A Midwinter's Tale

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Overview

A rag-tag group of amateur actors lead by an unemployed professional endeavor to stage Hamlet in the rundown basement of a community church in this comedy. The lead actor and his powerful agent think that his playing the troubled Dane may give his flagging career a much needed boost. So with himself as the lead, he sets out to round out his cast with the local oddballs who come to try out. The town drunk is cast as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, a hopeless fluffhead is to play Ophelia and for Queen Gertrude, the actor casts a female impersonator. They have three weeks to put the show together. The actor then takes them to his hometown of Hope. The little troupe begins living in an abandoned church in the nun's quarters and much of the tale centers upon the travails they face during their many rehearsals.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/07/2010
UPC:	0883316307038
Original Release:	1995
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	31,954

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Maloney	Joe Harper
Richard Briers	Henry Wakefield
Julia Sawalha	Nina
Nicholas Farrell	Tom Newman
John Sessions	Terry Du Bois
Mark Hadfield	Vernon Spatch
Gerard Horan	Carnforth Greville
Celia Imrie	Fadge
Jennifer Saunders	Nancy Crawford
Joan Collins	Margaretta D'Arcy
Hetta Charnley	Molly
Ann Davies	Mrs. Branch
James D. White	Tim
Robert Hines	Mortimer
Allie Byrne	Tap Dancer
Adrian Scarborough	Young Actor
Brian Petifer	Ventriloquist
Patrick Doyle	Scotsman
Shaun Prendergast	Mule Train Man
Carol Starks	Audience Member
Edward Jewesbury	Nina's Father
Katy Carmichael	Mad Puppet Woman
Brian Pettifer	Ventriloquist
Jimmy Yuill	Composer

Technical Credits

Kenneth Branagh

Kenneth Branagh	Screenwriter
David Barron	Producer

Editorial Reviews

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.