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From:Alfred Bell , Richard Briers , Richard Clifford , Carmen Ejogo , Daisy Gough , Miramax ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#13685 |
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2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Love, Labored and Lost, 2008-07-08
"Love's Labor's Lost" is one of the Bard's more bittersweet comedies. There's the joy of romantic love tempered with the bitter reality of war, and the original ending is open to question. As Berowne says, "This isn't a normal play. Jack does not get his Jill."
Kenneth Branagh decided to turn the Bard's bittersweet tale into a fluffy '30s musical, complete with fake newsreel footage. The Prince of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola) leads his friends to forswear women for study. However,when the Princess of France (Alicia Silverstone) stops by with her handmaidens, love and music is in the air. There are numerous campy musical sequences-- such as "Cheek to cheek" number where the young men are soaring overhead like puppets against a sky backdrop, and "Let's face the music and dance",a "sexy" number where the couples wear masks--that seems more of a tribute to Wild Orchid than William Shakespeare.
Kenneth Branagh,as Berowne,poetically speaks Shakespeare's poetry. One can say the script is strong despite the actors. Alicia Silverstone, Matthew Lillard and Nathan Lane give vapid readings. Poor Lane looks out of place as the comical Costard. It's nice to see interracial romance treated in an ordinary, everyday way--- but the cast is weak.
"Love's Labor's Lost" ends up labored and lost. With stilted choreography and a pretentious use of the Great American Songbook, it ends up a campy-- and fascinating-- failure,but not in the entertaining "Xanadu" sense. To paraphrase Shakespeare,it's all sound and funny, signifying nothing.
 Shakespeare ReVamped, 2008-01-28
The film wasn't quite what I expected when I purchased it, but now that I've seen it, I'm glad it wasn't. They use famous songs to make an old classic modern and innovative. Nathan Lane is hilarious as well as Timothy Spall. Once again, Kenneth Branagh works wonders as a director AND actor. It's a good date movie for drama geeks (like me). :)
Unusual, but that's why I like it, 2007-11-27
This is definitely not for Shakespeare purists, but if you don't take the Bard too seriously, it's cute and fun. The blending of classic Shakespeare with Broadway song and dance routines makes for an unusual experience, which certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea. I think I'm the only person in my household who likes this movie, but that doesn't put a damper on how much I enjoy it.
 Branagh,Cole Porter,Irving Berlin and The Bard as if they,ve always been together!, 2007-10-12
Kenneth Branagh never ceases to amaze me or disappoint me when this great Shakesperean actor/director takes one of The Bard's plays and works his magic and whimsy and brings Shakespeare anew to the big screen.HENRY V,HAMLET,MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and now LOVE"S LABOUR'S LOST each lovingly and differently interpreted so that the general public may approach Shakespeare in a way that hitherto they may have not.I am such a person.I confess that I have not been a fan of Shakespeare as usually seen in Shakespeare Festivals,Broadway and regional theatres.For me,I have no affinity nor find it interesting;AHHHHH,but thank you Kenneth Branagh for trusting your own sensibilities to continue to reinterpret these masterfully written plays so that certain of us may find Shakespeare more to our tastes.I make no apologies for what some may consider my low-brow approach to Shakespeare via Branagh;IT WORKS FOR ME and I love every last delicious minute of it!
The story to LLL is quite simple: four chums have sworn off women and frivolity for a three year period in order to pursue knowledge and enlightenment.When four gorgeous maidens arrive from France,though, the four chums find it harder and harder to keep their vows.Branagh sets this farce in 1939 Europe just before France is invaded.He styles it with the look and extravagant grandeur of a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical with dancing and singing to the melodies of the times from Cole Porter and Irving Berlin and voila...with sharp editing,lighting and dazzling camera work,Branagh transform this Shakespeare play into a WW2 movie musical spectacle.He obviously researched the times well,for the look of Branagh's film is totally faithful to the time period including authentically recreated newsreels and swirling newspaper flashes.It is delightful from the opening scenes of the four chums taking their united vows to the semi-sweet conclusion of the end of the War.Adrian Lester is to be especially commended for his performance.I had seen him live on stage in London in the musical COMPANY and the man can sing and dance!!! The others at times seem obviously out of their elements as singers and dancers,but that is why it IS so good.This is a group of actors first and foremost who happen to be able to sing and dance;not a group of singers and dancers who can't act! BRILLIANT KENNETH.I LOVE ALL YOUR WORK.
As usual,Branagh has Patrick Doyle do his soundtrack.This pairing always works and pleases.Very highly recommended.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 So bad it's good, 2007-04-16
Taken by its parts, this film has very little to recommend it. The decision to cast a musical with actors who can neither sing nor dance is daring to say the least. Dropping a Shakespearean comedy into a 30s-homage is questionable.
However, I do LOVE this movie. It reaches that very precious stage of bad where it really starts to work. The colors, the filming...bad dancing and poor singing...it feels like this world Branagh has thrown together is teetering on a precipice waiting to fall (which, in fact, it is). It's bad in all the right ways for a rainy, saturday afternoon.
If you are looking for a serious WS-rendition, try Henry V or Hamlet (if it ever comes out on dvd). If you are looking for a well-executed comedy try Much Ado, but if you are looking for something different just for the guilty pleasure of it, give Loves Labours a go.
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