Ian McKellen's Hamlet: the performance that launched a Shakespearean legend.
Hamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
Acting
McKellen's raw, youthful Hamlet crackles with nervous intelligence.
Direction
Giles strips it bare: no castle, just faces and words.
Director
David Giles
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on 16mm in a single room with minimal sets for BBC's 'Theatre 625' series—budget constraints that became artistic virtue.
This 1970 performance established McKellen's Hamlet as a generational benchmark; he wouldn't play the role again on stage until 1971's RSC production.
US
