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Susan Granger's "LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST" (Miramax Films)
Having done "Henry V," "Hamlet" and "Much Ado About Nothing" on film, Kenneth Branagh, who comes from working-class background, continues his determination make Shakespeare more relevant to contemporary audiences. This time, he punctuates the Bard with '30s and '40s musical numbers. Set in Europe in 1939, just before the outbreak of W.W.II, the romantic comedy begins when the King of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola) and three companions (Kenneth Branagh, Matthew Lillard, Adrian Lester) swear to shun all distractions and study for three years. But no sooner have they made their monastic vows than the Princess of France (Alicia Silverstone) and three lovely ladies-in-waiting (Emily Mortimer, Carmen Ejogo, Natascha McElhorne) show up, and the four flirtatious couples pair off to songs from Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin. The fact that his cast has mediocre musical ability didn't deter Branagh's enthusiasm. "It wasn't our ambition to achieve the slickness and impossible perfection of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers," he explains. "What we did want was abandonment to the enterprise, joy and commitment to the songs and dancing." Indeed, singing "Cheek to Cheek" mid-air, they float to the rafters of a library. Branagh wavers uncomfortably between the various styles of American musicals, attempting to combine the crisp, formal precision of Busby Berkeley's choreography with the more relaxed ambiance of Gene Kelly. Also, in his ambitious attempt to condense the narrative and combine the ensemble numbers, Branagh loses much of the comedy, except for Nathan Lane as the clown. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Love's Labour's Lost" is a whimsical 7, putting a frothy, new spin on old Will.
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