Hamilton is a filmed record of the Broadway musical of the same name, staged in 2015 and performed largely by its original cast. It follows Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant who arrives in the British colonies of America and ends up as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, along with his relationships with figures such as Washington, Burr and Jefferson. The entire story is sung, and the work draws its inspiration from Ron Chernow's biography.

How it was made

The film is an edit of three performances given in June 2016 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, featuring the original Broadway cast. Supplementary shots recorded without an audience, using a Steadicam, crane and dolly, were added to that material. The footage, captured by RadicalMedia, was originally shot for the documentary Hamilton's America. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the book, music and lyrics and plays the lead, while Thomas Kail directs and produces alongside Jeffrey Seller. Declan Quinn handled the cinematography. Walt Disney Studios acquired the worldwide distribution rights for 75 million dollars.

Reception and legacy

Critics praised the film above all for its visuals, performances and direction. Rotten Tomatoes records a 98 percent approval rating from 202 reviews, and Metacritic gave it 90 out of 100. A theatrical release planned for October 2021 was disrupted by the pandemic, and the film instead reached Disney+ on July 3, 2020. It received twelve Primetime Emmy nominations, winning two, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. It was counted among the most-streamed films of 2020.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

Three performances

The film's images come from three stage performances held at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in June 2016.

A contested bid

Disney outbid Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox and Netflix, which had all also expressed interest in the film.

More films by Thomas Kail

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Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.