The Films of Kenneth Branagh

(Hardback)

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Between the release of Henry V in 1989 and Love's Labour's Lost in 2000, Kenneth Branagh directed eight major films in a wide variety of genres, ranging from film noir to horror to comedy, and continually startled audiences around the world with his audacious and energetic film style. Initially following in the footsteps of Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier, Branagh has placed himself among the small collection of actors who have transformed themselves into award-winning directors as well. In this, the first comprehensive English-language treatment of Branagh's feature films, Crowl delves deeply into the work of this bold artist, demonstrating the means by which Branagh manages to produce films that appeal to the general public even while treating texts and themes that are traditionally relegated to the realms of academic institutions and high art. As with Branagh's own work, readers cannot help but be entertained.

Reviews

[T]he present effort seems to be the only book available on Branagh's oeuvre in general (up to 2000), both modern and Shakespearean. Crowl limns Branagh's life and comments on how his directing developed from Henry V (1989), which heralded a new era of Shakespeare in motion pictures, to Love's Labour's Lost (2000), which wedded Shakespeare to movie musicals. Along the way Crowl discusses Dead Again (1991), Branagh's surprising homage to Hitchcock; Peter's Friends (1992), with its exploration of Emma Thompson's Cambridge pals; Much Ado about Nothing (1993), which was shot in Tuscany and was a critical and financial success; Frankenstein (1994), his most faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's work; In the Bleak Midwinter (i.e., A Midwinter's Tale, 1995), perhaps Branagh's most autobiographical work; and his uncut Hamlet (1996), which the critics loved. Also included is an interview with Branagh, a chronology, and chapter notes, along with other scholarly apparatus. Those who can afford only one Branagh book should go for this one. Highly recommended. All readers; all levels. * Choice *

Author Bio

Samuel Crowl is Trustee Professor of English at Ohio University where he has taught since 1970. He is the author of two books on Shakespeare, as well as numerous essays, articles, reviews, and interviews on all aspects of Shakespeare in performance. He has been honored many times for outstanding teaching and has lectured widely on Shakespeare at universities and conferences here and abroad, including the Shakespeare Institute and the International Globe Center.