Love's Labour's Lost **1/2 Rated PG Miramax Films 95 minutes starring Kenneth Branagh, Nathan Lane, Adrian Lester, Matthew Lillard, Natascha McElhone, Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Timothy Spall
based on the play by William Shakespeare written and directed by Kenneth Branagh
A Review by Akiva Gottlieb
To many fans of modern cinema, the name Kenneth Branagh is synonymous with Shakespeare, and rightly so. He has adapted the Bard's work in the films `Henry V', `Much Ado About Nothing' and `Hamlet' (which is widely considered to be the finest of many film versions of the play), and enjoyed major success with each. His devotees claim that Branagh is the only working filmmaker who truly understands Shakespeare, presenting it in a form that is simultaneously creative and faithful. I wonder what those folks will think of his latest foray into the Bard's creative genius, the amusing yet forgettable musical treatment of `Love's Labour's Lost'.
Shakespeare's play has been moved to the 1930's, on the heels of World War II, in fair Navarre. Four eligible bachelors, Berowne (Kenneth Branagh), Dumaine (Adrian Lester), Longeville (Matthew Lillard) and the King himself (Alessandro Nivola) have sworn off women and fine food in order to devote three years to the study of philosophy. But a diplomatic visit from the Princess of France (Alicia Silverstone) and her three beautiful attendants soon attempts to disprove the men's belief that they can live without love.
Each man, unbeknownst to the others, carefully breaks the pact and woos one of the women, setting off some genuinely Shakespearean wordplay and visual comedy. The main difference is that, in this production, the characters break into song at random moments of glee.
Branagh's decision, to make `Love's Labour's Lost' in the style of a 1930's musical (with classic songs by George Gershwin and Irving Berlin), is surely a welcome one, considering the lowly status of the modern movie musical. However, while the choreography and singing are top-notch (all the actors recorded the songs using their own voices, and did all the dancing as well), only a couple of the musical interludes add to the story. It is as if the characters are so bored with the material that they choose their own agenda.
This we should be thankful for, as the dramatic side of Branagh's film is underdeveloped. Shakespeare's characters often referred to women as the `weaker vessels', and this production does little to disprove that theory. Alicia Silverstone, attempting some kind of dramatic comeback, is severely miscast, showing Valley-girl type problems with her lines, and her three female companions fail to make any kind of impression. As a result, parts of the 95-minute running time drag, since the romance in `Love' is what's truly lost.
However, this comedy still has a lot going for it. The story is lighter than a feather, and the film's all-around joyfulness makes it a breath of fresh air, especially in the wake of recent angst-ridden Bard adaptations like Michael Almereyda's Gen-X `Hamlet'. Also, while `Love's Labour's Lost' retains much of Shakespeare's original language, it is relatively easy-to-follow and enjoy, the story being as straightforward as it is.
Kenneth Branagh's `Love's Labour's Lost' is certainly an intriguing project; one that refreshingly lacks the cynicism found in his earlier films. Sadly, though, it will not reinvent the movie musical, nor reinvigorate the work of Shakespeare. However, it's still more fun than you're likely to find in the multiplex.
Akiva Gottlieb Critical66@yahoo.com http://pictureshow.8m.com
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