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Written by Tanya Marsh (http://www.the-buzz.com)
Edited by Andrew Marcus

Cast: Alessandro Nivola (King), Alicia Silverstone (Princess), Natascha McElhone (Rosaline), Kenneth Branagh (Berowne), Carmen Ejogo Matthew Lillard (Longaville), Adrian Lester (Dumaine), Emily Mortimer (Katherine)

 

Premise: Based on Shakespeare's play, the King of Navarre and his three companions swear a very public oath to study together and to renounce women for three years. Their honour is immediately put to the test by the arrival of the Princess of France and her three lovely companions. It's love at first sight for all concerned followed by the men's highly entertaining but hopeless efforts to disguise their feelings.

Overall Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sensuality & drug reference

When I first heard that Kenneth Branagh had signed a deal with Miramax for three films based on plays by William Shakespeare, I imagined that the director of the critically acclaimed versions of Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and a blissfully complete Hamlet (1996) would choose one of the Bard's famous plays. Macbeth perhaps? Richard III? As You Like It? Instead, he chose a minor comedy, Love's Labour's Lost, and re-imagined it as a musical set in Europe on the verge of World War II. This version of Love's Labour's Lost is sure to raise a few eyebrows among purists, but Branagh's bold cinematic adaptation is stunningly imaginative and ultimately, highly successful.

Branagh breaks the rules at the very beginning of the film, presenting a bit of backstory and setting in the form of a "Navarre Cinetone News," a spitting image of the old newsreels that ran in front of movies in the 1930s and 40s. The young and handsome King of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola), we are told, has sworn an oath with his three courtiers, Berowne (Kenneth Branagh), Longaville (Scream's Matthew Lillard), and Dumaine (Adrian Lester), to dedicate themselves to three years of study and philosophical contemplation in an environment completely devoid of distractions, including the company of women. Berowne attempted to talk his compatriots out of such an austere promise, fearing that they will certainly break it and lose all honor.

It was at this point that the men broke out of iambic pentameter into a swinging version of George Gershwin's "I'd Rather Charleston." Surreal? Decidedly so. But after I got over the initial queasy feeling of disconnect, Branagh's daring integration of the comedy of Shakespeare and the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and George & Ira Gershwin began to seem like genius.

As Berowne predicted, the men soon faced a challenge to their vow: the arrival of the lovely Princess of France (Alicia Silverstone) and her equally charming ladies, Maria (Carmen Ejogo), Katherine (Emily Mortimer), and Rosaline (Natascha McElhone). The men made little attempt to resist the lure of love and all quickly abandon their pact.

Although we learn through conveniently dropped newspapers and the newsreels that war looms outside the fictional kingdom of Navarre, the four couples seem blissfully ignorant to the ugly reality which surrounds their romantic fantasy. Thus, Branagh's choice of setting enhances the characteristics of love that Shakespeare's language illustrates - giddy, exuberant, and overwhelming. Berowne has been compared to the protagonist of Much Ado About Nothing, the good signor Benedict. But while Benedict and the rest of the characters in Much Ado are jaded after being hurt by love, Berowne and his company are untainted by cynicism. Note the words of the lovesick Berowne: "And when love speaks, the voice of all the gods/ Make heaven drowsy with the harmony." These are young men and women experiencing the joy of love for the first time and the rest of the world be damned.

The play itself ends on a sad note, making it somewhat unique among Shakespeare's comedies. The men and women part and Don Armado muses "The words of Mercury are harsh after the songs of Apollo. You that way, we this way." Perhaps concluding that a Hollywood musical demanded a happy ending, Branagh tacked on a two minute newsreel which whisked us through World War II and ended with the happy reunion of the four couples. Normally, I am incensed when such liberties are taken with Shakespeare, but in this case I inexplicably didn't mind that much.

Berowne is the only character in Love's Labour's Lost with any depth and Branagh was, as usual, quite good. One of his greatest strengths as an actor and director is making Shakespeare accessible to the masses. This film is no exception. Although he has assembled a cast which is new to the Bard's works, none suffer from the dreaded stilted delivery or affected upper-crust English accent. Alicia Silverstone in particular is much better than expected.
Finally, no Shakespeare comedy would be complete without the clowns. In Love's Labour's Lost, that supporting cast includes Timothy Spall as the incomprehensible Don Armado and, in a brilliant bit of casting, Nathan Lane as Costard. Lane, the reigning king of Broadway musicals, is wonderfully natural as the King's vaudevillian jester. Who better than Lane to lead the company in the show-stopping number "There's No Business Like Showbusiness"? Branagh has had less than stellar success with his past casting of the "fool" role. Michael Keaton's performance as Dogberry was one of the only low notes in Much Ado About Nothing and Billy Crystal was just weird as the Gravedigger in Hamlet. But Lane was a perfect choice.

I admit that I initially doubted whether a marriage between 1930s musicals and Shakespearean comedy could work. I am pleased to report that under the brilliant direction of Kenneth Branagh, it worked splendidly, breathing new life into both art forms. I can't wait to see what he has for us next.

Visit Tanya's website at http://www.the-buzz.com