Casting List: Kenneth Branagh
Benedick
Robert Sean Leonard
Claudio
Michael Keaton
Dogberry
Keanu Reeves
Don John
Denzel Washington
Don Pedro
Emma Thompson
Beatrice
Kate Beckinsale
Hero
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For my Literature Internal Assessment I will be doing a review of a film adaptation of William
Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing” directed by Kenneth Branagh. MAAN is considered by critics to be one of Shakespeare’s best comedic plays. It focuses on the romanc e between Claudio and Hero who fall victim to the sinister plot of the evil Don John. This happens while visiting a friend of Don
Pedro the prince, Hero’s father Leonato. Parallel to this is the subplot of an orchestrated romance carried out by Don Pedro, the prince, in an attempt to make Be atrice and Benedick, both of whom despise each other initially, fall in love with one another. In this Internal Assessment I will be analysing the appropriateness of the setting, character portrayals, the quality of acting and the suitability of the apparel of the actors. Additionally, I will be examining how well the film explores the themes of the play and the selection and omission of scenes from the play. This film adaptation done by Kenneth Branagh is considered by many critics to be one of the best. The question remains, how successful can a film adaptation be in conveying the concepts, themes and core ideas of this play?
Setting The setting chosen for the film is very effective at portraying the setting in which the events take place. The play is set in an estate in Messina, Italy and the film was recoded at a Villa in Tuscany, Italy. This choice of setting matched the exact image of what the architecture and other surroundings would have been like in the Elizabethan period. This estate at which the movie was filmed also facilitated the many different scenes of the play seamlessly. The vast greenery of the setting was perfectly suited f or the orchard scene, and the enormity of the Villa also facilitated the masked festivities and the scene at the altar. It was possible to even film the scene in which Claudio went to the family tomb to pay his dues to Hero without actually leaving the estate. Everything that was needed during the film was right there.
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Stage Conventions There is also the use of music in the film. This can be seen in scenes such as the masked ball where cheerful, festive music is used to highlight the joyous mood of the characters. The use of music can also be observed each time Don John enters a scene. When he enters there is dramatic, ominous music which highlights his villainous character. Music successfully sets atmosphere manipulates the viewer’s emotions to a certain extent, capturing their attention while viewing the film. This is a trait the written play does not possess.
The attire of the actors in the film was also in compliance with the clothing which would have been worn in the time of Shakespeare. The women were all dressed in white throughout most of the scenes depicting their purity and innocence, especially in Hero’s case. She was never seen wearing anything else. None of the women were seen wearing pants, which was an article of clothing worn only by men in that era. Don Pedro and his men were all dressed in formal attire throughout. Somewhat fitted leather trousers, white shirts, and jackets, most also wore swords on their belts signifying their position as soldiers. However, the colours Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick wore differed from the colours of Don John, Borachio and Conrade. Don Pedro and his men wore the friendly colour of blue on their collars. In ancient Rome the colour of blue was worn by public servants and in some belief systems it is a colour which represents truth, loyalty, faith and friendship. Don John and his men wore black on their collars. This could be thought to be a Branagh’s way of secretly yet out rightly showing that Don John and his men were of questionable character from the start of the film, since “blackguard” is a term which means “scoundrel” or someone untrustworthy or deceitful and Don John and his men were of the Prince’s guard and they wore black.
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This was also a very clever use of props in the film and such a distinction of colour and character could not be made in the written play. Through this colour distinction, Don Pedro and his men and Don John and his men are established as character contrasts from early on in the film. The lighting in the film also contributes to this distinction between characters. During happy scenes involving the “brighter” characters there is strong lighting, displaying the general cheeriness of the characters, whereas in darker scenes the lighting is sombre. For example, the scene in which Don John and Borachio first schemed to destroy the romance between Claudio and Hero, the room is very dark and gloomy looking, signifying that the darkness or evil at play. Spectacle
The film’s obvious strengths are the ability to give characters greater depth as one can actually see their interactions, their reactions and their expressions. The written play relies heavily on readers’ ability to empathise with characters and conflict, making it fall short in this aspect as not everyone would have the empathy required to fully understand characters and dramatic conflict while reading. Emotions are also strongly conveyed in the film. For example, in the scene in which Claudio witnesses what he believes is Hero’s infidelity at the window, one can clearly see his rage when Don John and Don Pedro must hold him back from making a scene. This more direct conveyance of characters’ emotions is a very strong trait that the written play severely lacks as readers must rely on stage d irections to understand characters’ emotions and there are no instances where the stage directions state or hint any such emotionally sparked actions. Also, the scene in which the masked festivities took place is a great example of the film ’s extensive use of props such as the masks the revellers wore. This, along with the festive themed 4|Page
