I saw Burton do this on Broadway in June, 1964. The experience was a religious one. Certainly, this is not a particularly brilliant PRODUCTION of Hamlet, but Burton's performance - indeed his very presence - transformed me completely. I don't know that film or videotape can translate the effect of the live person of so dynamic an individual, but it can give a hint of what the experience must have been like.
When he died in 1984 (too soon!), the NY Times reviewer said that Burton didn't just belong on the stage, but that the stage was his by divine right. I know what this means. It was a divine epiphany.
By the way, there are a few other gems in this production (Hume Cronin, for example) - and a few clinkers (Alfred Drake). It's well worth the effort if you can find it.
When he died in 1984 (too soon!), the NY Times reviewer said that Burton didn't just belong on the stage, but that the stage was his by divine right. I know what this means. It was a divine epiphany.
By the way, there are a few other gems in this production (Hume Cronin, for example) - and a few clinkers (Alfred Drake). It's well worth the effort if you can find it.