''Hamlet'' is a 1959 Australian TV play starring William Job and produced by

Royston Morley John Royston Morley (25 August 1912 – 14 October 1991), was a British television producer, director and writer. He was among the earliest television producers, and also trained new producers for the BBC and in Australia. Life and career Morley ...

. It was one of the first two productions of Shakespeare transmitted by ABC, the other being ''

Anthony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around ...

''.

Plot

Cast

* William Job as

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

* Henry Gilbert as the King *

Georgie Sterling Georgie Sterling was an Australian actress, noted for her work in radio and television, especially in TV films and serials, although she also appeared in theatre. She started her career in the late 1950s and appeared in a TV movie version of H ...

as the Queen *

Owen Weingott Owen Ash Weingott (21 June 1921 – 12 October 2002) was an Australian actor, director and drama teacher. Although primarily working in theatre, he appeared on radio and television in serials and made for television films and voice overs. Weingo ...

as Laertes * Delia Williams as

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...

Gordon Glenwright Gordon Charles Glenwright (17 March 1918 – 25 May 1985) was an Australian actor, stage manager and playwright. He was familiar to audiences for his appearances on stage, television and film. He described himself as a "tradesman". Glenwright se ...

as the Gravedigger * James Lynch as Bernado * Grahame Webb as Francisco / Attendant * Frank Taylor as Horatio * Vaughan Tracey as Marcellus * Charles McCallum as Voltemand / Priest * Geoffrey King as

Polonius Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of ...

* John Fegan as Ghost * Maurice Travers as

Rosencrantz Rosenkranz is the German word for rosary. Rosenkranz, Rosenkrantz, Rosencrance, Rosencrans or Rosencrantz may refer to: * Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two characters in Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' * ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'', a 1966 ...

* James Elliott as Guildenstern * Lou Vernon as the Player King * Dennis Carroll as Player Queen * John Hurrell as Lucianus / Osric * Tony Arpino as Norwegian Captain * Geoffrey Hill as Fortinbras * Douglas Hayes as the Gravedigger * Ria Sohier as Attendant * Anne Kelly as Attendant * Evelyn Kopfer as Attendant * John Brock as Attendant * David Bryant as Attendant * Kevin Williams as Attendant * Gary Deacon as Attendant

Production

William Job had played Hamlet on stage in Adelaide in 1952. He then went to England and Canada and had only recently returned to Australia, appearing in a TV production of ''The Seagull''. It was Georgie Sterling's third TV appearance after ''The Multi-Coloured Umbrella'' and ''Sorry Wrong Number''. The show used some basic special effects to create the ghosts. Owen Weingott helped choreograph the fight scene. The production had a ten-minute intermission.

Reception

The production was well received. The ''Australian Woman's Weekly'' called it "two hours of engrossing TV... It was just pleasure and wonderful entertainment. Even if you didn't like Shakespeare, any televiewer would appreciate the notable production and camera work.... A most satisfying night of TV." A critic from the Sunday ''Sydney Morning Herald'' said that it "proved that Shakespeare can be successfully translated to television" with Morley's direction responsible for "much of the credit... he kept the field of action small, relying on _closeups to intensify the drama. I also thought that William Job's portrayal of the young and tragic Dane was outstanding... A night to remember" A critic from the daily ''Sydney Morning Herald'' thought the production suffered from "the skimping of preparation time, the skimping of histrionic talent, and the skimping of imagination and subtlety" although it said Job's performance was one of "sensitiveness, vision and skill". The critic from ''The Age'' thought it was much better than ''Anthony and Cleopatra''. The ''Bulletin'' thought the tragedy of the play "shrank to middle-class size; Hamlet was a G.P.S. boy angry and hurt by what had been going on at home during term" but felt "the production was sound enough—even, in places, admirable." It was repeated in 1961 and 1964.

References

External links