Hamlet (1996) corrections

Become a moviemistakes.com member and get access to loads of extra features!

Hamlet (1996) - 3 corrections

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Judi Dench, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Kenneth Branagh

Comments made in brackets are corrections from other visitors. As such, any aggressive/abusive corrections (and I get quite a few) written as if they're comments I've made myself will be ignored. To submit your own corrections for mistakes, just click "make changes" when viewing mistakes, and click "correct entry". Some entries have "duplicated entry" after them - these are entries which were already listed on the main page, but were submitted again. I occasionally leave these online for a while, just in case they were moved in error, so don't worry about pointing them out to me.

A couple of times we see Fortinbras tearing down a map of Denmark, showing a map of Scandinavia behind it. The borders on this map shows parts of today's southern Sweden as Danish. While this was true in the early 17th century when the play was written, the movie is set in the 19th century when today's borders had already been established. [The play is not a historical documentary. None of the characters are real, with many names being unlikely in a Danish setting. All of the events portrayed are entirely fictional. In a nutshell, this does not take place in the real world, nor is there even the slightest pretence that it is intended to be. As such, it is under no obligation to be factually accurate in any way.] Corrected by Tailkinker

In the scene where Hamlet first talks to his father's ghost, we can easily conclude that the intention was to edit this scene in a way that we wouldn't see the ghost blinking his eyes, but he does while he disappears. [There are no set rules as to how supernatural creatures should act, so there is nothing wrong with the ghost blinking his eyes. He did it for several years while alive, maybe the habit is hard to shed? In addition, there is no certain way to conclude what the film makers' intentions were in this scene, or how this conflicts with what is shown on screen.] Corrected by Twotall

During the final sword fight, Hamlet announces that he will be Laertes' "foil"; but they aren't using foils to fight with, they are using broadswords. Broadswords also don't fit the plot since the swords are supposed to be "unbaited" meaning the safety ball, which is used on fencing foils, would be taken off; broadswords don't use them. [When Hamlet says he will be Laertes "foil" he is using the word "foil" in a literary sense, not refering to the type of sword being used. A "foil" is a character who prevents another from being successful, or thwarts their plan.]