Prince of Jutland

A major disappointment after the delightful Babette's Feast, Axel's version of the Hamlet story (in English) is taken not from Shakespeare but an earlier source. Bale is the prince who goes literally barking mad (or does he?) after witnessing the murder of the king his father (Wilkinson). By the time we reach the scene in which the murderer (Byrne) 'consoles' the coveted queen (Mirren), the stilted script, half-hearted acting and overall poverty (financial and imaginative) raise the question: Is it some sort of parody? Indeed the later skirmishes are so small and scrappy they look not unlike the Pythons' glorious sketch of famous battles staged by the Batley Townswomen's Guild.