music which was playing, serves to entice the senses of viewers and ensnare their interests. The film also has the ability to reveal comedy in a much clearer way which would require little or no attempt to interpret as at times it was direct and straightforward “slapstick” style comedy on its lowest amusing level. A great example of this would be the characters of Dogberry and Verges who gallop around on their own two legs in almost all of their appearances as if they were riding horses. Characterization
The characters were brought to life by the fil m’s colourful cast, including such esteemed actors as Keanu Reeves as Don John, Kate Beckinsale as Hero, Emma Thompson as Beatrice, Kenneth Branagh himself as Benedick, and the somewhat questionable inclusion of Denzel Washington as Don Pedro. Denzel Washi ngton’s appearance as Don Pedro the prince is questionable because in the play he is the half-brother of Don John (Keanu Reeves) which is a little difficult to think possible. Also, in the written play there is a scene in which Leonato asks Claudio if he is certain he will marry his brother’s daughter to make amend s for his injustice against Hero and Claudio replies “I’ll hold my mind were she an Ethiope.” The obvious interpretation here is that Claudio would refuse the woman if she was an Ethiopian, clearly showing that blacks in that era and society were less than desirable, therefore putting an African American actor to play the role of the most powerful character who has the highest social status may be seen as risky. However, despite this minor feature, the actors were flawless in carrying out their roles. Emma Thompson performed her role very well, displaying Beatrice’s witty and clever character with precision. Robert Sean Leonard was a great choice for the role of Claudio because of his boyish looks. Keanu Reeves was very well suited for the role of Don John, with his sullen character and dreary look in the film; Denzel Washington was a very charming and 5|Page
eloquent Don Pedro and even Kenneth Branagh, in his character as Benedick, contributed greatly to the comedy of the film. Kate Beckinsale, with her innocent charm and beauty was also extremely well suited for the role of Hero. Other actors also performed well in their roles, making the film adaptation a pleasure to view. Themes & Comedy
This particular play is thought to be Shakespeare’s out right ridicule of romantic concerns and a mockery of love as the main characters “fall in love” without even talking to one another and Claudio is hasty to disgrace Hero in full view of her friends and family before even hearing what she had to say about the allegations made against her. The theme of romance is very strongly portrayed in the film as well as the play, as are the themes of deception, marriage and comedy. However, in the play the comedy is on a deeper level, requiring much interpretation on the part of readers when malapropisms and puns are involved whereas in the film, even though this comedy is still included there is also much more basic or “low” comedy which requires a lot less interpretation and is successful in providing comedy. Dogberry, Verges and the Watch are a good example of this “low” humour. The scene in which Dogberry is addressing the Watch on standing guard is very humorous due to their sloppy movements, facial expressions, and at one point Dogberry falls asleep while speaking to the men an suddenly awakens when a farting sound is heard. Selected Omissions
In the film, a few scenes and events are omitted from the play. For instance the entirety of Act 1 Scene 2 is omitted. This omission is understandable though, as it is a brief dialogue between Leonato and Antonio in which Antonio tells his brother of how he overheard Don Pedro 6|Page
the prince confessing his love for Hero to Claudio. This was wrong information of course. This scene was necessarily omitted as it does not serve to further any plots within the play and would have simply been a waste of screen time and resources. However, further on in the movie, when the masked ball begins, Leonato tells his daughter “...if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer”, which shows that he thought the Prince looked upon his daughter with the intent to marry her. Where he got this notion was never explained in the movie. Another omission in the movie is the last thirty three lines of Act 2 Scene 2 in which Borachio speaks of his plan to ruin the union between Hero and Claudio with great detail. In the film, he simply makes it known that he is in the favour of Hero’s waiting lady, Margaret, and he could go to her at any hour of the night he pleases. These particular lines may have been omitted simply to add to the suspense of the film, but at the same time it makes the unfolding events somewhat confusing since viewers are left with almost no idea of what he has in mind. The confusion only lasts for a few minutes though and is cleared a little further into the movie. The final omission I’ll mention is the first 35 lines of Act 3. In those 35 lines, Hero sent Margaret to tell Beatrice that she overheard Hero and Ursula talking about her and Benedick and also to tell her where to hide so she could overhear the entire conversation. Also, bits of dialogue in which Hero nips at Beatrice’s emotions and doubts are left out, in the film this makes it seem extremely odd that her “disdain” for Benedick would be so easily swayed and turned to love. These omissions were quite unnoticeable however and did not affect the overall impact of the film or the development of its themes and the pleasure gained from watching it. To conclude, Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of “Much Ado About Nothing” was an extremely successful adaptation of the play. The characters were beautifully played, the setting was stunning, and the main themes of love, romance and deception were all addressed. Gestures, 7|Page
tones and emotions were effectively displayed, music was skilfully employed and comedy was sufficiently and almost easily attained. The movie clearly flaunts its strengths over the play and is extremely entertaining to modern viewers because of the outstanding artistry and cinematography.
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Bibliography Internet Movie Database . (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2011, from www.imdb.com:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107616/ Shakespeare, W. (2005). Much Ado About Nothing. Washington : Washington Square Press.
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