Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead
Encyclopedia
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead is a 2009 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 independent film written and directed by Jordan Galland
Jordan Galland
Jordan Galland is an award-winning filmmaker, musician. He has also contributed his music to raise money and awareness of various charitable causes....

. The film's title refers to a fictitious play-within-the-movie, which is a comic reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet
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...

and its aftermath and whose title is a reference to the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The cast includes Devon Aoki
Devon Aoki
Devon Edwenna Aoki is an American model and actress.-Early life:Aoki was born in New York City, New York, and grew up in California and London, attending high school at The American School in London...

, John Ventimiglia
John Ventimiglia
John Ventimiglia is an American actor, known for his role as Artie Bucco on the HBO television series The Sopranos. He has had parts in feature films such as Cop Land, Jesus' Son, and Mickey Blue Eyes and has appeared in numerous television shows including Law & Order and NYPD Blue...

, Kris Lemche
Kris Lemche
-Early life:Lemche was born in Brampton, Ontario to a schoolteacher mother and a father who was the proprietor of a heating business. Lemche attended the Mayfield School of Arts...

, Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio
Ralph George Macchio is an American actor, best known for his roles as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series, Bill Gambini in My Cousin Vinny, and Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. He is also known to American television audiences for his season five recurring role as Jeremy Andretti on the...

, Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. Sisto has had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless and Thirteen.-Early life:Sisto was born in Grass Valley, California, the...

 and Waris Ahluwalia
Waris Ahluwalia
Waris Ahluwalia |Punjab]], India, c. 1975) is an Indian-American jewelry designer and actor. He immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He is based in New York City but has also lived in Los Angeles and travels frequently to Rome,...

. The film stars Jake Hoffman
Jake Hoffman
Jacob Edward "Jake" Hoffman is an American actor.He was born in Los Angeles County, California, the son of actor Dustin Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman . He is best known for playing the adult version of Ben Newman in the 2006 comedy fantasy film Click...

 (son of Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....

). An original musical score was composed and performed by Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon
is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...

.

Shooting began in late November, 2007, and principal photography was completed on December 23, 2007. It was filmed entirely in New York City with the Red Digital Cinema Camera, an extra-high-definition video camera.

Plot summary

Julian Marsh (Jake Hoffman
Jake Hoffman
Jacob Edward "Jake" Hoffman is an American actor.He was born in Los Angeles County, California, the son of actor Dustin Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman . He is best known for playing the adult version of Ben Newman in the 2006 comedy fantasy film Click...

), an unemployed young lothario
Lothario
Lothario is a male first name which came to connote an unscrupulous seducer of women.In The Impertinent Curiosity, a story-within-the-story in Don Quixote , by Miguel de Cervantes, a man named Anselmo coerces Lothario, his faithful friend, to test the virtue of Anselmo's wife, Camila...

, is forced by his doctor dad (Chip Zien
Chip Zien
Chip Zien is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim...

) to accept a job directing an off-Broadway play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, which is described as a weird adaptation of Hamlet. The play has been written by a mysterious, pallid Romanian named Theo Horace (John Ventimiglia
John Ventimiglia
John Ventimiglia is an American actor, known for his role as Artie Bucco on the HBO television series The Sopranos. He has had parts in feature films such as Cop Land, Jesus' Son, and Mickey Blue Eyes and has appeared in numerous television shows including Law & Order and NYPD Blue...

), a vampire who has just killed a young woman (Bijou Phillips
Bijou Phillips
Bijou Lilly Phillips is an American actress, model, and singer. Phillips began her career as a model but soon transitioned herself into acting and singing. When she was 13, she started as a model and became one of the youngest people to grace the cover of Interview Magazine and Italian Vogue....

). Unaware of the danger that surrounds Theo’s play, Julian casts his best friend Vince (Kris Lemche
Kris Lemche
-Early life:Lemche was born in Brampton, Ontario to a schoolteacher mother and a father who was the proprietor of a heating business. Lemche attended the Mayfield School of Arts...

