Kenneth Branagh's HAMLET

I confess I'm in a bit of a William Shakespeare themed period, having only now been introduced to his works. Naturally the only way in which I could possibly get interested in Shakespeare is through cinema.
It should first be noted that Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of the tradgedy 'Hamlet' requires the upmost patience and commitment, as it is pretty near word for word the entire play on-screen. This being the reason for it being dubbed the 'eternity version' of Hamlet -as it never seems to end. Although being, indeed, a very long film it is an extremely enjoyable watch. The performances given by, pretty much the same cast as 'Henry V', grab your attention from the very off.
Amoungst the many great performances the most outstanding (In my opinion) is that of the director/star Kenneth Branagh. No matter how good his co-stars play out a scene he always seems to surpass it, adding a believable sense of sencerity to the complicated and sometimes confusing dialogue.
Branagh's choice to set his adaptaion in a period reminiscant to the late 19th century gives the film a much brighter, colourful and more attractive atmosphere than if he had kept the original dark gothic setting. Costumes are, again, like Henry V noticably well done so too is the score. The music being composed by the RSAMD's very own Patrick Doyle.
Another point I should mention is the style of the film. It was filmed in 70mm format (fairly unknown area to me to be honest) and the picture quality, lighting and sets are all most pleasaing to look upon. Branagh also makes use of (many) very long, very complicated shots, in which many pages of dialogue are consumed. This I found not only extremely impressive but it also keeps your attention fixed into the actors perfectly deliverd performances.
The only slight negative I can see is in the epic length of the film, it being around 4 hours long. However, seeing as I generally like long (extended edition) films it only added to my enjoyment. And to be honest, one can hardly blame the film for structural faults of run time, concidering it is merely copying the play almost exact for the screen.
In closing, I would recomend Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet to anyone who enjoys; good cinematography, great acting, fantastic dialogue, gripping storylines or Shakespeare in general.