So you want to find that Hamlet screenplay but your local bookstore just doesn't sell it. Also, you may have noticed that the online bookseller, doesn't tell you what the book is about or whether it's any good. Yes, I know, very frustrating, isn't it? What to do then? Well, instead of accosting the bookseller who, more often than not, doesn't know what you're talking about, you've come to the right place here in my cozy little corner where you can purchase a few of these (rare) items. Just click on the links to order!

Hamlet Screenplay. This is THE screenplay with text by William Shakespeare, commentary & introduction by Kenneth Branagh, and a film diary by textual advisor Russell Jackson. At the back, there are also some lovely colour photographs from the production. Here's a review from the Electronic Telegraph.

Hamlet (signed and numbered edition). This is the signed and numbered (out of 250) hardcover edition of the screenplay. It has a medium blue cover and gold lettering on the binding and comes in a hard slip cover. Be warned: it is significantly more pricy than the unsigned and unnumbered paperback edition above.

Hamlet VHS Video. The video comes on two video cassettes in widescreen format, the first video being about 2 1/2 hours long (ends at the intermission, after "how all occasions") and the second video is 1 1/2 hours. That adds up to four, right?

Hamlet Soundtrack, beautifully scored by Patrick Doyle. There are also some music samples that you can listen to on Real Audio. My favourite score of Mr. Doyle's is Henry V.

Hamlet Laserdisc. Again, from Borders (a special order now), this is for North Americans who just can't wait for the widescreen VHS edition, the laserdisc is the way to go. Here's a description from Doug Finton: The Hamlet laserdiscs have about 53 min. sides; the intermission comes at the end of side 3. Side 5 is CAV (also known as the "fast speed", which allows you to freeze frames and step through scenes frame by frame) and lasts a bit over 20 min. All sides have "chapter stops", making it easy to access specific scenes directly, like playing cut #5 on a CD. The back cover of the box lists the chapters.

So you like Kenneth Branagh? Yes, so do I :). A lot. Here are a few more interesting titles that you need to get your hands on:

Henry V Screenplay. This would be Ken's very first Shakespearean film. This book has recently been reprinted for North America. It's a paperback book with an introduction by Ken and the screenplay with his comments (like the Hamlet screenplay but not as humourous [yeah, the tragedy is funnier...]). There are also scads of black and white photographs from the production.

Much Ado About Nothing: Screenplay, Introduction, and Notes on the Making of the Movie. Branagh's second Shakespeare outing was this very silly, very funny comedy. There is a 4 page introduction by Ken, a super-hilarious screenplay, lovely colour photographs from the production, and some black & white candids from the shoot.

A Midwinter's Tale. While not related directly to Shakespeare, this is an original screenplay by Ken which is about a group of out-of-work actors who put on a Christmas production of Hamlet in a battered old church. All of the characters are having some sort of crisis that is related to the play. Sound depressing? It's a comedy and quite, quite funny at that. The screenplay also includes a few black and white photos from the production (afterall, the film was shot in B&W).

Beginning. This is Ken's autobiography, written at the old age of 28. It is a very easy (and quite engaging) read that is mostly about his theatre career (if you're looking for something super-duper juicy about his private life, you won't find it here!) and at the end there is a film diary of the shooting of Henry V. There are also some lovely line drawings scattered about, done by Phyllida Law.

Hamlet (Oxford World's Classics (Paper)). With the screenplay, you don't really need a *normal* copy of the play (afterall, the screenplay is complete with textual notes...so to speak). But, if you do need a copy of the play, I would recommend the Oxford edition. it has a lengthy introduction and at the back, several appendices that include the music to Ophelia's songs (no, not Patrick Doyle's).

Modern Hamlets & Their Soliloquies by Mary Z. Maher. In this book, the author has interviewed various Hamlets, including Sir John Gielgud, Sir Derek Jacobi, David Warner, Ben Kingsley, and Kevin Kline about their various approaches to the soliloquies in the play. Each actor is given his own chapter. It's quite fascinating to get inside the minds of the actors to find out what they're really thinking during the "nunnery" scene...

I Am Hamlet by Steven Berkoff. This book is a bit like a screenplay in that Berkoff goes through each scene of the play adding his comments about how he handled the scene and the language in his production (which was very strange indeed). 10 actors in 24 parts, no props, and no one leaves the stage throughout the whole play. An interesting read for a different interpretation.

The Norton Shakespeare. A marvellous collection of Shakespeare's complete works based on the Oxford edition, which I highly recommend. It is better than the Oxford edition, because for one thing Sir John Falstaff is left as Falstaff and not Sir John Oldcastle and the names of the characters' names are not abbreviated. Yeah, I know they're little petty things that only obsessive compusives like me would get irritated over but... Ah, yes, it is a green hardcover book (not only is it good reading, you can also use it as a weapon) with really thin pages and it may or may not come in a slipcase.

The Friendly Shakespeare, "A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard", by Norrie Epstein. If you've always been wary of Shakespeare, or even if you find him exceedingly interesting, this book provides some wonderful tidbits of information in a humourous and, yes, painless way. Of course, Shakespeare isn't (shouldn't) be painful to begin with! There is some commentary on each of the plays and it answers such pressing questions as "Why is Shakespeare boring?" and "Was Shakespeare murdered?" Ooooo. Check it out!

Shakespeare's Insults: Educating Your Wit. There is a general list of hundreds of insults for "name-calling" and a good part of the book is devoted to passages from each play and the last part lists "ready insults" for certain occasions. You never know when this will come in handy! The greatest thing about using Shakespeare as verbal assaults is that the people you're trying to insult know that it's an insult...but nonetheless, they have no idea what you've just said. Just ask my cousin :). So how many people know what a "capon" is?

In the same vein as the above, you can pick from specialized insult books (by the same authors) for doctors, teachers, the office, and lawyers. They seem to be quite popular as the publisher is out of stock on all but the teacher title.

Shakespeare's Bawdy. Need I say more? P.S. It's a dictionary. ;)

A Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare. This book is rather good for finding that Shakespeare quote for your essay. It is organized into various categories (like "love", "language", "wisdom", etc) with quotes and line references following (includes plays, sonnets, and narrative poems). I've learned that professors like it very much when you can make references to Shakespeare, so I use it as much as possible. It works for anything and everything...if you twist it right :).

Alias Shakespeare by Joseph Sobran. Ahhh, the authorship question! Personally, I'm not interested in who really wrote the plays (a lot of people are) but this book caused quite a stir when it was first released and in it, the author makes a strong case for Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford as the man who actually wrote the plays.

Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human by Harold Bloom. Here is the latest (thickest) book from the famous critic. This time, he explores 35 of Shakespeare's plays, making the argument that we wouldn't be the people we are today without the genius of Shakespeare. A pretty ambitious project I'd have to say! I haven't read it yet, so I can't comment, but there are several reviews on the Amazon.com site.

Recommendations

Please click on the link above to see some of my and my friends' book recommendations.

Can't seem to find what you want? Have a look through Amazon's website:

If you have any suggestions as to additional books that should go here, please don't hesitate to let me know!