Hamlet [1980] - BBC Classic Shakespeare

To be or not to be...

Well I be bored rigid watching Derek driveling on in this on. I couldn't wait till they finally did him in. not soon enough for my money. What pompous affectation! Connected to zilch emotional depth. He is a top notch Shakespearean actor today but must look back at this one and groan. I'm with John from Glasgow - not one of his finest moments - ugh!

Jacobi Superb

There can be no such thing as a definitve Hamlet, but Derek Jacobi gives my favourite performance available on DVD. Full of humour and humanity it's a superb performance. The production is typical of the BBC Sakespeare series - a bit creaky and not exactly adventurous, but "the play's the thing." Very good support from Patrick Stewart, as a sympathetic(!) Claudius, and Claire Bloom is gorgeous enough to bring oedipal thoughts to any of her sons. The only disappointment in the cast is Lalla Ward who seems overpowered as Ophelia.
Overall probably only worth 4 stars but the extra one is for Jacobi.

What would he do had he the motive and the cue for passion that i have?

Excellent. Derek Jacobi is clearly a Shakepeare fan himself, but oh my, sitting through nearly four hours of his whiny voice and stressed words is near enough unbearable. He brings nothing new to the character, do not expect any individuals interpretation, this is pure laziness on some level.
Kenneth Brangth's 1997's Hamlet is marvellous, this is absolute torture and tedium, it only gains three stars due to the faithfulness to the text.
But Jacobi's voice is like that of an angst ridden teenager ''Toooo bee or noot be beeee'. Ah! Mel Gibson, Kenneth Brangth, Laurence Oliver-even Ethan Hawke was a superior choice of Hamlet, but Jacobi-noooo.
If it is ever repeated on the BBC and nothing else is on, and your a Shakespeare fan, check it out. But there is no need to make this mundane adaptation a priority.

Pretty Good

Well, as far as Hamlet productions go this isn't half bad. The acting is of high calibre (particularly 'Laertes'), though the set has aged badly. The 'Grave Digger' scene, IS THE GREATEST YOU WILL EVER SEE. It is worth buying the DVD for that scene alone. In fact, you needn't bother watching the rest of it, just select that scene and you'll see what I mean. It is superb. Earlier productions by Gielgud, Olivier, Burton, do not even come close to it. I can't stress enough how wonderful that scene is. Truly brilliant.

Jacobi - the best Hamlet

Of all the Hamlets - Jacobi is the best. One of the few actors talented enough to make Shakespeare accessible. The humour, humanity, passion and force of his performance will probably not be excelled. Overall, this production has minimalistic settings allowing the quality cast to shine.