‘The rumble of continuing life’: Kozintsev’s Hamlet and its distorted reception

This article challenges central tenets of the Western reception of Grigori Kozintsev’s 1964 screen adaptation of Hamlet. Adding new information derived from published and unpublished archival materials and insights from the film director’s son, it argues that Kozintsev’s intentions were more universal than contemporary political. It serves as a call for caution and for the reconsideration of certain articles of received wisdom, in particular with respect to the film’s supposedly anti-Stalinist language.