In making Hamlet (in 1947), Olivier was concerned, as he had been with Henry V, about avoiding the static quality of filmed theater. Without sacrificing the integrity of the play, he wanted to give visual fluency to theatrical material. Hamlet, of course, is radically different from Henry V, and in moving from the extroverted spectacle of the chronicle play to Shakespeare's most introverted chamber drama, Olivier altered his style severely: the dark, moody, claustrophobic atmosphere of this second adaptation provides a striking contrast to the bright holiday tones of Henry. (p. 79)

Set in cavernous, sparsely furnished rooms in which the vast space is fragmented by arches, stairways, platforms, and columns, the film creates a deliberately closed environment. The dark, mostly bare rooms, and the vast, empty spaces are meant to be projections of Hamlet's tormented consciousness. In a muted way, therefore, the film's method is expressionist, its dark exterior...