Much Ado About Nothing [DVD]

Great fun. A happy telling of a very happy play. Excellent acting.

Emma Thompson, as Beatrice, opens this film version by Kenneth Branagh, reading sonnets at a merry outdoor picnic. "Sigh no more ladies, men were decievers ever, be you blithe and merry, converting all your songs of woe into hey nonny nonny--" Kenneth Branagh plays lord Benedick of Padua, returning from the wars, with a young friend Claudio of Florence, and the entourage of Don Pedro of Aragon, played by Denzil Washington.Their visit to the household of Leonato, played by Richard Briers, is done in fine style with rousing music by Patrick Doyle. A body of Horsemen riding through lush countryside who dismount, throwing themselves in the water, and there is a kind of Roman Bath scene, as everyone excitedly bathes and changes before they meet.Keanu Reeves brings his usual kind of surreal qualites to this star studded cast, as the disaffected half brother of Don Pedro, Don John, intent on destroying everyone's pleasure.This Shakespeare drama is characterised throughout, by the witty repartee between Beatrice and Benedick, until they finally admit their love for each other, after amusing intruges to urge them to do this.The film moves along with great jollity, apart from an almost violent wedding incident between Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and Hero (Kate Beckinsale) when Don John's plots work initially. After the intervention of self styled constables Dogberry and Vergea (Michael Keaton and Ben Elton), Don John and his conspirators are exposed, and there is a double wedding.Brian Blessed features as Antonio, the brother of Leonato, and Imelda Staunton as Margaret, another cousin, helping the intrigues along.As indicated by the cast, this is a first rate production by Stephen Evans, with Direction by Kenneth Branagh, and impressive costumes by Phyllis Dalton.The picture quality and sound is excellent. I have already an old VCR Box Set, with notes, and a second tape of very interesting interviews, and my only reservation is that these have not been included with this DVD version. There are no special or extra features at all.However, this is a tight fast moving entertaining colourfull film which I would highly recommend.

A quick plot description for the unknowing. "Much Ado About Nothing" tells the humourous tale of two would-be couples (Hero & Claudio and Benedick & Beatrice) and their struggles in and out of love.Benedick and Beatrice have, for a long while, appeared to hate each other, and have going between them a "merry war" and a "skirmish of wit". The are both cynical and snide, and, their friends agree, perfectly suited for each other. Their friends, therefore, try to trick them into falling in love with each other, re-igniting a hinted-at old spark of affection they once had for each other.Hero and Claudio are a younger couple who fall in love and intend to marry. It then seems, however, that Hero (who, despite the somewhat masculine name, is female) has been having an affair.Much Ado About Nothing is a fairly good play, and this, Branagh's version of it, is a very good movie. Unlike his subsequent "Hamlet", this one IS abridged, and rightly so, because some of the text would make little sense to a modern viewer.The movie, however, does stay faithful to the play, and is well cast. When I first saw the cast list I laughed, for, as always, Branagh has cast Richard Briers and Brian Blessed. Both, however, do great jobs of their roles (Leonato and Antonio respectively, the patriarchs of the household) as usual.I was somewhat worried when I saw that Denzel Washington had been cast as Don Pedro. "Oh dear", I thought "Why doesn't he just stick to Hollywood? He should stick to what he knows best". Even five minutes into the film, I was eating my words, so to speak. He is stunning in the role, playing the part with charm, etiquette and grace, and should really do more Shakespeare.Branagh himself and Emma Thompson as Benedick and Beatrice are both thoroughly enjoyable to watch, and, as usual, the parts of of Hero and Claudio are well-played (by Kate Beckinsale and Robert Sean Leonard) but ultimately less interesting.Sadly, however, the cast is not without its weak spots. Keanu Reeves as Don John is somewhat two-dimensional and Michael Keaton as Dogberry isn't even vaguely humourous. Admittedly it's a difficult part to make funny, but it can be done. But not, it would seem, by Keaton.The setting is perfect, a mediterranean rural village, and the atmosphere is festive and well-suited to the play.On the whole, this is a very enjoyable, and often very funny movie version of the play. The slight flaws in its casting are more than made up for by the outstanding brilliance of the rest of the cast.

all excellent actors, a pleasure to watch

I wish we had been able to watch this version of Much Ado way back in the early eighties, when it was part of my English Lit A level, because Ken Branagh (ably assisted by his then wife Emma Thompson) really knows how to bring Shakespeare alive. I remember having an argument with my teacher, who felt that Benedick and Beatrice had been tricked into marriage - to me, it was obvious from their very first lines together that they are in love, even if they don't realise it at the beginning.Keanu Reeves plays an excellent villain - he has just the face for it! What did puzzle me greatly, however, was Denzel Washington could be his brother. I'm certainly not being racist, but wouldn't a black man be unlikely to be in such a position as he was at that time in Italy? If he were, we could surely expect some comment in the script, as happened in Othello. As for Michael Keaton and Ben Elton with their imaginary horses ... superbly played! "And do not forget ... I am an ass!" Every one of the main characters was an A list actor.Beautifully shot, lush countryside, fabulous acting by all - you'd be mad to miss it, even if you only rent a copy.

Such an excellent film

It's all right for the price. The dvd container is broken, even though the packaging was not very damaged, so I guess it was already like that when it was shipped.The dvd is working, so I guess if you want to buy it just to watch it it's better than fine for this price; but if it's for collection or for a gift, look again