2nd on the Jacoby 'Hamlet' thanks to BBC.

Alas, rather difficult (and expensive) to obtain due to their
wanting to sell the whole series, last I checked. If I'm wrong,
someone let me know.

'Hamlet' still leaves me weeping at the final scene--- I do
love that play, and have done since I was a sophomore in high
school in 1975.

Another brilliant production from the same series was 'Taming of
the Shrew' with John Cleese playing Petruchio.

As was their 'Merchant of Venice.'

Mel Gibson as Hamlet? Feh! Awful. Just awful. He played it the
same as he played Spencer Christian in that re-make of Mutiny
on the Bounty. All neuroses and spittle. Come to think of it he
only plays one way, and it's that way. Ptui!

Now, the 3rd best 'Hamlet' after the BBC and the Olivier is
certainly the 'Gilligans Island' one that featured Phil Silvers
as Harold Heckuba. They put it on as a musical, using the only
record they had, 'Carmen' as the orchestra. Frigging brilliant;
it was clearly screen-writ by a Shakespeare scholar. 'Get thee
to a notary!' Wonderful. 'Hide anywhere' (he says to Ophelia) 'but
don't go near the water.' Damn. What a belly-laugh.