Main Cast: Michael Maloney, Richard Briers, Mark Hadfield, Nicholas Farrell, Gerard Horan
Release Year: 1995
Country: UK
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
When his professional career hits a lull, an actor attempts to revitalize his career by staging a production of Hamlet, directed by and starring himself. Director and star Kenneth Branagh would in fact release his own film version of Shakespeare's classic play a year later, but this comedy provides his fictional counterpart with far less in terms of production value. Lacking money and time, he recruits a rather motley group of drunks, incompetents, and oddballs, including a middle-aged female impersonator in the crucial role of Queen Gertrude. Given only three weeks of rehearsal, and an abandoned church in a remote town in the English countryside, this unlikely group nevertheless struggles valiantly to make theatrical magic. The film attempts to pay loving tribute to the madness that surrounds the staging of a play, with all of the backstage dramas, inevitable disasters, and unexpected triumphs, but the end result is often less amusing than it ought to be. The film was released in the United States under the title A Midwinter's Tale. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
After the success he achieved with Dead Again and Much Ado About Nothing was followed by the ego-driven disappointment Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Kenneth Branagh regrouped with A Midwinter's Tale, the story of a ragged acting troupe brought together by an out-of-work actor for a Christmas production of Hamlet. Following the line that simpler is better, Branagh keeps everything very low-key, even shooting in black-and-white as a symbolic throwback to the days when films were not big-budget extravaganzas. Although Branagh does not appear in the film, his presence permeates the plot and characters. Many have compared him to Orson Welles for his work in bringing Shakespeare to film, but this particular film harkens closer to Woody Allen in its approach and subtlety. It's a tribute to anyone who has ever suffered for their love of the theatre, and Branagh manages a few clever tweaks on the familiar "let's put on a show" themes. Michael Maloney is Joe Harper, the stand-in for Branagh. A talented actor, Joe struggles with making the transition to films at the expense of his craft. Joan Collins, the most recognizable name and face to American audiences, phones in a stereotypical performance as Joe's agent. The acting troupe itself is filled with a talented group of comedic actors, led by BBC staple John Sessions, who plays the drag queen cast as Gertrude in Joe's Hamlet. Gerard Horan also turns in a nice performance as the man cast as both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. It's difficult to watch this film without feeling like a spectator to Branagh's therapy sessions, and considering that his follow-up project was a four-hour film version of Hamlet, obviously it worked. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide
Cast
Michael Maloney - Joe Harper (Hamlet)
Richard Briers - Henry Wakefield (Claudius, the Ghost, and the Player
Mark Hadfield - Vernon Spatch (Polonius, Marcellus, and First Gravedi
Nicholas Farrell - Tom Newman (Laertes, Fortinbras, and messengers)
Gerard Horan - Carnforth Grevilly
John Sessions - Terry Du Bois (Queen Gertrude); Allie Byrne - Tap Dancer; Hetta Charnley - Molly; Joan Collins - Margaretta D'Arcy; Robert Hines - Mortimer; Brian Pettifer - Ventriloquist; Jennifer Saunders - Nancy Crawford; Patrick Doyle - Scotsman; Celia Imrie - Fadge; Shaun Prendergast - Mule Train Man; Julia Sawalha - Nina Raymond (Ophelia)
Credit
Caroline Harris - Costume Designer, Simon Moseley - First Assistant Director, Kenneth Branagh - Director, Neil Farrell - Editor, Jimmy Yuill - Composer (Music Score), Peter Glossop - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jimmy Yuill - Songwriter, Jenny Shircore - Makeup, Tim Harvey - Production Designer, Roger Lanser - Cinematographer, David Barron - Producer, Kenneth Branagh - Screenwriter
