 Initially, Olivier was not keen on producing "Hamlet". Although he  wanted to repeat the success of  _Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France, The (1944)_ (qv),  he found that the Danish play was the only really viable choice, as  Orson Welles had just done _Macbeth (1948)_ (qv) and was prepping  _Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice, The (1952)_ (qv). By  casting himself in the lead, however, he was able to secure the  necessary financing.