I believe Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare based films are a great success. I don't mean that they got good reviews and made box office bank. For me, his HENRY V was the first time watching Shakespeare I was intrigued and, frankly followed the language and story. His MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and his HAMLET reinforced my opinion. I even thought it possible that we would eventually see 37-ish Shakespeare stories enjoyed by modern audiences. While it may still happen, its unlikely to be completely under the directorial eye of Branagh.
Maybe others felt this way, as a new company was formed - THE SHAKESPEARE FILM company . A production company under Branagh dedicated to Shakespeare productions. The company underperformed considerably with LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST and was shuttered after the only slightly more promising follow-up...
AS YOU LIKE IT
Duke Senior reigns over a happy community, until his jealous brother banishes the Duke and takes his throne by force. The story follows the banished king's daughter as she navigates her love for a young farmer while under the gaze of the disapproving uncle.
This film has a high powered cast. There is another lyrical score by Patrick Doyle. The cinematography and production design are beautiful. Placing the story in Japan is intriguing. It has a lot going for it. Yet, it seems muddy and unclear.
The first portion of the film confidently plants Shakespeare's story into a Shogun ruled Japan. Yet, the story seems to meander away from that until only the costuming suggests Japanese influence. Maybe relocating the story to this cultural environment was a meal not fully cooked.
Bryce Dallas Howard carries the film as a smiling and intelligent Rosalind. The excellent Alfred Molina is the clown whose scenes contain the only humorous material. Much of Branagh's Shakespeare community fills in several roles including my favorite, Brian Blessed playing the empathetic banished king and his tyrannical usurping brother. Depressingly, the usually wonderful Kevin Kline gives a quiet and toothless performance of Jaques which renders him forgotten by the time the credits role. Similarly wasted is Adrian Lester.
Branagh certainly knows how to make money look good on screen. His approach adapting the bard's work is not as strong or confident as his earliest efforts. Maybe this says more about the original source, but there are surprising things that have to reflect today's choices. Most obviously, why is the plays most popular All the world's a stage quote is delivered over a soft focus pan of Jaques sitting in the blurred distance. It is lost and forgotten.
AS YOU LIKE IT is leaps better than LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST , but not enough to keep the new Shakespeare Film Company alive.
Other filmmakers have stepped up and are offering great modern takes on Shakespeare without twisting his language and story to unrecognizable propaganda. We may see the Shakespeare Cinematic Universe after all.
