Kids today might only associate Christopher Plummer with The Sound of Music or Up, but he's actually quite an accomplished actor! In my book, anyone who can take on Shakespeare must know their stuff; Chris has played in Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, The Tempest, Henry V, Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale, Henry IV Part 1, Much Ado About Nothing, King John, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet. Knowing all that, it seems rather silly he won his Oscar for Beginners, doesn't it?
In any case, he starred in Hamlet at Elsinore as the confused, perpetually upset Danish prince. Robert Shaw costarred as Hamlet's uncle, June Tobin as the queen, Jo Maxwell Muller as Ophelia, and Michael Caine as Horatio. If you particularly like this Shakespearian tragedy, or are a Christopher Plummer fan, this is a good one to watch. I think everyone has their favorite version, and my heart lies with Richard Burton, but if you liked Laurence Olivier's interpretation you'll probably like Chris's as well. He's very clearly lost in his head, and his emotions are raw, accessible with only the slightest provocation. He's off in a dream world in one moment, then the next, he sees his friends and is so genuinely delighted to see them, he's forgotten anything at all was wrong a moment ago. When he's rude and insulting, the audience can see it's because he's so wounded inside, he can't take any more and lashing out at others is his release. However, there's one exception: during the famous "Get thee to a nunnery" monologue, he's particularly cruel to Ophelia, the most deliberately mean delivery of any I've seen. When you watch Jo collapse in tears after Chris exits, you just might shed a tear alongside her.
Since I'm not a Shakespeare aficionado, I require an abundance of energy from actors to help me understand what it is they're saying, hence my partiality to Richard Burton. But, if you are a little more well-versed than I am, you should definitely give Christopher Plummer's version a try. It's a different interpretation, but still very good.
In any case, he starred in Hamlet at Elsinore as the confused, perpetually upset Danish prince. Robert Shaw costarred as Hamlet's uncle, June Tobin as the queen, Jo Maxwell Muller as Ophelia, and Michael Caine as Horatio. If you particularly like this Shakespearian tragedy, or are a Christopher Plummer fan, this is a good one to watch. I think everyone has their favorite version, and my heart lies with Richard Burton, but if you liked Laurence Olivier's interpretation you'll probably like Chris's as well. He's very clearly lost in his head, and his emotions are raw, accessible with only the slightest provocation. He's off in a dream world in one moment, then the next, he sees his friends and is so genuinely delighted to see them, he's forgotten anything at all was wrong a moment ago. When he's rude and insulting, the audience can see it's because he's so wounded inside, he can't take any more and lashing out at others is his release. However, there's one exception: during the famous "Get thee to a nunnery" monologue, he's particularly cruel to Ophelia, the most deliberately mean delivery of any I've seen. When you watch Jo collapse in tears after Chris exits, you just might shed a tear alongside her.
Since I'm not a Shakespeare aficionado, I require an abundance of energy from actors to help me understand what it is they're saying, hence my partiality to Richard Burton. But, if you are a little more well-versed than I am, you should definitely give Christopher Plummer's version a try. It's a different interpretation, but still very good.