"My personal favorite aspect of the film is Sir Derek Jacobi, who undoubtedly gives us the finest King Claudius ever realized on stage or screen. He is, well, astounding. Utterly SURPRISING. Through his interpretation and performance of this villainous character, the film gives us a story that is as much Claudius' journey from ignorance to insight as it is Hamlet's. With the subtlest nuances of voice and gesture, Jacobi' Claudius reveals to us a sad story of a stupidly naive man who actually thought he could commit a murder and remain untouched by it in his heart and soul, nay, even in his relationship with his beloved Gertrude. His 'Oh, my offense is rank' scene--shot, in this version, appropriately enough, in the claustrophobic space of a confessional booth--shows us an ordinarily cerebral man brought to the point of emotional desperation by a deed that is, much to his own utter surprise, eating away at his deepest sense of self. One wonders if, in the final analysis, Claudius himself isn't the naive and spiritually-youthful, if not 'innocent', tragic hero who is ultimately crushed by the convergence of his own naivete and the consequences of a deed willfully though ignorantly chosen.

"During the promotionals for the film, I happened upon an NPR broadcast of 'Fresh Air' in which Branagh was interviewed about various aspects of his making this epic film. One of his statements has remained in my mind, especially after I later saw Jacobi's stunning performance. Asked if Jacobi (who himself had directed Branagh as Hamlet on stage) had given Branagh any 'pointers' as he was directing the film, Branagh replied, 'Well, no, not really. He was so immersed in preparing his own performance that I don't suppose it occurred to him to discuss with me my direction of the play.' Now, THAT, my friends, is an Actor. Or maybe an Actor's Actor. Suffice it to say that Jacobi is good! Perhaps the supreme evidence of Branagh's generosity is that he allowed his own performance as Hamlet to be so eclipsed by Jacobi's Claudius, for so it is."