The Films of Kenneth Branagh (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[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

Product Description

Kenneth Branagh is not only the finest Shakespearean actor of his generation, but a major filmmaker as well. Between the release of Henry V in 1989 and Love's Labour's Lost in 2000, 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 treatment of Branagh's feature films to appear in the English language, 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 realm of academic institutions and high art. And as with Branagh's own work, readers cannot help but be entertained. After an introduction discussing Branagh's transition from actor to filmmaker, Crowl proceeds to examine all eight of Branagh's major English language films, including: Henry V, Dead Again, Peter's Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, A Midwinter's Tale, Hamlet, and Love's Labour's Lost. A chronology and filmography are also provided here, as is a new and exclusive interview with the filmmaker himself. Featuring photos on the sets and behind the scenes of many of Branagh's most popular films, this work is ideal for film lovers, film students, and students and readers of Shakespeare.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; annotated edition edition (March 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275980898
• ISBN-13: 978-0275980894
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,634,207 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some valuable and interesting info, but also some sloppy editing/fact-checking, October 8, 2008

By	M. Bolay "librarygrrl" (PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is a lot of great information in this book, but I didn't give it more than 3 stars because even my first, casual glance through it yielded several errors that easily could (and should) have been caught in the editing process.

For example, this excerpt from page 114: "George Lucas had dangled before Branagh the part of Luke Skywalker in the second Star Wars trilogy, but he eventually decided to cast Ewan McGregor instead." I haven't SEEN the second Star Wars trilogy, yet even I know that Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is mentioned more than once, so it's not a misprint. On page 119, the photo of the cast of A Midwinter's Tale is labeled incorrectly. Hetta Charnley is fourth from the left, not Julia Sawahla. The list goes on....

If you're using this book for any sort of serious research, or even a school report, double-check any suspicious "facts".