Hamlet

Synopsis

Feature length, low-budget version of Hamlet filmed in Derry, Northern Ireland. The film cuts the text heavily and rearranges scenes while making interpretative use of locations and accents to draw parallels between Hamlet’s situation and Northern Ireland’s cultural and political history. Hamlet’s ‘to be, or not to be’ speech is spoken in the Irish language.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Film

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Year of release

2005

Duration

90 mins

Credits

Director

Stephen Cavanagh

Producer

Keith O’Grady; Richard Hughes

Writer

William Shakespeare

Cast

Stephen Cavanagh	Hamlet
James Lecky	Claudius
Yvonne Richardson	Gertrude
Dominic Stewart	Polonius
Simone Kirby	Ophelia
Ann Fitzpatrick	Player (2)
Anthony Doherty	Horatio
Charlie Hughes	Player (1)
Chris Simpson	Laertes
Colin Stewart (2)	Rosencrantz
Martin O’Brien	Guildenstern
Richard Hughes	The Association
Tony Brown	Ghost

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Historical period

Contemporary

Plays

Hamlet

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

politics; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Notes

The Derry Film Initiative is distributing the film online on videogoogle.com.uk - see web address field.

General

The cast and crew have worked on the project free of charge, and all equipment used was either been borrowed or owned by crew members, in addition all locations, sets and props were provided free by local businesses, organisations and individuals. The estimated budget was £5,000.

The film is dedicated to Dominic Stewart (Polonius) who died during production.

History

First shown at the 2005 Shakespeare Association of America conference.

Reviews

Hopkins, Lisa. Shakespeare Bulletin, vol. 23, no. 2, Summer (2005)pp 52-53.

Online Availability

Online URL

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-8957003244474950410

Production Company

Name

Derry Film Initiative

Address

Northern Ireland