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Love's Labour's Lost [2000]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Having taken Shakespeare at his word on Hamlet (i.e., not cutting a single syllable out of a very long play), Kenneth Branagh selects a more radical approach with Love's Labour's Lost. Here the prolific director-star weeds out much of the play's dialogue, and adds songs and dances of a decidedly modern bent. The King of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola, Nicolas Cage's wacko brother in Face/Off) and his three comrades (Branagh, Matthew Lillard, Adrian Lester) take a vow: no womanly distractions while they pursue their studies. Ah, but at that very moment, floating down a magical studio-built river, is the queen of France (Alicia Silverstone), accompanied by three ladies-in-waiting. You do the maths. Branagh has set the tale on the eve of the Second World War, which allows for the inclusion of vintage pop songs, including "Cheek to Cheek", "The Way You Look Tonight" and a rousing chorus of "There's No Business Like Show Business", led by--who else?--Nathan Lane. The fact that most of the cast members are not accomplished song-and-dance folk is clearly meant to charm, but the results are spotty at best. Perhaps the most dynamic performer is Natascha McElhone (memorable from Ronin), whose aristocratic bearing and bottomless eyes lend a gravity to the material that is otherwise absent from Branagh's twinkly staging. The play contains some of Shakespeare's loveliest paeans to the language of love, yet Branagh seems to be in a hurry to juice everything up lest the audience lose interest. The labour shows. --Robert Horton

Editorial
Special Features

1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Commentary By Kenneth Branagh
Out Takes And Featurette
Five Deleted Scenes
Original Theatrical Trailer

Editorial
Synopsis

Kenneth Branagh's musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy sets the action in the last few days before the start of World War II. In the fictional kingdom of Navarre, King Ferdinand (Alessandro Nivola) and three chums take vow to study rigorously and avoid women for three years. Their vow is immediately tested with the surprise visit of the Princess of France (Alicia Silverstone) with three ladies-in-waiting. Romantic merriment ensues as each of the men fall in love and attempt to woo the ladies without being caught. Branagh's film features musical numbers by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and others performed in the classic style of 1930s MGM musicals.

Pleasing on the eye and good fun
Review date: 2008-08-06 Rating: 8 out of 10

I thought this looked wonderful, and was good fun. I'm neither an expert on Shakespeare or on dancing, but this obviously does not appeal to the purists so I'm expecting to get unhelpful votes. But what is so wrong with some experimentation especially if it gets people involved in Shakespeare. I thought the cast danced and sung well enough. However, I am biased as I really like Cole Porter songs and anything to do with the 1930's,

I would agree though that the actor playing the King was a bit limp, and Branagh would have been better cast in that role.

Some of the comedy was on the slapstick side and a bit clumsy but hardly dull.

The masked ball was certainly near the mark.

I liked the way the war footage was spliced in at the end.

You might not like this if you want your Shakespeare pure and unadulterated but as a romantic musical comedy I thought it worked fine.

I have just watched this with a girl i've started seeing, and we both had smiles on our faces when it had finished.

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Reviews


Indecency Strikes Again.
Review date: 2007-12-29 Rating: 4 out of 10

I was fairly enjoying this production, in spite of the characters breaking out into 1930's songs now and then. If they had stuck to a 1930s mood I might have been able to watch until the end, but the dance routine at the masked ball was indecent in the extreme and that was the end of it for me.

A shame! Apart from that, it was really only Kenneth Branagh's acting which was saving this production from complete mediocrity anyway.

Good if you like 30's style musicals but I don't so spoils it somewhat
Review date: 2007-08-06 Rating: 6 out of 10

I would have preferred more of the Shakespeare text and less of the song and dance. Although some nice songs were chosen, I'm just not interested in that kind of 30's musical style - I prefer more modern musicals. There was too much song and dance which meant cutting down the Shakespeare drastically so I soon became rather bored and it was hard work watching this attentively.

I felt it anomalous that Kenneth Branagh, clearly so much older than the other three students, didn't play the King anyway. He should have done as was the only actor of the younger characters who had the presence to do so and could have got away with being so much older than the other students - after all, the King could be a mature student so his age isn't all that relevant, but being subordinate to a not very exciting "king" was a casting mistake I think. I wondered whether the idea was to attract young viewers with the three young men. That could have been achieved just the same with Branagh in the leading part. He was by far the best actor - apart from the older couple Briars and the lady who plays Marple, I forget the actress's name who were also excellent and appropriate for their parts. Branagh sounded "real Shakespeare" and could have given more presence to the show, whilst the other three younger men, whilst very charming and perfectly good actors, didn't seem to have that proper Shakespeare style I'd expect to see in any Shakespeare presentation. Apologies to them if they are all expert Shakespeare actors, perhaps it's just that I found the show tedious, but no doubting the screen only lit up when Branagh or the older couple were on there. I never got into the comic turns and think this is also because the Shakespeare dialogue was so cut up by the dancing and stuff that I just couldn't concentrate on any of it much and was pleased when it all ended. In the end it seemed a trivial sort of play which I'm sure isn't the case if one had the full play acted properly. I've seen this acted properly at some time in the past, but didn't remember anything much of it at all.

I think it's a shame to trivialise any Shakespeare play and it needn't have been trivialised.

But nonetheless, three stars. It's pleasant on the eye, nicely presented, the actors are all nice enough, the songs are nice, the dancing's OK if you like that kind of dancing. Others may prefer Shakespeare done this way. It's just that I don't think this particular adaptation works and it needs some dynamism at the very least.

Unexpectedly wonderful
Review date: 2001-08-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

I groaned when I found out that LLL was being done as a musical. Has he gone mad at last? No, he certainly hasn't. He's turned a rather inaccessible play (the full text contains heavy parody of the affected language of Elizabethan courtiers and academics) into a scintillating romp. The music and dancing is perfectly apt, and the production is gob-smacking - the colour, the music... everything is a delight. This is a DVD which gives you a little more every time you see it. Life affirming and life enhancing, and the bittersweet ending is perfectly done.

Oustanding Production of a brilliantly funny play.
Review date: 2001-01-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

A brilliant adaptation of what is(for me anyway) a lesser known play. Branagh brings the play up to the 1930s and makes a West End Musical out of a South Bank Comedy. The songs and dance never look out of place with the Bard's words ...Remarkably easy to watch and enjoy - you do not need to be a Shakespeare buff to have a wonderful time watching this!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Carmen Ejogo
Emily Mortimer
Kenneth Branagh
Richard Briers
Geraldine McEwan

Creators:
Kenneth Branagh (Primary Contributor)
Geraldine McEwan (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Pathe Distribution
Manufacturer: Pathe Distribution
EAN: 5060002830451
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2000-09-11
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1999
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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