Kenneth Branagh's HAMLET to get Blu-ray Digibook treatment

"This above all: to thine own self be true."

Kenneth Branagh seems to have taken that quote from "Hamlet" to heart, for his film version of Shakespeare's popular play marks the first time that Shakespeare's words are used completely and totally from start to finish. That in itself appeals to fans of Shakespeare, but there are many more reasons why Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" is a cut above the rest.

Roger Ebert spoke for a great many critics when he awarded four stars to Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" and summarized why:

"His 'Hamlet' is long but not slow, deep but not difficult, and it vibrates with the relief of actors who have great things to say, and the right ways to say them."

As Ebert pointed out in his review, it's the first 70-mm film since "Far and Away" (1992) and at 238 minutes the second-longest major Hollywood production, clocking in at one minute shorter than "Cleopatra."

Plus the cast is an interesting one. Branagh plays Hemlet, while Kate Winsley is Ophelia and Derek Jacobi and Julie Christie are Claudius and Gertrude. Rated PG-13 for some violent images, brief nudity and sexuality, "Hamlet" has what Ebert called "visual showmanship," which is "breathtaking" in 70-mm.

The run-time on the Blu-ray is listed at 242 minutes, so Branagh must have tinkered a bit. Features will include an intro by Branagh, commentary by Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson, a featurette on the history of "Hamlet," a 1996 Cannes Film Festival promo, and movie trailers. The SRP is $34.99.