Review: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Film…

This film is a lot of fun. Having read the play and seen the movie over twenty years ago, I now recall the absurdity, witty dialogue, philosophical insights, and the suggestions of discovery without payoffs that define Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990).

“Deaths for all ages and occasions. Deaths of kings and princes…and nobodies.” This quote by the Lead Actor (Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws), while deftly defining what tragedy is, encapsulates the premise of this film quite aptly. Drawing on the structure of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this play/film by Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) delves into existential themes such as free will, identity, and the meaninglessness of life. 

But it’s the two lead actors, Gary Oldman (The Professional) and Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs), that make this film what it truly is—a witty discussion of philosophical musings. The characters in Shakespeare’s original play were mere devices with no clear distinction between them; indeed, a single character could have served the same purpose. The lack of distinction, this confusion concerning their identities, is exaggerated to a comical extent in this film, where not only do the other characters mix up the two, but the main characters occasionally confuse their own names as well.

The film is also dotted with verges of scientific discovery, initiated by Rosencrantz. In many of these moments, Rosencrantz gleefully calls Guildenstern over to share his discovery, only to have it fail, sometimes spectacularly, at the very last moment. Concepts such as gravity, momentum, the Law of the Lever, and steam power are frequently described in exaggerated terms, nearly achieving the acknowledgment they truly merit. These “discoveries” were not included in the original play. Bravo to Stoppard’s humor and creativity.

The rest of the cast is filled with classically trained British actors. Iain Glenn (Game of Thrones), whose young face is so unblemished and blank it looks seraphic, plays Hamlet. Joanna Roth (Damaged) portrays Ophelia, Ian Richardson (House of Cards) plays Polonius, while Donald Sumpter (The ABC Murders) offers his angst in his portrayal of Claudius, and Joanna Miles (1995’s Judge Dredd) plays Gertrude with subtlety and charm. 

I highly recommend this film. I have no urge to reread the original play, but if a live version of it ever comes around, I may very well see it.