I recently saw this flick for the second time, the first being when it was an indie theater release in 1990. It’s a great production, with Mel Gibson as the agonized young prince and Glenn Close as the ambiguous queen. Gibson is superb. He makes the role his own. He delivers his lines in a natural conversation style instead of high oratory, giving his performance intimacy and authenticity.

As good as the production is, though, there’s no question about it: it’s much more challenging to watch Shakespeare than a contemporary script. You have to pay attention to the language and be willing to decode the metaphors. It requires active mental engagement instead of simply siting back and enjoying.

But this film more than repays the effort. Like when Gibson digs down and expertly squeezes this one for every last drop:

“What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving, how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

(The phrase “quintessence of dust,” coming after that hyperbolic build-up, is gorgeous-great. No wonder this stuff has lasted hundreds of years.)

Here’s a scene with Gibson and Helen Bonham Carter: