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As the film would run barely over ninety minutes, Branagh reversed the philosophy he had used with ''Hamlet'' (that is, to keep every line), and instead made major cuts in the playtext. The released version retains only about a quarter of Shakespeare's lines; although Branagh managed to include all seventeen of the original speaking roles, some (most notably among the lower-class characters) are cut almost to nothing. |
As the film would run barely over ninety minutes, Branagh reversed the philosophy he had used with ''Hamlet'' (that is, to keep every line), and instead made major cuts in the playtext. The released version retains only about a quarter of Shakespeare's lines; although Branagh managed to include all seventeen of the original speaking roles, some (most notably among the lower-class characters) are cut almost to nothing. |
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==Reception== |
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The movie received generally disparaging reviews. Few went as far as [[David Edelstein]], who called the movie "unfathomably awful," an intemperance of phrasing that might be explained by Edelstein's unusually high opinion of Shakespeare's play. All critics, however, viewed the film's combination of Shakespeare and musical comedy as at best a faied experiment, at worst a misbegotten one. |
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[[Kenneth Turan]] complained that the film "should be fun but isn't . . . . worst of all perhaps is its smug air of pleasure at how clever it thinks it's being," an opinion also delivered in a more muted way by [[A. O. Scott]]. More commonly, critics complained about the casting. Nathan Lane as Costard received favorable notice, as did Adrian Lester. But the leads (Silverstone and Nivola) were generally panned; [[Stanley Kauffmann]] called them "inadequate in every way." [[John Simon]] complained as well of cutting that left the film's best actors (he mentions Mcewan and Briers) with little to do. |
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But the least-liked aspect of the film was also its most notable. The song-and-dance routines received scattered positive notices: Scott, for instance, praised the last one, "[[They Can't Take That Away from Me]]'', as almost rescuing the entire movie. Other reviewers applauded the energy and enthusiasm of the performers. For the most part, however, critics viewed the musical aspects as poorly executed and unenjoyable. The amateur nature of the performances harmed the movie; more, the marked contrast between Shakespeare's language and the style of the songs damaged its coherence. |
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Kauffmann and Simon both noted that the film's ending, in which newsreel footage shows the men going off to fight in World War II, was grotesquely at odds with the frothy tone of the movie it concluded. While most reviewers reserved judgment on the direction of Branagh's art, [[Richard Corliss]] suggested that the failure indicated that the director was creatively spent. |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
Revision as of 21:55, 31 August 2007
Love's Labour's Lost | |
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File:LovesLaboursLost poster.jpg | |
Directed by | Kenneth Branagh |
Written by | Kenneth Branagh (based on the play by William Shakespeare) |
Produced by | David Barron Kenneth Branagh |
Starring | Kenneth Branagh Nathan Lane Adrian Lester Matthew Lillard Natascha McElhone Alessandro Nivola Alicia Silverstone Timothy Spall |
Cinematography | Alex Thomson |
Edited by | Neil Farrell |
Music by | Patrick Doyle (score) Cole Porter (songs) |
Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date | 31 March 2000 |
Running time | 93 min. |
Country | UK |
Language | English |
Love's Labour's Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. It was the first feature film to be made of this lesser-known comedy. Branagh's fourth film of a Shakespeare play, it was a box-office disappointment.
Branagh's film turns the play into a romantic Hollywood musical. Set and costume design evoke the Europe of 1939; the music, classic Broadway songs of the 1930s and newsreel-style footage are also chief period details. The cast includes Shakespearean veterans such as Timothy Spall, Richard Briers and Geraldine McEwan, alongside Hollywood actors Alicia Silverstone and Matthew Lillard and Broadway and West End stars such as Nathan Lane.
Critics and audiences responded coolly to Branagh's attempt to combine a rarely-produced play with the long-moribund genre of musical film. As a result of its poor commercial performance, Miramax shelved its three-picture deal with Branagh, who subsequently returned to Shakespeare with of As You Like It in 2006.
Production
Branagh became interested in the play during his 1984 season with the Royal Shakespeare Company, when he had played the King of Navarre. From that period, he was familiar with Harley Granville-Barker's famous essay arguing that Love's Labour's Lost could be treated as highly stylized, with the dialogue and action treated with an almost musical sense of rhythm. Branagh took this insight a step further and turned the play into a musical. This decision also allowed him to revisit the Hollywood film musicals he had loved in his youth.
Branagh cast the film without much regard for acting or singing ability; as in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, the film was meant to highlight energy and enthusiasm rather than smooth competence. Of the cast, only Nathan Lane was known primarily for musical work. Preproduction was dominated by rigorous dancing and singing coaching.
As the film would run barely over ninety minutes, Branagh reversed the philosophy he had used with Hamlet (that is, to keep every line), and instead made major cuts in the playtext. The released version retains only about a quarter of Shakespeare's lines; although Branagh managed to include all seventeen of the original speaking roles, some (most notably among the lower-class characters) are cut almost to nothing.
Reception
The movie received generally disparaging reviews. Few went as far as David Edelstein, who called the movie "unfathomably awful," an intemperance of phrasing that might be explained by Edelstein's unusually high opinion of Shakespeare's play. All critics, however, viewed the film's combination of Shakespeare and musical comedy as at best a faied experiment, at worst a misbegotten one.
Kenneth Turan complained that the film "should be fun but isn't . . . . worst of all perhaps is its smug air of pleasure at how clever it thinks it's being," an opinion also delivered in a more muted way by A. O. Scott. More commonly, critics complained about the casting. Nathan Lane as Costard received favorable notice, as did Adrian Lester. But the leads (Silverstone and Nivola) were generally panned; Stanley Kauffmann called them "inadequate in every way." John Simon complained as well of cutting that left the film's best actors (he mentions Mcewan and Briers) with little to do.
But the least-liked aspect of the film was also its most notable. The song-and-dance routines received scattered positive notices: Scott, for instance, praised the last one, "They Can't Take That Away from Me, as almost rescuing the entire movie. Other reviewers applauded the energy and enthusiasm of the performers. For the most part, however, critics viewed the musical aspects as poorly executed and unenjoyable. The amateur nature of the performances harmed the movie; more, the marked contrast between Shakespeare's language and the style of the songs damaged its coherence.
Kauffmann and Simon both noted that the film's ending, in which newsreel footage shows the men going off to fight in World War II, was grotesquely at odds with the frothy tone of the movie it concluded. While most reviewers reserved judgment on the direction of Branagh's art, Richard Corliss suggested that the failure indicated that the director was creatively spent.
Cast
Starring
- Alessandro Nivola - King Ferdinand of Navarre
- Alicia Silverstone - The Princess of France
- Natascha McElhone - Rosaline
- Kenneth Branagh - Berowne
- Carmen Ejogo - Maria
- Matthew Lillard - Longaville
- Adrian Lester - Dumaine
- Emily Mortimer - Katherine
- Richard Briers - Nathaniel
- Geraldine McEwan - Holofernia
- Stefania Rocca - Jacquanetta
- Jimmy Yuill - Dull
- Nathan Lane - Costard
- Timothy Spall - Don Armado
- Tony O'Donnell - Moth
- Daniel Hill - Mercade
- Richard Clifford - Boyet
- Alfred Bell - Gaston
- Daisy Gough - Isabelle
- Graham Hubbard - Eugene
- Paul Moody - Jaques
- Yvonne Reilly - Beatrice
- Iain Stuart Robertson - Hippolyte
- Emma Scott - Celimene
- Amy Tez - Sophie