As You Like it (Kenneth Branagh, 2006)

[Tommaso]

I'm really surprised that this marvellous film - nor the disc -hasn't been discussed in detail yet, if only to set right the poor treatment (that is, none at all, apart from Italy) that "As you like it" has received theatrically.

I had high expectations for a new Branagh Shakespeare after "Much Ado about Nothing" and "Hamlet", and having watched the disc now, I'm not let down. On the contrary: I'm thoroughly delighted. The play may not be one of the Bard's greatest as far as plot machinations are concerned, but it is certainly one of his most thoughtful and charming comedies. Branagh and his cast perfectly manage to capture the underlying seriousness and melancholy of the play. The acting is completely natural without ever becoming dully 'naturalistic', and especially Bryce Dallas Howard's Rosalind is striking in the easy flow of her acting and speaking (not to mention her looks, of course). But the cast, with a lot of old Branagh regulars, is very even and convincing generally.

It's hard to analyze just exactly WHY this film is so wonderful, I guess it's a combination of various small things which come together, and Branagh just doing everything he does in precisely the right way. Thankfully again he avoided to simply film a 'stagey' version, and like "Hamlet", this is a completely cinematic film. I can't see too much sense in his decision to place the action in 19th century Japan, but it doesn't matter much either, and it at least allows him to make more than one nod to Kurosawa's "Ran" in the initial scenes. But once we are in the Forest of Arden, we are in a world of our own, anyway. Branagh manages to capture the pastoral, Arcadian spirit of the play perfectly, and this time is even helped by Patrick Doyle's music, which is far more intimate, less grandiose than in his former films. Truly enchanting all around, with very intense colours (orange, gold and green, mostly) which give the film a particularly beautiful look, and with a very assured way of doing edits, mise en scene and camera work, too.
It seems to me that Branagh is often seen as a great actor who, like Olivier, also happens to make a great Shakespeare film every few years. But this film, like many of his other works, proves to me that Branagh is indeed one of the very great directors around these days (and he doesn't play in "As you like it", anyway). I'm really looking forward to his "Magic Flute" now, and genuinely wish for a "Midsummer Night's Dream" from him.

The transfer on this HBO disc is stunning, as well. Absolutely no problems in any respect, and pretty much eye-popping most of the time. The only crime of this disc is the absence of an audio commentary, and the fact that there's only one extra, a 4 ½ min (!) featurette. But that should stop noone who has even only the slightest interest in Shakespeare films to watch this. I can't imagine a better film version of that somewhat difficult to perform play, really. So get it while you can, as I fear that the dvd will be ignored by the greater public as much as the film was by the distributors.

[glaswegian tome]

I saw this a few days after the DVD was released. I enjoyed it very much overall, but I couldn't help feeling like a couple scenes had acting problems. Some of it felt wooden and stilted, which I thought was really unusual to have happen in one of Branagh's Shakespeare films, but it was rare enough that it didn't really detract from the overall experience.

Agreed about Bryce Dallas Howard - her acting was great and her beauty is stunning.

[domino harvey]

After hearing so many derisive remarks about the film (hell, they're still coming-- last year's Stage Fright based a significant plot point more or less on just mocking this film's existence), I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It really is one of the better Shakespeare adaptations I've seen in presenting a cinematic take on a specific reading and tone of one of the Bard's better plays. It helps that the cast is spot-on, especially the always welcome Bryce Dallas Howard (who makes a pitch perfect Rosalind), and I also enjoyed Alfred Molina's clown (and his Kramer-esque bouffant). I appreciated the swirling camera work (lots of 360 tracking in the woods) and refreshing use of long takes (little of Branagh's famed quick editing from Henry V is present save in the intermittent scenes of unnecessary action). I also found the fourth wall-breaking epilogue suitably cheeky and a good summation of the mildly perverse spirit of the whole production. And maybe it's just a result of being snowed in for the nth freaking week in a row but man alive did I love the beautiful greenery of the woods here, highlighting better than any other Shakespeare filmed production I've seen from his "love and escape in the forest" works the non-supernatural magic afforded by the tamed untamed. Though I find most Shakespeare adaptations unnecessary at best, I was pleasantly charmed by this one and heartily share the recommendation of Tommaso.