) as Hamlet and uses his new job to impress his ex-girlfriend, Anna (Devon Aoki
Devon Aoki
Devon Edwenna Aoki is an American model and actress.-Early life:Aoki was born in New York City, New York, and grew up in California and London, attending high school at The American School in London...

), an aspiring actress. To Julian’s dismay, Anna has taken up with a shady businessman named Bobby Bianchi (Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio
Ralph George Macchio is an American actor, best known for his roles as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series, Bill Gambini in My Cousin Vinny, and Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. He is also known to American television audiences for his season five recurring role as Jeremy Andretti on the...

), who has reputed ties to the Mafia. When Anna is cast as Ophelia, she slowly gets involved with Theo. The roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Theo’s play are filled by Carlo (Carlos Velazquez
Carlos Velázquez
Carlos Fernandez Velázquez Castillo is a Mexican goalkeeper. He currently plays for CF Pachuca.Velázquez made his debut on April 29, 2006 during a 3-2 loss to Cruz Azul in the Clausura 2006 tournament....

) and Mickey (Mike Landry), two narcissistic actors as foolish as the characters they are cast to play. Opening night draws near and people begin to die. Two bumbling New York City detectives (Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. Sisto has had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless and Thirteen.-Early life:Sisto was born in Grass Valley, California, the...

 and Lou Carbonneau) chase suspects as the movie builds to its climactic sequence.

The play within the film

Theo's play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, is revealed in short segments throughout the movie. Its basic plot points are that Hamlet’s friend Horatio (played by Theo) is a master vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

, over 2000 years old, who had once lived in ancient Rome. Through a series of twists and turns, Hamlet and his simple-minded friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. They are courtiers who are set by the king to spy on Hamlet, using their claimed friendship with him to gain his confidence. The characters were revived in W. S...

, become vampires themselves. When Horatio attempts to turn Hamlet’s girlfriend Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...

 into a vampire, she thwarts him by drowning herself first. Hamlet angrily confronts Horatio but discovers that one vampire cannot kill another. His only hope of reversing the curse that rendered him a vampire is to find the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...

 and drink from it. Horatio also becomes obsessed with finding the Grail in order to destroy it. The battle for the Grail between Hamlet and Horatio lasts for centuries and leads to the creation of four plays, each concealing a secret message. The first is Shakespeare's Hamlet
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...

, written at Horatio’s bidding. The second is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Gilbert)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, A Tragic Episode, in Three Tabloids is a short comic play by W. S. Gilbert, a parody of Hamlet by William Shakespeare...

,
written in the nineteenth century by W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...

 (half of the duo of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...

). The third is Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...

's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, written in 1964. The final play in the cycle is this one, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, written by Horatio himself under the name Theo Horace. Its purpose: to lure the real Hamlet into a final confrontation.

Distribution

This movie can be viewed online http://instantwatcher.com/titles/160336, and is available for purchase on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

 http://www.amazon.com/Rosencrantz-Guildenstern-Undead-Jake-Hoffman/dp/B003ZDZ1X0

Cast

  • Jake Hoffman
    Jake Hoffman
    Jacob Edward "Jake" Hoffman is an American actor.He was born in Los Angeles County, California, the son of actor Dustin Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman . He is best known for playing the adult version of Ben Newman in the 2006 comedy fantasy film Click...

     as Julian Marsh
  • Devon Aoki
    Devon Aoki
    Devon Edwenna Aoki is an American model and actress.-Early life:Aoki was born in New York City, New York, and grew up in California and London, attending high school at The American School in London...

     as Anna Blake
  • John Ventimiglia
    John Ventimiglia
    John Ventimiglia is an American actor, known for his role as Artie Bucco on the HBO television series The Sopranos. He has had parts in feature films such as Cop Land, Jesus' Son, and Mickey Blue Eyes and has appeared in numerous television shows including Law & Order and NYPD Blue...

     as Theo Horace
  • Kris Lemche
    Kris Lemche
    -Early life:Lemche was born in Brampton, Ontario to a schoolteacher mother and a father who was the proprietor of a heating business. Lemche attended the Mayfield School of Arts...

