Regie:
Kenneth BranaghCamera:
Alex ThomsonMuziek:
Patrick DoyleActeurs:
Kenneth Branagh, Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Natascha McElhone, Matthew Lillard, Adrian Lester, Timothy Spall, Nathan Lane, Stefania Rocca (meer)Samenvattingen(1)
In deze muzikale ode aan de jaren '30 en aan Broadway leggen de Koning van Navarra en zijn drie metgezellen publiekelijk een eed af die hun verplicht om de komende drie jaar gezamenlijk al hun energie in hun studie te stoppen en zich te onthouden van het vrouwelijk schoon. Hun trouw en eer wordt gelijk getest bij de komst van de Prinses van Frankrijk en haar drie aardige metgezellinnen. Het is liefde op het eerste gezicht voor alle betrokkenen, gevolgd door de hopeloze pogingen van de mannen om hun liefde te verbergen. (Indies Film Distribution)
(meer)Recensie (2)
I won't hide the fact that this mostly criticized pop-cultural retelling of a literary classic literally thrilled me. Kenneth Branagh demonstrated extraordinary sensitivity for this storytelling, successfully (literally) dancing on the edge between original art and blatant kitsch, which, though not as thin as in Moulin Rouge!, still places it in a slightly different league. The rhymed dialogues, the unique singing, and the breathtaking dance numbers are the main pillars of Branagh's success, of which he is duly proud, and from his filmmaking, one can feel not only the joy of work but also admiration for Shakespeare's work, as evidenced most in the humorous scenes, which are not only countless but are all "top-notch." My only criticism may be directed towards occasional stiffness in certain scenes, which unfortunately stands out in the 90-minute duration and can be quite distracting and disruptive. However, that doesn't detract much from me giving it the highest rating.
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The naive, foolish atmosphere supported by music and dance scared me at first, but when you buy into what Kenneth Branagh's playing at, you can navigate the confusion in a calm pace until the end – I would call out the magically awful speaking performance of Timothy Spall.
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