurface on this DVD is great news. Unfortunatly the technical aspects of the film are wanting, oftened resembling an old TV Kinoscope. The DVD format does not improve the picture or sound much. Still it is watchable and Burton's great performance (along with the rest of the cast)make it extremely worth while. Maybe now Columbia (or Sony)will reissue the stereo cast album so that the two will complement each other.
Rating: 
Summary: Disapointing!
Review: Being an avid reader of Shakespeare and having seen many of the movie adaptations I most say that I cam in with huge expectations. And in the case when the expectations are high; they are in most cases not met. This is true in the case of Hamlet DVD~ Richard Burton. Burton is not Olivier or Branaugh and he seems to be out of his league as an actor. He screams at inappropriate times and seems to wandering in the dark as far as how to play the role of Hamlet. Another factor that goes against him that might seem superficial is that he does not look the role. Hamlet is supposed to have an certian appereance that is embodied by both Olivier and Baranaugh, i.e., they are both handsome and a hansome person should play the role of Hamlet. Another factor is that he is way to old to be believable. Hamlet is supposed to be in his late 20's and Burton would be better suited to play the King then the role of Hamlet. I had been waiting for quite some time to watch this production of Hamlet and as I stated earlier; my expectations where therefore high. As it turned out, I feel like I wasted a good hour trying to watch this hopeless production when I could have been watching either Olivier or Branaugh.
Rating:
Summary: amazon replaces defective dvd with flawless copy
Review: Below, you will see my complaint about a defect in my copy of this DVD. amazon replaced the defective copy, and the new copy is flawless. This, along with his stage performance in Camelot, are Burton's greatest roles. If only his Camelot had been preserved on film -- but at least we have his Hamlet. Burton is an actor who was always better on the stage than on the screen.Rick Norwood
Rating: 
Summary: Burton is perfect, the picture quality is not
Review: Burton played Hamlet in Canada and at the Lunt-Fontaine theatre in NYC in 1964. It was like Beatlemania with Liz and Richard walking to their waiting limo after each performance. Those were the days of Liz and Dick hysteria! This film was thought to be lost, but was thankfully unearthed in a loft at Burton's Celigny, Switzerland home. It's impossible to give this DVD 5 stars because the video quality is distressingly poor. Not only is the picture overly dark, it's taped from an actual live performance and the supporting players oftentimes are lost in the shadows. The audio remains quite good and powerful at times, but sadly, you oftentimes cannot make out who is on stage. Another criticism is that they didn't include any interviews with surviving members of the cast. Gielgud also spoke at length about this project in various interviews from 1964 and thereafter. Burton also spoke about this performance in an interview with David Frost from 1970. Why weren't these snippets included? Burton's performance is fabulous. He brings an earthy, reckless, sexy quality to the brooding Hamlet and he's phenomenal in the role. He absolutely owns the stage with this performance, completely eclipsing the supporting cast, with the exception of Hume Cronyn. The modern-day street clothes are not a distraction and Burton looks magnificent in his dark blue turtleneck sweater.
Despite the flawed video quality, this is still worth owning if you are a fan of Burton or Shakespeare. This is the most masculine and dynamic performance of Hamlet of the past 40 years.
Rating:
Summary: Hamlet saved from the ashes
Review: Do not let the five stars inhibit you as Hamlet is up for interpretation and everyone has a favorite. The DVD its self has very little goodies other than the play. According to the pamphlet that comes with the DVD the prints of this film were contractually ordered to be destroyed. So we are lucky to have this interpretation. It is easy to see why ratings are all over the spectrum. First this is a film of a play. Therefor it is neither a film nor a play. Secondly they use rehearsal clothes and minimum trappings (or distractions). Now if you enjoy the novelty of the presentation style, your next hurtle is trying to understand Richard Burton's speaking style for the first 20 minutes or so. What may appear to be a long viewing time is actually a pared down version of Hamlet witch leaves out many subtleties. It is intriguing to see the actors in the play and see how far they came. If you do not take the time to analyze, then this really is a good version and you will find yourself kibitzing.
Rating:
Summary: A theatrical experience
Review: For those looking for a strictly cinematic version of "Hamlet" you should probably look elsewhere, but for a theatrical experience of the classic tale of the Melacholy Dane, you could do worse than pick up this version of the 1964 Broadway production starring Richard Burton. Essentially a photographed performance of a stage play, this production was directed by John Gielgud with the concept of being a dress rehearsal (to pacify Richard Burton's dislike of wearing period costume) with actors in street clothes and bare bones set and props. The concept falls flat but Gielgud does a fine job of staging the action (the convention of showing the ghost as a massive shadow voiced by Gielgud works wonderfully well), making one wish that he'd used a more conventional look for the show. The cast is decidedly uneven, ranging from brilliant (Hume Cronyn in his Tony-winning role as Polonius) to incompetent (Alfred Drake as a rather hopeless Claudius). While Burton is hardly the definitive Hamlet, frequently resorting to vocal pyrotechnics which are ultimately meaningless, there is no doubting his intelligence or brooding charisma in the role. He may not have hit a bull's eye, but he is so far beyond such recent mediocre Hamlets as Ethan Hawke, Kenneth Branaugh and Mel Gibson that his performance truly gives the viewer a splendid example of what a distinguished classical actor is capable of. His handling of the soliloquies (especially "Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I") are very effective indeed. Those who quibble with the lack of close-ups or iffy cinematic qualities are missing the point of the experience: the faraway perspective makes the viewer fell like they are seated at an actual live performance at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre in 1964, and gives a much more uniquely theatrical experience than attempts to "cinemize" the play such as Branaugh's vulgar and miscast film version or Olivier's celebrated bowlderized adaptation (whose gutting of the text frequently plays like "Hamlet's Greatest Hits"). Not much thought was given to the Special Features of the DVDs: the listing of the awards won by Burton, Cronyn and Gielgud are laughably incomplete, and it seems to me that the producers missed an opportunity by not including observations by a living cast member on a second voice track (cast members William Refield and Richard L. Sterne each wrote books on the production, and it might have been rewarding to hear the remembrances of Hume Cronyn or John Cullum or Alfred Drake on this DVD). But despite it's faults, this is a valuable little treasure for anyone with serious interest in Shakespeare's play and a unique opportunity to see a memorable theater production without leaving your living roon.
