Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1991)
Tom Stoppard's modern stage classic finds a pair of film actors worthy of its verbal japery and existential bewilderment: Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are deliciously locked in as the title characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. And yet it remains difficult to tell which one is Rosencrantz... (read more) Tom Stoppard's modern stage classic finds a pair of film actors worthy of its verbal japery and existential bewilderment: Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are deliciously locked in as the title characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. And yet it remains difficult to tell which one is Rosencrantz and which Guildenstern--even they seem unsure--a clever part of Stoppard's ingenious design. Focusing on a pair of unremarkable characters from Hamlet, Stoppard sees the great play from their confused perspective. Now and again the action of Hamlet sweeps them up, but most of the time R&G are left wondering where they are, what they have been sent for, and why they can't remember anything that happened before the beginning of the play. Richard Dreyfuss (fittingly grandiloquent) is the Player King, who seems to know more about the ominous workings of fiction and tragedy than the heroes do. Stoppard's first outing as a film director is handsomely shot but uncertainly paced--although any time Oldman and Roth go into one of their tennis-match debates on probability, identity, or death, the movie crackles. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern may be the "indifferent children of the earth," but for this brief moment they deserve center stage. --Robert Horton
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PG, 117 min.
Directed by:
Tom Stoppard
Release Date: Feb 08, 1991
DVD Release Date: Mar 22, 2005
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A pretty good movie, entertaining though the middle with the play-within-the-play drags on since the entire plot of Hamlet gets explained something like four consecutive times.
Tom Stoppard adapts his own play to the screen with impressive results.Amazing chemistry between Gary Oldman and Tim Roth.While not entirely faithful to the source material,the film still manages to convey the main characters' absurd fascination with... (read more) Tom Stoppard adapts his own play to the screen with impressive results.Amazing chemistry between Gary Oldman and Tim Roth.While not entirely faithful to the source material,the film still manages to convey the main characters' absurd fascination with death in a witty and humorous manner.The existential themes from the play are presented in a more subtle manner.
Coin, but does it mean Destiny? Boat, but does it mean Existentialism? Every exit is an entrance someplace else? Play with paper plane, within play... di·gest·ing
Rosencrantz: I don't believe in it anyway.
Guildenstern: What?
Rosencrantz: England.
Guildenstern: Just a conspiracy of cartographers, then?
A pretty cool interpretation of Hamlet from a point of view of R&G. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are phenome... (read more) Rosencrantz: I don't believe in it anyway.
Guildenstern: What?
Rosencrantz: England.
Guildenstern: Just a conspiracy of cartographers, then?
A pretty cool interpretation of Hamlet from a point of view of R&G. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are phenomenal, Richard Dreyfus is unbelievable, and the movie is full of great dialogs. It is, however, a bit slow at times.
Also, I would recommend re-reading "Hamlet" before watching it, as some things just make more sense when one knows which reference is being made.
some of the best writen dialouge and deffinetly the most interesting screenplay ive seen in a while
Incomprehensible, but fun. I need to read it, I think, to appreciate all the dialogue.
The existential comedy of two bumbling yes men. We get to see the behind the scene of Hamlet as they try figure out what IT all means....Deep and Funny!
Stoppard's script is a genius meditation on life, death, fiction and theatre, superbly and ably played by Roth and Oldman. It betrays its theatrical roots in the staging and the script, which contains the odd scripted sequences which are so unique to... (read more) Stoppard's script is a genius meditation on life, death, fiction and theatre, superbly and ably played by Roth and Oldman. It betrays its theatrical roots in the staging and the script, which contains the odd scripted sequences which are so unique to modern British theatre. Fascinating, and rewards repeated viewings.
first i was all but they look practically identical...they're in the same movie? but that was totally the point. awesomeness. and they're cute together XD
One of favourite films, easily able to watch it on a continuous loop :)
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