Kenneth Branagh: star, director and producer of a slew of Shakespearean movie productions, including the gorgeous "Much Ado About Nothing."
But one of his most imposing films was a sumptuous adaptation of "Hamlet" -- and after making it, a burned-out Branagh made a movie about the travails of putting on a play. "A Midwinter's Tale" is a witty, slightly frenetic comedy that keeps its tongue in cheek, even as it pays homage to the theatre and its people.
A struggling actor has decided to fulfill a dream by putting on a production of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." However, the budget is very low, the location is in the middle of a rather cultureless rural town, and the actors are... kind of weird. Among them: a health freak, an avant-garde set designer, a gay man who insists on playing "Dirty Gertie," and a nearsighted women who auditions with a bad Debbie Harry impression.
But all weirdness aside, they trundle off to the country and begins rehearsals, but everything is going wrong -- they're in danger of being kicked out, the cast is depressed, the tickets aren't selling and their lead is suddenly offered the role of a lifetime. But somehow they have to pull their peculiar little production together and make it work...
"A Midwinter's Tale" is a very bare-bones production -- few actors, few sets, black-and-white film and simple camerawork. What makes this fantastic is the combination of high humor and slapstick, amusingly crazy people and poignant moments (such as Nina explaining why she doesn't want her eyes fixed).
Branagh handles the writing beautifully, whether it's funny ("I'm here to play the QUEEN") or passionate (Joe monologuing about why life is worth living). And though the comedy occasionally dips into slapstick, it's witty and crammed with hilarious jokes (the nearsighted Nina rushing across the stage to throw herself into her costar's arms, missing him completely).
And the characterizations are excetional -- no matter how silly or eccentric the characters are, they are depicted as real, good-hearted people with their own sorrows and passions. Richard Briars and Nicholas Farrell are as good in this movie as they are in Branagh's other movies, and there are well-rounded turns from Joan Collins, Jennifer Saunders, Julia Sawalha and Celia Imrie. And Michael Maloney is very solid as a slightly frenetic actor who just wants to put on Hamlet, no matter what.
"A Midwinter's Tale" is one of those unique little comedies that not enough people have seen -- an ode to Shakespeare and the trials of the theater. All-around delightful. A Midwinter's Tale
This is one of my favorite films of all time - I'm a theatre person, and a one-time 'gloomy dane' - and I've been waiting for the film to be released on DVD for over 10 years. Of all of the crap that gets released on DVD, including stuff they dredge up and digitize from days long gone by, I don't know why it's taken so long, and still this is just the movie, slapped onto a DVD. As grateful as I am, and however many times I will still put this in and watch it, the thing that keeps me from giving this a 5 star review is that the DVD release has NO features, and really not even a title screen sequence.
But if what you're looking for is a review of the film: This is a hilarious and at times heartfelt backstage comedy, expertly written and directed, and brilliantly performed. The pace of the film is breakneck, and for some of us Americans, the British slang can be a little tough to pick up on the first viewing. But it is absolutely worth repeat viewings - it gets richer every time I watch it.
This is the perfect movie to watch along with Branagh's Hamlet. It spoofs that movie, while using many of the same actors, and that makes the story of these actors even funnier!
When I wasn't feeling well a few years ago, I'd have Hamlet days, watching those 2 movies, along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It may not sound like fun to some people, but each movie explains a little more about the others. And by the time you get to A Midwinter's Tale, it is a hysterical take on that classic story. Fun, for a Shakespear fan!!!
This is a delightful film which we have lent to so many of our friends we needed an extra copy. For those who love Shakespeare and the theatre and have a sense of humor, it offers a treat. Doing Hamlet in the middle of the winter in a small town church in England is a challenge the actors undertake despite all of their various quirks. Joan Collins is wonderful as an actor's dubious agent. Richard Briers gives one of his best performances. All the foibles of an acting company are spoofed as is the bard, but all with humor and respect. You will laugh and feel good at the same time.
Kenneth Branagh made this little gem of a film partly as a way of cleaning the deck after he'd flopped with MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN, partly as a gearing-up for his film version of the original five-hour HAMLET, and mainly as a way of paying tribute to all of the thespians, young and old, who ply their craft on big stages and small in the hopes of getting their big breaks or, at the very least, getting by and having some substance (not to mention money) come of it. The scenario is right out of a 1930s screwball comedy; a young out-of-work actor gets together a rag-tag acting troupe with ambitions of performing HAMLET in a small, vacant church in a tiny English village on New Years Eve. Of course there's no wage and no accomodations (other than the church itself doubling as a dorm), but there is a cast and crew each having their own unique characteristics (wait 'til you see who's playing Gertrude, Hamlet's mother!) and lots of high hopes. Despite a few moments that fall flat, Branagh's love-letter to stage acting is sweet, very funny and proof that often a low budget can be sucessfully offset by the commitment and care of everyone involved...whether on the stage or on the screen. A winner. - Hamlet - Kenneth Branagh - Black Comedy - Christmas'
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