Which Laurence Olivier Shakespeare film about a Danish prince won Best Picture? Hamlet did.
Released in 1948, Hamlet was adapted, directed by, and starred Laurence Olivier. It is based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy about Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who seeks the truth after his father’s death and the accession of his uncle Claudius. Olivier’s version presents the story as an intensely psychological drama, emphasizing Hamlet’s hesitation and the Oedipal tensions within the royal family.
The film won Best Picture at the 21st Academy Awards, making it the first British film to receive that honor. Olivier also won Best Actor, while the production earned Oscars for black-and-white art direction and costume design. It remains the only film in which an actor directed himself to a Best Actor Oscar-winning performance until Roberto Benigni achieved the feat with Life Is Beautiful in 1998.
Olivier made substantial cuts to Shakespeare’s long play, removing or reducing political material and several characters, including Fortinbras. That choice makes the movie more focused but also explains why some Shakespeare scholars object to it. The film’s score was composed by William Walton, not Olivier’s later collaborator for several other Shakespeare productions.