Hamlet goes Business (1987)

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The plot of William Shakespeare's Hamlet had already been transposed to the modern business world twice before the release of Hamlet Goes Business. These earlier films, Strange Illusion (46) and The Rest is Silence (60), are nearly as dour as the Shakespeare original. Only Finnish director Aki… More The plot of William Shakespeare's Hamlet had already been transposed to the modern business world twice before the release of Hamlet Goes Business. These earlier films, Strange Illusion (46) and The Rest is Silence (60), are nearly as dour as the Shakespeare original. Only Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki was able to see the dark humor and satirical implications of such a time-displacement effort: his modernization of Hamlet was set in a rubber duck factory, making all the passions torn to tatters seem slightly ridiculous. While the film follows the traditional tale of a son seeking revenge for his father's murder, director Kaurismaki never misses an opportunity to skewer the business world, just as he'd been doing in collaboration with his writer/director brother Mika ever since 1982. Also released in some countries as Hamlet Gets Business, this film was first seen in Finland as Hamlet Liikemaailmassa. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Aki Kaurismäki
Written By: Aki Kaurismäki
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 21, 1987 Wide

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Walter M

In "Hamlet," Isa(Pentti Auer) is dead as a doorknob, having been poisoned by his business partner Klaus(Esko Salminen) who was having an affair with his wife Getrtrud(Elina Salo). As a result, Isa's son Hamlet(Pirkka-Pekka Petelius) gains 51% of the company's stock… More
In "Hamlet," Isa(Pentti Auer) is dead as a doorknob, having been poisoned by his business partner Klaus(Esko Salminen) who was having an affair with his wife Getrtrud(Elina Salo). As a result, Isa's son Hamlet(Pirkka-Pekka Petelius) gains 51% of the company's stock while Klaus is named president. That works out well since all Hamlet wants to do is get it on with his girlfriend Ofelia(Kati Outinen) who wants to wait until they get married. As Hamlet is distracted, Klaus puts his masterplan in motion to convert the company to exclusively make rubber ducks. With "Hamlet Goes Business," Aki Kaurismaki puts his unique stamp on the venerable William Shakespeare play by inserting a little absurdity(The movie contains one of the top ten puns of all time) and rock and roll. The black and white cinematography adds a little noir to the mix. Otherwise, the gist of the play is intact, even if the underlying subtext has been altered in places, leaving with us a less sympathetic Hamlet, not trapped by fate, instead an active participant in covert corporate warfare with his new stepfather which leads to some incisive class commentary. (Originally reviewed in the blog section on July 24, 2009.)