Kenneth Branagh: Overrated or Pure Genius

[Ganymede]

I'm sort of leaning toward overrated, but you can help push me in either direction.  You have the power, people!  Wield it like a pen and write me a forceful answer!  Oooh, I like forceful...

[shaxper]

You settle down, little one!  

It's a tough question to answer since there aren't that many modern day film actors that repeatedly do Shakespeare.  There aren't all that many people to compare Branagh against when it comes to film (theatre's another story.  I don't consider Branagh anything special in that regard).  

I think Branagh is a fine film actor.  I loved him in Much Ado, and really enjoyed him in Henry V and Othello, but his directing really leaves something to be desired.  Hamlet annoyed me because, while it was visually stunning, it was a highly undecided interpretation and Branagh portrayed Hamlet as himself: an egotistical actor who always has to be the center of attention.  It seems like Branagh did the film as a tribute to his career and his abilities.  He doesn't seem to have much respect for the play; only the fact that he's performing it.  

Henry V troubled me because it was too easy a read of such an enjoyably problematic play.  He cut out A LOT of the play to make it so decidedly patriotic, and while his acting was superb (and again, the look and visuals were stunning)  he condensed three amazingly complex plays (1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, and Henry V) into one very simple one.   And (I'm sorry to say) he looked like one of the Campbell's Soup kids (There I said it).  Of course, he was sort of trying to pay homage to (and outdo) Olivier's interpretation, so the fault does not lie entirely with him.

Personally, I feel that Ian McKellan deserves more credit, and I'd LOVE to see him do some more Shakespeare on the screen.  Richard III was one of the best  Shakespeare films I've ever seen, yet most people will only remember Ian McKellan as the guy who played Magneto or Gandolf.  Sad.  

[Bardolph]

KB went the way of all inductees to Hollywood.  They come to our attention as the result of some fine work and then they begin a descent into darkness.  I thought that his H5 was inspired.  His Much Ado was wonderful but there were some surprising editing errors.  After that he really began to trail off, ultimately putting together a Hamlet that was visually stunning but wherein the "star studded cast," members were tripping over each other.  It is important that Marcellus not be Jack Lemon.  He was a wonderful man.  God rest his soul.  He's not right for the role.  He didn't appear to be able to lift his partisan let along strike at the rolling statue of Brian Blessed.  Now Jack Lemon as Marcellus with Walter Mathau as Horatio, that would have been something.  

KB's staring up into the camera as his Hamlet is carried away by pall bearers smacked of a giant ego that has lost dramatic perspective.  It is illumination of the will of Will that I want to see.  H5 did that for me.  Little that he's done since then has worked.  It's obvious that there is genius in there.  It's having trouble getting past the ego to break to the surface.  

[Beatrice]

I haven't seen Henry V or Hamlet, so I can't comment on that, but I think that Kenneth Brannaugh is great!!  I loved Much Ado About Nothing!  I think that he made the play easy for everyone to really understand.  

Beatrice

[Harry]

How about answering the question that started this thread with "Both!" I liked HV and MAAN. Hamlet I thought pretentious--with interesting ideas. Surely the Henry V is less a national anthem in 5 acts than Olivier's treatment. As for the MAAN, what an accessible vision! Let's get off this idea that Shakespeare is SERIOUS, tragic, and boring. A little light entertainment is great.

[shaxper]

Harry said:

Let's get off this idea that Shakespeare is SERIOUS, tragic, and boring. A little light entertainment is great.

Here here!  Although I might have left Keanu Reaves out of the film, myself...

[Juliet]

I LOVE KENNETH BRANAGH! *GROWL*

That forceful enough for you

No, I'm afraid I can't be impartial because Much Ado About Nothing is my all-time favorite movie; it's perfect, it's beautiful, and therefore KB can do no wrong in my mind.

Much Ado is the peak for me; Henry was good, I actually liked Hamlet, although I haven't seen enough of the other movies to be fair (...adds them to the to-do list) Perhaps it was self-centered, but it was visually gorgeous and he did do a lot with it, I thought. Black and white and mirrors and all that.


Love's Labor's Lost, which people don't seem to be mentioning much, was good, too. Fluffy, but very cute, and I'm all for respect the comedy, hear hear! It's not the easiest of plays, and he resolved it beautifully in the end with a film montage that fit gloriously with the period and added perfect satisfaction, without any new text. No mean feat!

I'm not so sure about Othello. It was a well-done movie, and I really liked the Othello-Desdemona factor, but I'm not sure about KB as Iago and Othello...I think they could have gone further, or in more clearly fruitful directions.

So my verdict is: I'm a devoted fan. Nonetheless, I find it quite amusing that he was cast as Lockheart for the Harry Potter II movie. Quite fitting! (Those of you who keep up with modern lit will understand what I'm talking about.)

I hope he does another Shakespeare film soon!


~Juliet~