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Rating:  - Very enjoyable adoption of a lesser play...
I've always considered LLL a "lesser" Shakespeare play. Four hours of archaic puns is something I've only been able to sit entirely through once at the theater, despite the company's strong performance. This adoption makes the play "work." By cleverly using simulated newsreel footage to speed the story along, and interspersing the music of Cole Porter and others, this version of LLL salvages the best aspects of the play.
Rating: - LOVE'S LABOURS ARE NOT LOST
I do not understand why this film has been so underrated. Whatever its flaws are (e.g. Silverston's acting and Branagh's singing) I think that they are largely compensated by the enthusiasm and love that actors and director have put in making this film. I really loved it in spite of the fact that I am not a fan of Branagh at all. The last minutes are really moving and beautiful, they convey a sort of nostalgic feeling that seems to pervade the whole film but that is more evident at the final scenes.
Rating: - The least of Branagh's Shakespeare offerings.
I'm really of two (or three) minds about this film. LLL is a great play. I would have prefered a straight-forward movie keeping the text intact. With the failure of this movie at the box office and critically, it's unlikely I'll ever see a cinematic return to this play in my lifetime. (I am aware of the BBC version from 1985, but that is quite cut up, too.)
That said, I do enjoy this movie for what it is. The women are beautiful (especially Natascha McElhone). Timothy Spall is a great Armado, even if his part is hacked to pieces. Branagh's handling of the scene where the men are overheard professing their loves (4.3) is excellent. The deleted scene of the Nine Worthies is quite good, and would have been a much better choice for the film proper than that goddawful "There's No Business Like Show Business" number.
Which brings me to the songs and the dancing. I really enjoyed "I Won't Dance" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me," but most of the other performances just weren't as good. Not good enough to justify the cutting of Armado's part! The familiarity of the songs didn't really help it, either. New songs in the style of Gershwin would have been a nice, albeit more difficult, choice.
So, all in all, I'm glad I bought it. I'll watch it here and there, but I'm glad I have the (unabridged) Arkangel Audio tape to turn to when I need a shot of Love's Labour's Lost. Which I need more often than you might think.
Rating:  - Good Idea, Poor Execution
I really love Branagh's idea of turning "Love's Labor's Lost" into a musical, but it just wasn't that good. Every Branagh production has an "ouch" casting, and this time it was Alicia Silverstone, though not as bad as Keaneau Reeve's "Don John," she made a much better "Clueless" teenager, as she seemed uncomfortable with the language. Second, I think the biggest thing that detracted from this production was actually the way it was filmed. Everytime there was a big musical number, he pulled the camera back. I know this was harkening back to thirties productions, but the lack of solid coreography, and poorly skilled dancers made those on screen seem insignificant, and took away from the immediacy of the action. Additionally some of the song choices just didn't fit, though Lane's "Show Business" was brilliant. Overall, it is an average show, and would have to point people toward "Much Ado" first before they delve into this one.
Rating: - Shakespeare And Music? Kenneth Branagh Sets All My Doubts To Rest. He Is A GENIUS!!! Hilarious Performances And Vintage Tunes.
At first, I had my doubts if even Kenneth Branagh ("Henry V," "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," "Dead Again," "Hamlet," "Much Ado About Nothing,"; please see my reviews on these films) could pull it off. The last time I saw Shakespeare translated to the modern-day (Tim Blake Nelson's "O," Richard Loncraine's "Richard III," Baz Luhrman's ill-titled "William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet" and P.A.'s "Hamlet" starring Ethan Hawke, anyone?), I HATED it. But after reflecting briefly on Mr. Branagh's excellent track record, not to mention his convincing performance as Franklin D. Roosevelt in the made-for-TV movie "Warm Springs" (which I haven't seen in its entirety) and looking at the star-studded cast, including Alessandro Nivola ("Mansfield Park,"), Matthew Lillard (the "Scooby-Doo" movies), Nathan Lane, Alcia Silverstone, Timothy Spall, previous Branagh collaborators Geraldine McEwan ("Henry V") and Richard Clifford ("Much Ado About Nothing") and frequent Branagh collaborator Richard Briers ("Henry V," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," "Hamlet") with Branagh's film composer Patrick Doyle providing original music alongside the tunes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II and others, I thought, "I'll definitely give him the benefit of the doubt. He's a great actor, director, producer and screenwriter. As far as I'm concerned, he can do no wrong." Read on.
Kenneth Branagh does it yet again. He combines Shakespeare with classic tunes from the great early 20th century composers and hilarious performances from Timothy Spall and comedian Nathan Lane. Excellent performances by everyone. The only minor disappointment is in the special features, which include 17 minutes worth of deleted scenes, sans director commentary, outtakes and a making-of featurette. Other than the absence of a director's commentary on the deleted scenes (which are well worth viewing, in conjunction with the making-of featurette and the hilarious outtakes), I'm completely satisfied with this movie. Can't wait for Branagh's next two directorial efforts: "As You Like It," a remake of the classic 1937 film starring Sir Laurence Olivier, and "The Magic Flute," based on the final opera of the same name by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; both set to be released next year. Rated PG for mild thematic elements.
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