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Title: Scofield
Review: There are arguments against this movie as a perversion of Shakespeare's Hamlet, in that it is not true to the play. While Franco Zeffirelli did indeed cut and re-assemble the sequence rather recklessly, the actors play the story superbly. All doubts of Mel Gibson's ability to do classical work was immediately erased in my mind. Where most actors struggle to find any humor in Hamlet (including, sadly, Olivier), Gibson uses humor magnificently to balance Hamlet's equally spontaneous wildness. And he can make the switch on a dime. But the real reason to watch this movie, the real reason that this movie should be seen by everyone everywhere, is Paul Scofield's portrayal of the Ghost of Hamlet's father. Witness a consummate actor breathe life into one of the most heart-wrenching texts ever set down. Beautiful.
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