The Play's the Thing, Baby.

And it only took a decade.

It was 1996 when Kenneth Branagh brought his vision of "Hamlet" to the screen. If you were lucky enough, maybe you saw it in the theater, like my roommate Aaron and I did back then. Saw it up on the big screen in its full 70mm glory. Saw it with an intermission in the middle (which I hadn't experienced since I was a kid and they did that with the 70's King Kong). And saw it with a theater filled with stunned and appreciative film fans. It's one of those cinematic experiences you don't forget. Hamlet. The FULL Hamlet. Finally. And who better to do it than the man who had already reawakened the world to Shakespeare and proven that it could be done on screen without being laughably pretentious or inadvertently silly? Branagh didn't need guns or hip-hop to make "modern" Shakespeare adaptations. He brought them to life with an understanding of their essence, of their true timelessness. And with a masterful eye for visual storytelling and a knack for finding just the perfect actors. What he started in "Henry V" and continued in "Much Ado..." set the stage for his masterpiece. "Hamlet". Sorry...that is, "William Shakespeare's Hamlet".

And after experiencing it and being so enthralled by it in 1996, I had to wait until 2007 to get it on DVD. Um...isn't, I assume, every single POLICE ACADEMY MOVIE on DVD? Is not each and every "Ernest..." film available in digital? Why, then, did the one film I've most wanted to own on DVD take this long to come out? Well...I don't know, and the question used to vex me to distraction, but, nay...no longer. "Hamlet" is out, available for you to buy.

I, however, do not HAVE to buy it, because mine surprised me in the mail today! Courtesy of my friends Jeni and Aaron. Jeni has been following the online campaign to get this film on DVD where it belongs (until now, it's only been available on VHS. VHS?!! And only in pan-and-scan?!! This is the reason they invented the letters "W", "T" and "F"!!), and there have been hundreds of thousands of letters written by desperate fans like us, helping make this a reality. She's been emailing me with periodic updates over the past couple of years, right up until the big news finally came down that there was a release date!!! And then she and Aaron probably rightly guessed, knowing me as they do, that with the schedule I've had lately and all the summer trips I've had going that I'd blank on the date. And I did, but turns out that I didn't have to remember myself, because J&A had the beautiful 2-Disc set (it would HAVE to be a 2-disc set with a runtime of 242 minutes, actually...) shipped to my door.

If you haven't tried this film yourself (and I hope to God you haven't tried it on VHS...ewww!!), now's the time. Do your Netflix thing, do your Blockbuster thing, do your Wal-Mart thing or your Amazon thing, but DO that thing. Experience the mastery of Branagh, both behind and in front of the camera. Be spellbound by Julie Christie. Feel that undeniable electricity from each word and affectation of the remarkable Derek Jacoby. Appreciate the much-needed reminder that Robin Williams is an ACTOR, and an extraordinary one, and can do more than go manic or get hit in the nutsack for your little-bus-level amusement. Be staggered by the young Kate Winslet, whose haunting performance pre-dates her Titanical spitting that made her a household name. Or just come for the production design. You'll see what I mean. Come for the sweeping Patrick Doyle score (which I can't wait to hear on my sound system...). Just come for the majesty of it all, for a film that's more than a film, but a true cinematic event, an important piece of film history. Do yourself that favor. And also favor yourself with enough time to properly enjoy it, without distraction, without interruption. When you've got four hours to set aside for this, please do, and let it just wash over you, and, hopefully, affect you as it first affected me.

And thank you, Jeni and Aaron. Jeni, for first being one of the few people you can mention the Hamlet film to without her saying, "Oh, I love that Mel Gibson!", for being a true kindred fan, and for keeping me in the loop on all the news. Aaron, for experiencing it with me the first time, a night at the Tower Theater in downtown Sac neither of us have yet forgotten. And for both of you for the perfect gift. Wish I could be there in Seattle to watch it with you. Thanks, guys.

And for those of you who are already hip to Branagh Shakespeare and have been waiting way too long for him to jump back into it, the wait it over. Set your DVRs, like I am, for the premiere of Branagh's "As You Like It" on HBO. Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9pm. If you've got an HD HBO channel, don't forget to record it on that one! It's a film for those of us who always felt Shakespeare could use a few more ninjas...

Branagh. Shakespeare. Twice in one week. Ah, we happy few...