Open ClassicCINEMA
Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 889

Hamlet

1921131 minGermany
Drama

Synopsis

Raised as a prince to preserve the royal succession, Hamlet lives with an identity arranged before birth. Returning from study to find a dead father and a newly allied mother and uncle, the heir begins investigating the crime. Feigned madness protects that search while affection for Horatio and the demands of revenge deepen the conflict between private feeling and public role.

Watch the film ↓
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: German.
This copy runs
130:44
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: German. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Svend Gade / Heinz Schall · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsSvend GadeHeinz Schall

Inspirations

Asta Nielsen's Hamlet follows Edward P. Vining's theory that Shakespeare's character could be understood as a woman raised as a man. The film makes that interpretation explicit in its prologue rather than merely casting a woman in the traditional role.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

  • Asta Nielsen — Unknown (Bain News Service, publisher); This image is available from the United States Library of Congress 's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.31073 . This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing . · Public domain

Audience rating

Loading ratings…

Keep exploring

Collection