Romola Garai

Kevin Kline

Bryce Dallas Howard

Adrian Lester

Janet McTeer

Alfred Molina

David Oyelowo

Jimmy Yuill

Brian Blessed

Richard Briers

Takuya Shimada

Richard Clifford

Patrick Doyle

Gerard Horan

Nobuyuki Takano

Paul Chan

Alex Wyndham

Jade Jefferies

Jotham Annan

Jonathan Broadbent

Justin Hoong-Fai Chan

Iain Stuart Robertson

Youki Yamamoto

Kenneth Branagh

William Shakespeare

Neil Farrell

Christian S. Andersson

Roger Lanser

Tim Harvey

Howard Bargroff

Ed Colyer

Dan Johnson

Abi Groves

Susannah Buxton

Jenny Shircore

Susan Howard

Simon Moseley

Loulia Sheppard

Judy Hofflund

Andrea King

Les Benson

Comedy

Drama

Romance

As You Like It

Shakespeare Film Company

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

I believe Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare based films are a great success. I don't mean that they got good reviews and made box office bank. For me, his **HENRY V** was the first time watching Shakespeare I was intrigued and, frankly followed the language and story. His **MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING** and his **HAMLET** reinforced my opinion.  I even thought it possible that we would eventually see 37-ish Shakespeare stories enjoyed by modern audiences. While it may still happen, its unlikely to be completely under the directorial eye of Branagh.

Maybe others felt this way, as a new company was formed - _THE SHAKESPEARE FILM company_.  A production company under Branagh dedicated to Shakespeare productions.  The company underperformed considerably with **LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST** and was shuttered after the only slightly more promising follow-up...

> **_AS YOU LIKE IT_**

Duke Senior reigns over a happy community, until his jealous brother banishes the Duke and takes his throne by force.  The story follows the banished king's daughter as she navigates her love for a young farmer while under the gaze of the disapproving uncle.

This film has a high powered cast.  There is another lyrical score by Patrick Doyle.  The cinematography and production design are beautiful. Placing the story in Japan is intriguing. It has a lot going for it.  Yet, it seems muddy and unclear.

The first portion of the film confidently plants Shakespeare's story into a Shogun ruled Japan. Yet, the story seems to meander away from that until only the costuming suggests Japanese influence.  Maybe relocating the story to this cultural environment was a meal not fully cooked.

Bryce Dallas Howard carries the film as a smiling and intelligent Rosalind.  The excellent Alfred Molina is the clown whose scenes contain the only humorous material.  Much of Branagh's Shakespeare community fills in several roles including my favorite, Brian Blessed playing the empathetic banished king and his tyrannical usurping brother.  Depressingly, the usually wonderful Kevin Kline gives a quiet and toothless performance of Jaques which renders him forgotten by the time the credits role. Similarly wasted is Adrian Lester.

Branagh certainly knows how to make money look good on screen.  His approach adapting the bard's work is not as strong or confident as his earliest efforts.  Maybe this says more about the original source, but there are surprising things that have to reflect today's choices. Most obviously, why is the plays most popular _All the world's a stage_ quote is delivered over a soft focus pan of Jaques sitting in the blurred distance.  It is lost and forgotten.

**AS YOU LIKE IT** is leaps better than **LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST**, but not enough to keep the new _Shakespeare Film Company_ alive.

Other filmmakers have stepped up and are offering great modern takes on Shakespeare without twisting his language and story to unrecognizable propaganda.  We may see the Shakespeare Cinematic Universe after all.

Adrian Lester in conversation

As You Like It Trailer

As You Like It

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Актёрский состав 24:

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