 In January 1947 Olivier began working on his second film as a director , Hamlet ( 1948 ) , in which he also took the lead role . The original play was heavily cut to focus on the relationships , rather than the political intrigue . The film became a critical and commercial success in Britain and abroad , although Lejeune , in The Observer , considered it " less effective than [ Olivier 's ] stage work . ... He speaks the lines <unk> , and with the <unk> of one who loves them , but he <unk> his own thesis by never , for a moment , leaving the impression of a man who cannot make up his own mind ; here , you feel rather , is an actor @-@ producer @-@ director who , in every circumstance , knows exactly what he wants , and gets it " . Campbell Dixon , the critic for The Daily Telegraph thought the film " brilliant ... one of the masterpieces of the stage has been made into one of the greatest of films . " Hamlet became the first non @-@ American film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture , while Olivier won the Award for Best Actor . 
