Kenneth Branagh

(Contains spoilers) Thor was one of my favorite comic heroes when I was a kid, and I wasn't sure how he'd translate into a movie. I felt a little better when I heard who was directing. What a treat it turned out to be. True, Thor isn't even Thor for half the movie, but the scene where he's lying there lifeless, and then finally, the hammer he can no longer lift lifts him! Loved the cast too, especially Natalie, who I just wanted to grab. And here's hoping Tom Hiddleston has a long, cranky show more reign as Loki. For me this was the superhero movie most like a comic book come to life. show less

These screenplay and making-of books always take me back to my youth, in that Golden Age before social media. Learning about a film or a TV series took time as a '90s kid without cable television or anything more impressive than VHS rentals. These books would often be the introduction to works, and I spent far too many hours at the library learning the detailed ins-and-outs of entire seasons of The X-Files I hadn't seen yet, or analysing the screenplay for a Woody Allen film I wouldn't see show more for years.

Unusually, the screenplay here is more useful than the additional material. Using the "full length" version of the text (it's a long story in regard to Hamlet, believe me, but Branagh's textual choices were compelling), Branagh gives us a screenplay that is rich in stage directions and directorial asides, showing the level of consideration that went into conveying every line in his mammoth 4-hour undertaking, still one of the longest commercial releases - certainly in English, its only real rival I can think of is Cleopatra.

Branagh's introduction is short but effective. The shooting diary at the end has its advantages but I can't help wishing it's too short and in some ways too vague. Fair enough, this text was probably being proofed while the film was still in post-production, but it's annoying to be told that Branagh isn't happy with a certain set of takes yet never to know whether he got there, or that he needs a close-up in case a planned one-take scene has to be chopped up in editing yet without us knowing. (Of course we can watch the film now, I appreciate, but the book should be a standalone experience.) While I appreciate the correspondent's insights into how film is made, there was much more that was hinted at. Robin Williams pops up early, filming his main scene while everyone else is still in rehearsal. I'm assuming this was because of Williams' schedule. We learn about the types of food that get eaten in the catering - which numbers in the hundreds of meals even for an intimate scene - but it would've been cool to get some stats or some insight. Basically, the shooting diary feels like an afterthought, as much as some of it shimmers with joy, and I wish it had been twice as long.

A miraculous film, though. show less

It's not a bad movie, in the collection of Disney live action remakes, Cinderella is solidly middle of the pack. Cinderella was one of Disney's first princesses, so the original version of Ella doesn't have the same depth as the live action. I did like how Lady Tremaine tried to force Ella to make a deal with her and how Cinderella finally stood up for herself after being treated like a doormat for so long.

This is the screenplay to Kenneth Branagh's production of "Henry V." Many believe Laurence Olivier's "Henry V" to be the quintessential version, but this reviewer votes Branagh's film to be THE adaptation to define the fifth Henry. This book includes stills on nearly every page from Branagh's film as well as the screenplay, and an introduction by Branagh that explains how he came about to make the film. It was great fun to browse through the screenplay and imagine hearing again the voices show more recite their lines and see the photos. Also includes the movie credits. This book provided great enjoyment at only 107 pages. show less