Hamlet (lost international cut of Shakespeare film; 1996)

French theatrical poster for the international '2h05' version of Hamlet.

Status: Lost

Hamlet is a 1996 film by Kenneth Brannagh, adapting the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. The film was notable for its length, running 242 minutes in total, making it one of the longest films to ever see a wide theatrical release in North America. A shorter version of 125 minutes was prepared and considered for wide release, with the 4-hour cut-only screening in cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but it was ultimately released uncut in North America.

International Release

The international '2h05' (125. min) cut of Hamlet would be released theatrically in some countries, including France, and was also likely used for airplane and TV showings of the film. Though the cut was often described as being 'two and a half' hours, a French theatrical poster confirms that the international cut of the film did in fact run for only two hours and five minutes. Australian VHS copies of the film also advertise themselves as the 'Complete Director's Cut', indicating this shortened cut may have previously been released in that country as well.

It is unknown if this version of the film was ever released on home video, and its exact differences from the uncut version are also not known.

Gallery

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  Australian VHS labeled as the '4 Hour Director's Cut Version', alluding to the existence of the shorter cut.