Love's Labours Lost [VHS]
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VHS Movie Reviews of Love's Labours Lost [VHS]
Movie Review: More Branagh Magic
Summary: 5 Stars
One premise is that there are various ways of producing, directing, and enjoying Shakespeare - a premise I resisted with vehemence for years. I was one who wanted my Bard as it was written and in the original time's garb.
Through the years, however, I have relented and come to realize that even in Shakespeare's day plays were edited for the audience at hand, and even he prepared the script according to where and to whom it was to be shown.
Liberties have been taken in this production of Love's Labour's Lost, but they have been taken with tastefulness and knowledge by the preeminent Shakespearean actor and interpreter of our day. The production never fails to put a smile on my face; once again genius has smiled on a Branagh production. Do yourself a big favor and acquire one of these still available copies. It is out of print and not likely to be reproduced, so it is quickly becoming a rare collector's item.
A more strictly interpreted BBC version is available from Ambrose Video, and it is good. But for a rare treat that will approach your sensibilities with mirth, watch this film!
Movie Review: Tediously Trivial
Summary: 1 Stars
When Peter Brook put "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on a trapeze, I thought, "Bravo!" But this miasma of mixed messages sinks because it just doesn't work. What might have seemed like a great idea to combine classic songs like "They Can't Take That Away From Me" & "The Way You Look Tonight" and mix it with Shakespeare sinks like a stone here when mixed with WWII newsreels. The worst part of this film is that it fizzles rather than climaxes. About halfway through it becomes tedious and then dies as trivial.
It has pleasant moments because of a great cast. Brannagh's soft-shoe in the library is a great piece of choreography. Allesandro Nivola who played the psychotic brother of Nicholas Cage in "Face/Off" and the wild Brit rocker Ian who charms Frances MacDormand in "Laurel Canyon" shows his range as the King of Navarre and sings and dances terrifically. Natasha McElhone as Rosaline is also entrancing as she was opposite Brad Pitt in "The Devil's Own" or with Robert DeNiro in "Ronin." Timothy Spall who is one of the great character actors is funny as the mustached Don Armando. Nathan Lane is funny. When he falls flat on a stairwell in the deleted scenes, it's actually funnier than most of this comedy. Matthew Lillard who usually plays creepy characters as in "13 Ghosts" or oddballs like in "Scoobie Doo" shows a side I'd never seen. Adrien Lester as Dumaine who was great in "Primary Colors" and flitted briefly on the screen in "The Day After Tomorrow" sings and dances admirably. Alicia Silverstone from "Clueless" and "Beauty Shop" is lovely as the Princess of France. Unfortunately, the whole thing goes nowhere with each part more interesting than the whole. You could miss this one and your life will still be complete. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Taxi!
Movie Review: Sheer exuberance and style
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my favorite movies. The cast loved making it and it really shows. The cinematography is breathtaking in the dance sequences and the general flow of the film, with intercutting of pseudo-"Movietone" newsreels is great with never a dull moment, right until the climax of the film, which brings tears to my eyes almost every time I watch it. For me the highlights were "Heaven", "There's no business like showbusiness" and "They can't take that away from me". The whole production has a very stylish look and feel. I loved Brannagh's productions of "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Othello", but I love this one most of all.Movie Review: Love's Labours Are Truly Lost in This Tepid Musical
Summary: 2 Stars
Kenneth Branagh is a rarity: a truly great stage and screen actor. And so one wonders what he is doing wasting his talents adapting, directing and starring in an (musical!) adaptation of one of Shakespeare's least-loved plays, Love's Labours Lost.
Perhaps Branagh thought that like his film adaptations of Henry V, and to a certain extent, Much Ado About Nothing, he could again dish out Shakespeare to the masses. Not in this case. I'm sure the whole cast sang really hard, and danced really hard, and gosh darn it, just gave it their all, but there's a limit. The singing, and dancing in this movie is amateurish at best. At worst, it's, well, frankly appalling. Although better choreography and less self-conscious singing may have helped matters, experienced moviegoers may wonder why in God's name Branagh wanted to stage musical numbers made famous by such virtuosos as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. If you've seen American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain, or any of the Fred and Ginger musicals, you'll spend most of this movie cringing.
But what about Shakespeare? Does any of the Bard's poetry rise above this frothy mess of a musical? The answer to that is no, except when Branagh speaks. Then you suddenly remember that this man is one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of his generation, perhaps of all time. But these brilliant flashes of poetry are soon drowned out by another endless musical number. I could go on, but I won't. Let it suffice to say that there is really nothing to recommend this well-intended, yet hopelessly flawed musical adaptation save one person: Kenneth Branagh. And really, in all fairness, Branagh is the man responsible for the mess. So what should you do? Rent Branagh's Henry V, or Much Ado About Nothing, or, if you must see a musical, try Singin' in the Rain or Top Hat. But stay away from this movie unless you are a completist.
Movie Review: A sweet and charming adaptation even with it's flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
As much as I like "uncut" Shakespeare, I found this film a fun little gem. The meshing of 1930's music, black and white "newsreels," and the variety of talents made for an enjoyable viewing.
I really liked the entire look of the film, from the "all the credits at the beginning" (just like films done before the 1970's) to the use of specific colors to for each character's costumes to changing Holofernes to Holofernia (it makes the utterances of the vicar about "society" mean a lot more than I thought it did when I read the play in high school).
Some reviewers complain about the presence and "lack of ability" of the 2 Americans in the cast. I didn't think that they did a bad job at all. Also, the fact that most of the performers are mainly actors rather than singers and dancers didn't bother me either. I prefer a good actor delivering the lines and emotions properly and dancing "amatuerly" than having it the other way around.
My overall favorite sequence is the "farewell" scene where each pair of lovers arrange to meet a year and a day hence and they sing "They Can't Take That Away From Me" followed by a "newsreel" of what happens to them all during that "year and a day" and the reunion at the end of the film.
Additionally, my niece watched it with me and she is now reading Shakespeare's comedies, watching other films and reading about the history of the first half of the 20th century. I can't call the film a failure when it has that effect on someone.