     as Vince
  • Ralph Macchio
    Ralph Macchio
    Ralph George Macchio is an American actor, best known for his roles as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series, Bill Gambini in My Cousin Vinny, and Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. He is also known to American television audiences for his season five recurring role as Jeremy Andretti on the...

     as Bobby Bianchi
  • Jeremy Sisto
    Jeremy Sisto
    Jeremy Merton Sisto is an American actor. Sisto has had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless and Thirteen.-Early life:Sisto was born in Grass Valley, California, the...

     as Detective Wembly
  • Geneva Carr
    Geneva Carr
    Geneva Carr is an American television and stage actress, with an extensive acting resume, yet is best known for her role of the "mom" in AT&T Mobility's mobile phone commercials.-Rollover Mom:...

     as Charlotte Lawrence
  • Waris Ahluwalia
    Waris Ahluwalia
    Waris Ahluwalia |Punjab]], India, c. 1975) is an Indian-American jewelry designer and actor. He immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He is based in New York City but has also lived in Los Angeles and travels frequently to Rome,...

     as Hugo Pepper
  • Joey Kern
    Joey Kern
    Joseph Daniel "Joey" Kern is an American actor. He is most widely known for his roles in the 2003 films Cabin Fever and Grind.-Early life:...

     as the real Prince Hamlet
  • Graham Malcolm as Mr. Liden
  • Chip Zien
    Chip Zien
    Chip Zien is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim...

     as Dr. Marsh
  • Azie Tesfai as Zadeska
  • Carmen Goodine as Lyuba
  • Carlos Velazquez as Carlo
  • Mike Landry as Mickey
  • Lou Carbonneau as Rookie Detective

Production

Jordan Galland
Jordan Galland
Jordan Galland is an award-winning filmmaker, musician. He has also contributed his music to raise money and awareness of various charitable causes....

 first conceived of the name, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, after playing Rosencrantz in a high school production of Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...

's play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, at the age of 14. Several years later he was introduced to Stoppard, who encouraged him to pursue the idea. The film was shot in New York City at the end of 2007, using the Red Digital Cinema Camera (also known as The Red One), an ultra-high-definition video camera, which can record resolutions up to 4520 x 2540 using a Super 35-sized CMOS sensor. Galland, along with his editor, Connor Kalista, and cinematographer, Chris Lavasseur, presented their experience with the Red One at a content panel (“Case Study: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead”) at the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...

’ convention (NABShow 2008), on April 15, 2008.

Soundtrack

Galland's longtime collaborator Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon
is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...

 has created an original musical score for the film.

Awards and nominations

  • 2010 Comedy Award at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival

  • 2009 Nominated for best production design at the Strasbourg
    Strasbourg
    Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

     Film Festival

Release

The film will run in a limited cinema release in the United States on 11 June 2010. It is distributed by Indican Pictures.

Film Festivals

  • World Premiere at a Special Screening the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2009.
  • Canadian Premiere at the Canadian Music Week Film Festival March 14, 2009.
  • Special Presentations Screening at The American Film Institute Dallas International Film Festival March 27 and 29 2009.
  • Feature Film Presentation Newport Beach Film Festival April 26, 2009l
  • Feature Film Presentation at the Delray Beach Film Festival, May 24, 2009
  • East Coast Premiere at the Stony Brook Film Festival, July 24, 2009.
  • European Premiere, Strasbourg International Film Festival, September 6, 2009
  • Spotlight Screening at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival, September 26, 2009.
  • Feature Film Screening at the Hollywood Film Festival October 24, 2009.
  • Middle East Premiere: Icon Film festival October 10, 2009
  • Asian Festival Premiere at the Kaohsiung Film Festival October 18, 20, 24 2009
  • Feature Film Screening, San Francisco Independent Film Festival February 5 and 9, 2010
  • Feature Film Screening, The Washington DC Independent Film Festival March 13, 2010
  • United States Cinema Release at June 11, 2010

Critical reception

Website Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

 assigned the film a 45 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...

gave the film a fairly positive review stating: "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead is one sly slice of the ridiculous.

External links

(movie fan site)
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