Word: branagh
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Against the dark moody geography of 15th century England, Kenneth Branagh weaves a tale of political intrigue in his darkly brilliant film "Henry V." Taking on Laurence Oliver's classic 1944 version of the tale, Branagh brings us both the fierce conceit and urgent soul-searching of Henry's character just as gallantly as his predecessor. However, he adds a few of his own complicated twists by not only making the film fast-paced enough for modern Hollywood audiences, but also by fleshing out the full pantheon of psychological contours that make Henry such a complex hero. From the grime...
...Branagh deftly plays with the intersection of art, cinema and the theater. He opens the movie with our narrator, Derck Jacobi, playing the role of the chorus. He lights a match and by doing so invokes the predominant motif of fire, which flickers throughout the darkness of the film. In his shady-looking black trenchcoat, he them saunters across the set of the movie, surrounded by cameras, sets and lights--all the contraptions of film-making. We are clearly made accomplices to the fact that this is a constructed story. Rather than allow us to be lulled by the illusions...
Truth be told, Branagh does not seem quite fitting for the role. While he executes Shakespeare with finesse and a startling accessibility, his chubby-cheeked, doughy countenance is a mismatch for the role. True, he manages to convey the youth of Henry but when the role demands the handsome, strong-jaw-boned fierceness of a young firebrand, he is somewhat limited by the wimpiness of his looks. In spite of these handicaps, however, he admirably manages to convince us of his common humanity--he is one with his men and his dedication to Mother England...
Through various cinematic techniques, Branagh alludes to and illuminates Henry's affinity with the lower classes of England. We are treated to a series of oneiric sequences in which Henry turns in on his past life. Here we see the dissipated life he led under Falstaff's tutelage. The bacchanalian rollicking of yesterday contrasts sharply with the cold reality of the present. The film brilliantly captures these ironies of Henry's transformation. In one tense scene, Henry orders one of his old thieving comrades, Bardolph, to be hanged. The poor man looks straight at Henry and as the young king...
Some such logic must underpin the recent state of cinematic adaptations of Shakspeare's work; Kenneth Branagh, Franco Zeferelli, Derek Jarman (substitute Marlowe for the bard), and now Christine Edzard, director of "As You Like It," all strive to expose the movie-going public to the genius of Shakespeare. Everyone should have a chance to see his work; they, quite rightly, porvide...