National Theatre Live: Hamlet

This is the cinema recording of a production of Hamlet staged at the Barbican in London, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead. The design rests on an enormous house turned into a court and on that space collapsing into ruin in the second half. The reading presents Hamlet not as a thinking prince but as a man who cannot manage his grief and grows steadily more childlike. Ophelia's breakdown is treated with unusual prominence in this production. The cameras shoot the stage from angles no audience member could have and the close-ups offer something other than the theatre experience, which is both a gain and a loss. It runs over three hours and the text is cut. The stage production itself drew divided reviews. Who it's for: viewers who like theatre recordings and Shakespeare. Who it's not for: anyone expecting film language; this is a record of a stage performance.