HBO put their original pressed DVD out of print and replaced it with a Warner Archives edition, but it shouldn't be too hard to track down a pressed copy second-hand.

[EddieLarkin]

Thanks for this. Inspired by the BBC Television Shakespeare thread I decided this year to read all of Shakespeare's plays and watch the BBC adaptations, along with a single theatrical adaptation of each play (where possible). As You Like It is next and I'd decided not to bother with the obvious choice of the Branagh version because of the poor reception, but I've reconsidered. The R2 UK disc is in print and only £4 at the moment.

[EddieLarkin]

I am truly baffled as to why this film has received the negative criticism it has. Many reviewers and commentators get hung up on the Japanese setting, but why is that even important? The setting isn't used in any particularly interesting way, it certainly doesn't lead to any wild changes, and once we get to Arden it makes no difference what country we're in anyway. So admittedly there's nothing to get excited about in terms of the unique choice of setting, but how is that a detriment? Arden is the important thing, and the Arden in this film is much like it would be in a "faithful" adaptation. Some people even criticise the film for not being anything like Kurosawa's Shakespeare adaptations, like they honestly think it was aiming for that but completely failed!

As an adaptation I found it pretty much perfect; it prunes a few things I was not overly fond of in the play, and expands on some things that the play does not, that I felt even whilst reading was unfortunate. Bryce Dallas Howard is wonderful, as is the whole feel of the film towards the end. It left me rather elated, which has led me to rethink my stance on the play, as I had a difficult time enjoying it. Whilst the somewhat dull BBC adaptation helped my understanding, it certainly didn't make me realise how fun and exhilarating the play can clearly be. I am very much looking forward to rereading.

Of the 6 adaptations I've seen so far on my Shakespeare project (I've seen a number of others in the past, but cannot comment as to their worth as adaptations, as I'd never read any of the plays), this is definitely the best, and I hope it will be re-evaluated one day.

[manicsounds]

Just couldn't get into it. The Japanese setting was an interesting choice, but it was such a fake Japanese setting, like a person being told what Japan looks like and just imagining that. Like how Marco Polo told of his tales?

I also didn't really understand the ending of showing the actual movie set. Suddenly so tongue-in-cheek "hey, it's only a movie!" ending? I didn7t really get Branagh's choices for this movie. Probably my least favorite of his Shakespeare adaptations. (The worst Shakespeare adaptation of all is arguably "Titus" (1999), but he didn't direct that, although I would like to see what he would do with that story)

[colinr0380]

I haven't seen the Branagh adaptation of As You Like It yet, though he's always had a thing for sticking his adaptations into different settings (the 1930s set adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost, complete with Gerswhin, Kern and Hammerstein musical numbers, which is my favourite of the Branagh Shakespeares. Or the same year as As You Like It adaptation of The Magic Flute, updated to World War I). Without having seen it yet I wonder if the Japanese setting might be Branagh showing more of a theatrical Gilbert and Sullivan Mikado influence than a 'real Japan' one?

Anyway I'm not going to be a help to manicsounds as I love Julie Taymor's ancient Rome-meets-wartorn Balklands-meets-fascist Italy-meets-Cinecitta opulence adaptation of Titus!

[EddieLarkin]

I don't think the Japanese setting was a particularly interesting choice, or had much of a purpose other than to offer more exotic scenery, as the setting itself results in no significant changes to the play. Arden is not a real place, is clearly fantastical and thus the country it is set in really makes no difference. Perhaps Branagh wanted the characters to be foreigners in an even more foreign land, but he doesn't actually do anything with that. So again with this hang up on the Japanese setting; this is not a "Japanese As You Like It" in the way that Throne of Blood is a "Japanese Macbeth". You can't have a Japanese As You Like It because there's nothing particularly English or French about it in the first place. You could easily read the play and cast the characters in your mind as being in Japan and you wouldn't encounter any problems.

As for the ending, it is taken directly from the play and consequently not Branagh's choice.