HAMLET (1964) 8483 Electronovision War Bros Window Card 14x22 Very Fine RICHARD BURTON

Original U.S. Window Card for the Electronovision Presentation of Richard Burton's Hamlet

Original Warner Bros window card (14x22) for the film HAMLET (1964) starring Richard Burton. This film was actually a specially prepared kinescope of Richard Burton performing HAMLET on the New York stage in the season 1964. Richard Burton was of course very much in the public eye because of his famous love affair with Elizabeth Taylor, ignited on the set of CLEOPATRA. Burton was a sensation in Hamlet. While making the film BECKET (1964) with Peter O'Toole, the two came up with a scheme whereby each was to play the Dane. There was a coin toss and Burton chose to be directed by John Gielgud in New York while O'Toole got a London venue to be directed by Laurence Olivier. Both directors had famously portrayed Hamlet themselves. The New York production was billed as RICHARD BURTON'S HAMLET and the play was wildly successful, running for 137 performances, setting records for Shakespeare on the New York Stage.. This was not only because of Burton's notoriety, but also because he was a great actor in the role of a lifetime. The play was presented in a radically new way, without period costumes (Burton disliked them) and with minimal sets. Almost as a rehearsal if you will. Three separate performances were filmed using television cameras and these three performances were edited into one film. The film was only shown for two days and on a reserved seat basis. Alas, the video quality was not as good as film, but at least decent record was made of the performance. The two day run of the filmed play in a thousand theaters grossed over $4,000,000. Produced in a process called Electronovision by Bill Sargeant who held the patents on the filmed TV process. This one sheet is from that one and only exhibition of the film. Condition is very fine. MovieArt guarantees this poster to be authentic. We will sell NO reproductions.

RICHARD BURTON - Actor
BILL COLLERAN - Director
SIR JOHN GIELGUD - Director
Hume Cronyn - Actor
George Voskovec - Actor
John Cullum - Actor
Barnard Hughes - Actor
Alfred Drake - Actor