In the Bleak Midwinter (1995)'s comments

Do you want to let us know what you think? Just login, after which you will be redirected back here and you can leave your comments.

Siskoid

While he was prepping his 1996 Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh made A Midwinter's Tale (AKA In the Bleak Widwinter), a film I've had on VHS for a while (and which I discuss periodically on Hyperion to a Satyr), but just now have converted to DVD. I don't know if it just wasn't available, or if I kept typing A Midwinter's Dream in the search bars (it's a Rheostatics song, a mistake I am likely to make). I watched it (for the umpteenth time) as soon as I got it. This low-budget comedy filmed in black and white features misfit actors trying to put on Hamlet for Christmas. The tone is not unlike something like Best in Show, with lots of quirky vignettes that will make anyone who knows any actors smile, but that also pulls at the heart strings and ultimately, delivers an excellent Hamlet montage. Surprising performances abound, and Michael Maloney shines especially. He's in a lot of Shakespeare movies, but usually playing a foolish douche (Laertes, Rosencrantz, Roderigo, the Dauphin). Here, he makes a good protagonist, filled with passion, and lights up the screen as Hamlet. We've also got Richard Briers, John Sessions, Joan Collins(!), and Nicholas Farrell (who is far more adept at comedy than I would have previously believed).

8 years 8 months ago

mjb0123

I almost turned this off in the first 45 minutes but I stuck with it and I was invested in the characters and it paid off in the end. You have to have a rudimentary understanding of Hamlet and then lots more gets picked up.

10 years 10 months ago