Olivier’s Ophelia

July’s Literary Flick is the 1948 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Directed and produced by Sir Laurence Olivier, the movie also features Olivier as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Jean Simmons as his ill-fated love, Ophelia.

The role of Ophelia helped Simmons launch her career as a serious actress. Time Magazine featured her as Ophelia on its June 28, 1948 cover, and had this to say about her:

“A young (19) actress named Jean Simmons, who plays Ophelia, is a product of the movie studios exclusively. Yet she holds her own among some highly skilled Shakespeareans. More to the point, she gives the film a vernal freshness and a clear humanity which play like orchard breezes through all of Shakespeare's best writing, but which are rarely projected by veteran Shakespearean actors.”

Such poetry in their review! They go on to mention that Simmons received 2,000 fan letters a week, including multiple offers of marriage and a request from an Indian chiropodist for a photograph of her feet and a sliver of her toenail.

Many other versions of Hamlet have been filmed. The first, in 1900, was two minutes long and was projected simultaneously with recordings of the actors’ voices. French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt performed the role of Hamlet. Mel Gibson and Helena Bonham Carter played Hamlet and Ophelia in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 version. In 1996 Kenneth Branagh and Kate Winslet starred in the first unabridged theatrical film version of the play; and in 2000, Ethan Hawke and Julia Stiles play the doomed lovers in modern day New York City.

Olivier’s Hamlet stands the test of time. Much of the dialogue was cut to shorten a 4 ½ hour play to 2 ½ hours, and the characters of Fortinbas, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were dropped. But Olivier added his own stark, psychological focus to the story, from subtle adjustments to the script to the bleak, noir atmosphere of the sets. These, in contrast with Ophelia’s vulnerable innocence, give Olivier’s version a permanent place of honor in the annals of Shakespearean film.

Hamlet will be screened Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the McEntee Meeting Room. Admission is free and open to the public.