Discovering Hamlet (1990/Athena/Acorn DVD Set) + John Gielgud – Ages Of Man (1966/E1 DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: B- Main Programs: B-
The
classical arts have such long histories and depth that it often takes a
lifetime just to understand some of them completely. Two new DVD releases of classic TV programs
on the subject shed even more light on important works, their authors and the
artists keeping these works alive.
Discovering Hamlet is a really interesting
documentary about Derek Jacobi’s obsession with Shakespeare’s great work and
his efforts to bring it alive, narrated by Patrick Stewart, but the big
surprise is seeing a very young Kenneth Branagh on the verge of his permanent
association with The Bard working on this stage version with best-friend Jacobi
as he was about to have a critical and commercial breakthrough hit with his
feature film version of Henry V in
1989. Of course, Branagh (currently
helming Marvel Comics’ Thor film)
eventually would make the most feature films based on Shakespeare’s works since
Sir Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles.
This peaked with his grand 70mm production of Hamlet in 1996, now on Blu-ray, which you can read more about at
this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10231/Hamlet+(1996/Warner+Bros.+Blu-ray
For those
who wished that disc had more extras, this is a set you will really want to
get. This was taped in 1988, but much
more than the final program exists and is included on this set. You get a 10-page booklet from Athena inside
the DVD case with illustrations and an essay by Mark Olshaker in line with the
fine booklets the company includes in all their DVD releases. The DVDs add a new Jacobi interview (34
minutes at 1.78 X 1) that reflects on the production and all that has happened
since, the bonus disc offers almost three hours of profiles, vintage interviews
with many of those who participated in the production, behind the scenes footage
and Jacobi with earlier thoughts on the role.
We also get stills, a Stewart text biography and fine Hamlet Through The Years profile showing
all the actors who landed the role and added to its performance legacy. Now that is a great set of extras.
One of
the actors who made his mark as Hamlet is the great Sir John Gielgud, an
advocate for the arts for decades and one whose recorded works on the subject
are now just arriving on DVD. This
included another Athena release in the Six
Centuries Of Verse set that you can read more about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9835/Six+Centuries+Of+Verse+(1984/Athen
E1 has
dug further back into priceless TV archives to release John Gielgud – Ages Of Man, a 1966 Emmy-Winning two-part production
with the brilliant actor pulling off a one-man show (assembled by George
Rylands) performing over 100 minutes of choice pieces from Shakespeare’s best
work, making this a great companion to go with Discovering Hamlet. The
Archive Of American Television was behind its rediscovery and restoration, now
for everyone to see and this was just before PBS existed and actually shown
originally on CBS.
Gielgud’s
grasp of The Bard is superior and as good as anyone who ever spoke it, making
this an enjoyable experience and key Shakespeare-on-video release. Even though the footage is older, once you
start watching and get into it, it is hard to stop and his explanation of each
work is terrific. Though now known to
most as a character actor doing comics roles (the original Arthur picture with Dudley Moore) and dramatic roles (11 Harrowhouse) or even dark TV work
(the Neck episode of Roald Dahl’s Tales Of The Unexpected),
he was seamlessly underplaying his vast talents. This is a master actor in great form and I
wish it were longer.
We also
get some great extras here including a booklet about the original production
and its legacy with a solid essay by writer/scholar Michael Billington, while
the DVD adds excerpts from Ian McKellan’s Acting
Shakespeare (also on DVD from E1).
The 1.33
X 1 color image on Hamlet is not
bad, but just about all of it comes from PAL analog video that is a little
softer throughout than I would have liked, though always seems to have good
color and is in decent shape, while the 1.33 X 1 black & white image on Ages is from a film copy of the
original video performance. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo on Hamlet is
simple and holds up better than the PAL tape, while the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
on Ages is older and more limited,
yet the restoration has made Gielgud sound clearer than you might expect.
- Nicholas Sheffo
