Hamlet

Franco Zeffirelli directed this adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, with a screenplay he wrote alongside Christopher De Vore. Mel Gibson plays Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, who learns that his father, the king, did not die naturally. The ghost of the dead king, played by Paul Scofield, reveals that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius, who has since taken the throne and married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet searches for proof of the new king's guilt while those around him begin to see him as unstable. Glenn Close plays Gertrude, Alan Bates plays Claudius, Ian Holm plays Polonius, and Helena Bonham Carter plays Ophelia.

The film sits within a run of Shakespeare adaptations in Zeffirelli's filmography, following his earlier take on Romeo and Juliet and arriving between Tosca and Jane Eyre. It was made for about 14 million dollars and returned roughly 21 million worldwide, a modest result for a production with three countries behind it and a credited cast of 28. On IMDb, viewers rate it 6.7 out of 10 from around 25,000 votes, while on TMDB it holds 6.6 out of 10 from 449 votes. A critics' score of 6.8 out of 10 from 38 reviews places it close to the audience averages.