There are of course themes in it, brilliant ones at that, but not as many as one might expect, at least not in the 70 minute album release – given the length of the film, it's clear that the vast majority of the score didn't make it onto the CD.
His approach meshed with that of Branagh who said that the aim was to introduce the story to the widest possible audience by telling it “with utmost clarity and simplicity.” The end result is an emotionally direct powerhouse of a score. This proved to be entirely the right choice as it meant Doyle's music wouldn't overcomplicate the already complex source material. Was it important to embody the epic scope and tragic weight of this most famous of plays? Or would he need to represent the extraordinary plethora of complex, multi-faceted characters? In the end, Doyle decided the former approach was best. The sheer ambition of Branagh's vision also presented a formidable challenge for his regular composer and close friend Patrick Doyle. As usual, Branagh was able to enlist an astonishing line-up of big names to appear in the film, among them Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and Kate Winslet. The play – as if it needs any introduction – is regarded by many as the Bard's masterpiece and explores the tragic fall of the eponymous Danish Prince (played by Branagh), as he seeks to avenge his father's death at the hands of his scheming Uncle Claudius. Branagh's film follows in the illustrious footsteps of Laurence Olivier but takes the unprecedented step of presenting the text in its entirety, preserving the sweep and nuance of the story as Shakespeare intended it. In 1996, Kenneth Branagh achieved what is possibly the pinnacle of his directorial career with an unabridged, four hour adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tragedy Hamlet.
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