Hamlet is a 1921 film adaptation of the William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

 play of the same name

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 starring Danish silent film

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 actor Asta Nielsen

Asta Nielsen

Asta Nielsen , was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were made in Germany where she was known simply as Die Asta...

. It was directed by Svend Gade and Heinz Schall.

In this interpretation, inspired by Dr. Edward P. Vining's book The Mystery of Hamlet, Hamlet is born female and disguised as a male to preserve the lineage. Though a radical interpretation, the New York Times said this film, "holds a secure place in class with the best."

Further reading

• Buchanan, Judith (2009). Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ch. 7. ISBN 0521871999
• Howard, Tony (2007). Hamlet as a Woman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521864666

External links

• Hamlet A Woman? - an examination of the idea of Hamlet as a woman, with a focus on this film
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012249/releaseinfo