Rating:
Summary: A theatrical experience
Review: For those looking for a strictly cinematic version of "Hamlet" you should probably look elsewhere, but for a theatrical experience of the classic tale of the Melacholy Dane, you could do worse than pick up this version of the 1964 Broadway production starring Richard Burton. Essentially a photographed performance of a stage production, this "Hamlet" was directed by John Gielgud with the concept of being a dress rehearsal (to pacify Richard Burton's dislike of wearing period costume) with actors in street clothes and bare bones set and props. The concept falls flat but Gielgud does a fine job of staging the action (the convention of showing the ghost as a massive shadow voiced by Gielgud works wonderfully well), making one wish that he'd used a more conventional look for the show. The cast is decidedly uneven, ranging from brilliant (Hume Cronyn in his Tony-winning role as Polonius) to incompetent (Alfred Lunt as a rather hopeless Claudius). While Burton is hardly the definitive Hamlet, frequently resorting to vocal pyrotechnics which are ultimately meaningless, there is no doubting his intelligence or brooding charisma in the role. He may not have hit a bull's eye, but he is so far beyond such recent mediocre Hamlets as Ethan Hawke, Kenneth Branaugh and Mel Gibson that his performance truly gives the viewer a splendid example of what a distinguished classical actor is capable of. His handling of the soliloquies (especially "Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I") are very effective indeed. Those who quibble with the lack of close-ups or iffy cinematic qualities are missing the point of the experience: the faraway perspective makes the viewer fell like they are seated at an actual live performance at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre in 1964, and gives a much more uniquely theatrical experience than attempts to "cinemize" the play such as Branaugh's vulgar and miscast film version or Olivier's celebrated bowlderized adaptation (whose gutting of the text frequently plays like "Hamlet's Greatest Hits"). Not much thought was given to the Special Features of the DVDs: the listing of the awards won by Burton, Cronyn and Gielgud are laughably incomplete, and it seems to me that the producers missed an opportunity by not including observations by a living cast member on a second voice track (cast members William Redfield and Richard L. Sterne each wrote books on the production, and it might have been rewarding to hear the remembrances of Hume Cronyn or John Cullum or Alfred Lunt on this DVD). But despite it's faults, this is a valuable little treasure for anyone with serious interest in Shakespeare's play and a unique opportunity to see a memorable theater production without leaving your living roon.
Rating:
Summary: A Rebuttal
Review: I am posting in response to the "self-styled" "expert" on Shakespeare, known by the 'nom de guerre' of A viewer from Atlanta, Ga. I am a tremendous fan first of Mr. Richard Burton and secondly of Mr. Kenneth Brannaugh. We are comparing chalk and cheese. These two actors are very different in many ways. To address your comment that Mr. Burton was "wandering in the dark as far as how to play the role of Hamlet," is concerned, I am utterly astounded that such a observation could be thought let alone voiced. Evidently, Sir John Gielgud had faith in his interpretation, else he would not have been involved. I do not understand also, the reference to Mr. Burton not looking the role. Shakespeare does not describe Hamlet in such detail that can lend validity to this claim. And to compare the production against FILMS of any era, is superfluous and naive to say the least. As this was as has been iterated and re-iterated numerous times, this was a play, I doubt that the filming of it was intended for main stream viewing, if at all. Hence the production values could never stand comparison to any film, certainly not one filmed 30 years later with all the advancements that have taken place. Mr. Richard is the most magnetic and stellar actor in my opinion to "trod the boards," and to watch this production with the intention of comparing with any other, is just down-right unfair and unrealistic. I suggest in future, that you allow yourself to view things for their own worth, and not in comparison with others, especially where the comparison is not appropriate.
Rating:
Summary: A postmodern guy!
Review: I first saw this version of the play in Electronovision, a copy owned by Gary Essert at UCLA in the 60's. As a young theater director with an inordinate love of Shakespeare, I was bowled over by this pared down, black-rehearsal-dress, few props, no frills (and very little "attitude") interpretation of one of the most complex plays in human literature. This play makes the exquisite agonies of it's very fallible human characters available to modern people: the contemplation of suicide, and the nature of honor, revenge, family responsibility, the existence of God and the Devil, death, friensdhip, romantic and profane love. All are laid out in a very human and personal interpretation of Shakespeare. This version of the play demonstrates the magic of Shakespeare's language, that this poetry can still move us 400-plus years later. And Richard Burton, at the height of his powers, not yet ruined by drink and sexual excesses (woweee!). We see ourselves in this strangely postmodern man: concerned, intellectual, deeply feeling, balancing between cynicism and lyricism. With powers of speech far beyond that of most of us mere mortals, he inhabits the stage so completely and with such force that we anticipate seeing (and hearing) him again. These people really did their homework, and they truly understood what the word "ensemble" means; all complete the picture, support the story and work together to give us a clear idea of what this play can mean in the 21st century. I can still hear his voice now. With "flights of angels" singing him to his rest.
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