Solid adaptation of Shakespeare's most famous and quotable play, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier, who won an Oscar (as did the film). Olivier does well to open up the play visually and make it more cinematic, though it seems positively restrained when seen against the more florid Zeffirelli and Branagh versions. The black and white cinematography and the excellent set design give it a darkly gothic feel, but it's never oppressive. Some decisions could be quibbled with - the conversion of the soliloquies to interior monologues heard over the soundtrack seems pointless - but for the most part this is a fine version, offering a good compromise between the overly simplified Zeffirelli film and Branagh's more demanding four hour epic.

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For my review of the Franco Zeffirelli / Mel Gibson 1990 version click here.