I love this film -- to my mind it has only one flaw and that's the otherwise delicious Jennifer Saunders' off-the-mark attempt at an American accent.
Well, there's a second flaw: This film isn't available on DVD -- and my VHS copy is nearly worn out! This is a film that will be funny to just about anyone, but it will have special resonance for theatre folk.
The only other film to so expertly skewer a genre of the dramatic art is "Waiting for Guffman": What that did for community theatre, this does for Shakespeare.
Branagh did an extraordinarily fine job of casting the film using a mix of actors ranging from the VERY well known to the soon-to-be well known. Each of them is playing at the top of his or her game.
Well, there's a second flaw: This film isn't available on DVD -- and my VHS copy is nearly worn out! This is a film that will be funny to just about anyone, but it will have special resonance for theatre folk.
The only other film to so expertly skewer a genre of the dramatic art is "Waiting for Guffman": What that did for community theatre, this does for Shakespeare.
Branagh did an extraordinarily fine job of casting the film using a mix of actors ranging from the VERY well known to the soon-to-be well known. Each of them is playing at the top of his or her game.