Based William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet this on Hamlet is 1948 British film adaptation was directed by and starring Laurence Olivier.

This was Hamlet was Olivier’s second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed (the 1936 As You Like It had starred Olivier, but had been directed by Paul Czinner).

Hamlet is the only one of Olivier’s directorial efforts to be filmed in black and white, and was the first British film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Academy Awards

Best Picture
Best Actor: Laurence Olivier
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White: Roger Furse Carmen Dillon
Best Costume Design, Black-and-White: Roger Furse

Nominations

Best Supporting Actress: Jean Simmons (winner Claire Trevor for Key Largo)
Best Score: William Walton (winner The Red Shoes for Brian Easdale)
Best Director: Laurence Olivier (winner John Huston for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre