Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936)

Laurence Olivier Shakespeare Collection. There are six of Olivier's Shakespeare films in this boxed set, As You Like It [1936], Henry V [1945], Hamlet [1948], Richard III [1955], The Merchant of Venice [1973], and King Lear [1984], all digital and restored to pristine condition. The 7th (bonus) DVD contains a 32 minute Interview with Olivier himself. All 7 DVDs are in the original English with optional subtitles; Korean titles on all 7 DVDs and English titles on all except for the Interview and As You Like It. All in all there are 14 hours of material. A major omission from the set is Olivier's notable Othello [1965] film and would have rounded out this collection very nicely, but Othello is readily available elsewhere and at these bargain prices complaints seem hollow when you consider what you are getting. Olivier also voiced the brief Chorus in Zeffirilli's Romeo and Juliet film, which seems a minor omission now.As for Shakespeare, with all the tweaking that has gone on through the ages, there is always something to nitpick no matter how it is presented, on stage or on film. He does have his "problem" plays and one of those is here (Merchant). You can argue about these all day and never resolve the issues but at the end of the day the power and expansion of the language, the depth of characters and situation, and presentation such as this set, saves the day and makes us rather bear these small ills.As for Olivier, his fans will be delighted. In this set we can see him time-travel from about age 29 in As You Like It, where he shines against Elizabeth Bergner's over the top "cuteness" (never mind the accent), to about age 76 in King Lear where he is solid as the "very foolish fond old man" who makes an old man's dreadful error in judgment. As always in Shakespeare there are perfections and imperfections. But to paraphrase Touchstone, had he lived today, "time-travelers must be content." This is easy to do with this boxed set.

I had previously purchased MGM's opulent Romeo and Juliet(1936) and Warner's equally opulent and ethereal A Midsummer Night's Dream(1935) under separate packaging. Both pictures were wonderfully entertaining and had outstanding ensemble casts that illustrated perfectly that film personalities can not only act but often have serious stage backgrounds that serve them well when translated to film. Based on their close timing, it can be assumed that film goers had some appreciation of Shakespeare and classical theater in the 1930's.The other two film offerings, which are more contemporary, are moodier. However, both are equally engrossing in their own right. Both lead actors were well schooled in Shakespeare and had substantial stage training in the U.K. Kenneth Branaugh portrays the soliary Dane in Hamlet(1996) and compares favorably to Olivier's 1948 film Hamlet which is considered by many to be the definitive screen version. Laurence Olivier's driven to the brink Othello (1965) is at least equal to Orson Welles' version, but to my mind is probably better because when it comes to Shakespeare I absolutely love Olivier who has total command of the part as well as his audience.The good news regarding this specially priced set is that it is very affordable in comparison to buying each film separately. All of the inclusions are well-done and the only obvious criticism I had was that Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard's Romeo and Juliet stretched credibility a bit because both actors were far from being teenagers in 1936.The copies are clean and the sound quality is good. This is a good choice for anyone who likes Shakespeare and wants to snag a deal.

I admit I have a soft spot for this cheesy old Hollywood tearjerker. After I saw it on the late show at the age of 13, I developed a terrible crush on Leslie Howard and Shakespeare's language. Grandma's little black and white TV softened a lot of the detail, so I didn't notice that Mr. Howard was old enough to play Romeo's father. Everybody remembers him as Ashley Wilkes, but to me, he will always be Old Romeo who knew how to handle his iambic pentameter. Time has made this film's flaws obvious to me. I laughed when one young critic called Norma Shearer's Juliet a "dazed Disney Princess." But I watch it occasionally when I want to remember what it was like to be a romantic adolescent carried away by poetry.

It is extremely frustrating that the "Othello", the title I was most interested in seeing within this collection (for historical purposes) is "not supported" by my DVD player when all the other discs in the set work perfectly well. Why would Warner Home Video include DVDs of varying formats/specifications in the same boxed set? It's bizarre.Indeed, I have found it extraordinarily difficult to get ahold of this title through Amazon (and it does not exist on any streaming service that I can see.) First I was sent a mis-packaged version (Orson Welles') and now this....

This film was made in the 1930's with a really great cast of some of the best actors from old Hollywood.

Well tried watching Hamlet with my English class and we only got an hour into the DVD and it quit working. Tried it at home as well and couldn’t fully watch. Had to rent it off of Amazon twice to finish it with my class. Sure hope the other videos don’t do this.

very handsome, ambitious and sincere production. this and warner's Midsummer Night's Dream were both so unlikely at a time when Hollywood considered the Bard too highbrow and the masses too unwashed to want to go to see a film of his plays. i love both films. when anyone brings up the age of the actors, yes, of course they are 20 years+ too old, but all thru the centuries that Romeo and Juliet was staged, i'm sure audiences never questioned Sir Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, Katherine Cornell and Maurice Evans or John Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft in the roles---they were just thrilled to see talented actors playing the most famous lovers of all time.i'll show myself out......

Sin duda alguna la mejor adaptación cinematográfica de esta obra magna de Shakespeare. Las interpretaciones son inmejorables y los actor y el doblaje son perfectos.

An excellent classic film! Don't make them like this anymore.....more's the pity!!

I really love this product. It features old classic movies. This product is for true, serious and honest Shakespeare buffs.

I was pleased with it

Está muy bien comparar esta versión con las siguientes realizadas, que también se pueden adquirir en Amazon. Quizá ésta sea la más fiel a la historia original.