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Amazon.co.uk Review
Having taken Shakespeare at his word on Hamlet (i.e., not cutting a single syllable out of a very long play), Kenneth Branagh selects a more radical approach with Love's Labour's Lost. Here the prolific director-star weeds out much of the play's dialogue, and adds songs and dances of a decidedly modern bent. The King of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola, Nicolas Cage's wacko brother in Face/Off) and his three comrades (Branagh, Matthew Lillard, Adrian Lester) take a vow: no womanly distractions while they pursue their studies. Ah, but at that very moment, floating down a magical studio-built river, is the queen of France (Alicia Silverstone), accompanied by three ladies-in-waiting. You do the maths. Branagh has set the tale on the eve of the Second World War, which allows for the inclusion of vintage pop songs, including "Cheek to Cheek", "The Way You Look Tonight" and a rousing chorus of "There's No Business Like Show Business", led by--who else?--Nathan Lane. The fact that most of the cast members are not accomplished song-and-dance folk is clearly meant to charm, but the results are spotty at best. Perhaps the most dynamic performer is Natascha McElhone (memorable from Ronin), whose aristocratic bearing and bottomless eyes lend a gravity to the material that is otherwise absent from Branagh's twinkly staging. The play contains some of Shakespeare's loveliest paeans to the language of love, yet Branagh seems to be in a hurry to juice everything up lest the audience lose interest. The labour shows. --Robert Horton
Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Commentary By Kenneth Branagh
Out Takes And Featurette
Five Deleted Scenes
Original Theatrical Trailer
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Commentary By Kenneth Branagh
Out Takes And Featurette
Five Deleted Scenes
Original Theatrical Trailer
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I groaned when I found out that LLL was being done as a musical. Has he gone mad at last? No, he certainly hasn't. He's turned a rather inaccessible play (the full text contains heavy parody of the affected language of Elizabethan courtiers and academics) into a scintillating romp. The music and dancing is perfectly apt, and the production is gob-smacking - the colour, the music... everything is a delight. This is a DVD which gives you a little more every time you see it. Life affirming and life enhancing, and the bittersweet ending is perfectly done.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
A brilliant adaptation of what is(for me anyway) a lesser known play. Branagh brings the play up to the 1930s and makes a West End Musical out of a South Bank Comedy. The songs and dance never look out of place with the Bard's words ...Remarkably easy to watch and enjoy - you do not need to be a Shakespeare buff to have a wonderful time watching this!
31 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As always, the DVD edition is much superior. Not only is it letterboxed (and Branagh shot his delightful throwback musical in the grand full 2.35:1 widescreen format), but it also has deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. If you're still living in the VHS-past, perhaps this Holiday season is the time to treat yourself to the ever-widening world of DVD.
The transfer is crisp and it sounds terrific (though I don't have a high-end system, so take that for what it's worth). As for the extras:
Outtakes - 7:00 minutes of laugh-filled screw ups. I always imagined while watching the film that it must have been a joy to make. These giggling outtakes prove that conclusively. Branagh himself seems the one most susceptible to breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. It's nice to see as a footnote to this terrific movie.
Deleted Scenes - four excised scenes, totaling about 18:00 minutes! The most time is devoted to the pagent put on near the end of the story. Good stuff, but I see how the running time as is probably works best. It's nice to have them as a supplement anyway!
Making-Of Featurette - only 8:00 minutes long, but they cram some good stuff in there about how much intense (yet fun-filled) practice these mostly non-singing non-dancing non-Shakespearian actors had to go through before going in front of the cameras. Branagh talks about their comaraderie as being "bonded in a slightly-marked terror" at what someone else refers to as "musical-comedy boot camp". Brief, but good.
So, like I said, if you are still living in a DVD-less world, you are really missing out on some great stuff.
I do LOVE this movie so much. :)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
interesting concept
Love's Labour Lost as a musical, an interesting concept...quite engaging but I thought it ended too abruptly! The DVD cover was also broken when delivered which was an irritant.
Published 28 days ago by AVg
Song and dance Shakespeare!
What a brilliant idea to mix thirties broadway musicality with Shakespeare comedy and prose. BUT, the song and dance got so carried away that the storyline side got cut to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Mc Warwick
Adorable and engaging musical
Extraordinarily charming adaptation of Love's Labours Lost as a witty and sexy 1930's style musical. I loved the sound track. The actors are delightful. Read more
Published 9 months ago by L. Weale
Love's Labours Lost
I loved this film!!! 5 stars from me. It was exciting and sexy which is exactly what Shakespeare should be. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Lara T
excellent!
An interesting take on one of Shakespeare's lesser performed plays. Fantastic acting and the 30s songs fitted in beautifully. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2009 by J May
Charming!
I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this DVD, and at first the leap from iambic pentameter into 'I'd Rather Charleston'was quite jarring. Read more
Published on 28 April 2009 by S. Urbaniak
Indecency Strikes Again.
I was fairly enjoying this production, in spite of the characters breaking out into 1930's songs now and then. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2007 by Nadia
Good if you like 30's style musicals but I don't so spoils it somewhat
I would have preferred more of the Shakespeare text and less of the song and dance. Although some nice songs were chosen, I'm just not interested in that kind of 30's musical style... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2007 by Helen
Enormous fun, but far from perfect
After the wonderful include-every-word-from-all-sources Hamlet Branagh takes almost the opposite approach, paring down the text to a minimum (see some of the deleted scenes... Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2000
GREAT!
Being a fan of he work by Kenneth Branagh, I only can say that his last film as a director is superb! Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2000 by maribelortiz@yahoo.com
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