Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Kevin G Shinnick Coming off the financial failure of two big films and the end of his marriage to Emma Thompson, Branagh wrote this witty, touching, and funny ode to the madness that goes on into putting on a show and acting, and the pure joy when ,against all odds, it turns out better than you could ever hope.Produced by Castle Rock and released on VHS by Columbia(after a small but critically successful theatrical run in the U.S. as MIDWINTER'S TALE), this is a film that deserves rediscovery and a decent DVD release. Seek it out. If you have any love of the theatre, this is a must own.The cast is full of familiar British faces,(Branagh himself does not appear,content with doing an admirable job of writing and directing) who all make their wonderful eccentric characters real and lovable.The nicest discovery is just how marvelous Joan Collins is at comedy.

jambalayaval Nobody does Shakespeare better than Kenneth Branagh, and this time, he's taken it to a whole new level. Putting together one of the Bard's best works with no money in a cold, damp church at Christmas may sound like a greater tragedy than the play itself. The frustrated actor/director, the cast composed of a band of merry misfits, Joan Collins playing an agent (!) and the god-awful ideas for unique sets and costumes only add to the already engaging tale of passion and deception that is Hamlet. You can't take it too seriously. But the script is intelligently funny, the experienced cast hits their marks, and even those who don't like Shakespeared will be entertained. It's a comedy, it's a mystery, it's a classic...all rolled into one.

gclane I love British film, comedy, theatre and probably because of the intellectual content. It isn't mindless. I watched this with my family and we were all alternatively laughing, crying, laughing. The best bit is the machine gun. Trust me!The video cover had publicity stills in colour. It was a bit worrisome when it presented in glorious black and white. But you get used to it very quickly.My daughter hunted out the video, bought it and it is regularly viewed. The performances are very, very good. Especially Richard Briers, Michael Maloney and Julia Swahala. Jennifer Saunders grates and grates and grates.Watch this film and enjoy.

Jakob Olesen Grossly underrated movie, showcasing some of the best performances of an excellent cast. Shows beyond a doubt that B/W movies are not passé. Kenneth Branagh is smoking as the director of this movie about a group of has been/never will be actors, putting on Hamlet during christmas in a church, that has clearly seen better days. The movie is a great piece of evidence, that CG has not replaced proficient acting, and hopefully never will (hint to independence day)