FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: As You Like It [DVD] [2006]

As You Like It [DVD] [2006]
enlarge	Director: Kenneth Branagh Actors: Bryce Dallas Howard, Alfred Molina, Brian Blessed, Kevin Kline, Adrian Lester Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£17.99~~ Buy New: £4.90 as of 22/11/2009 22:48 GMT details You Save: £13.09 (73%) New (15) from £4.90 Seller: findprice Rating: 9 reviews Sales Rank: 4158 Format: PAL Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 122 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5060052413031 ASIN: B000Z63YQ6 Theatrical Release Date: 2006 Release Date: February 25, 2008 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


Similar Items: Love's Labour's Lost [DVD] [2000] Twelfth Night [DVD] [1996] Hamlet (2 Disc Special Edition) Much Ado About Nothing [DVD] [1993] Henry V [DVD] [1989]


Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 9 1 2 Next » Fresh, truthful and lively interpretation April 5, 2009 Louise Gilmour (Uk) I sought out a copy of this DVD after seeing the production on television. I particularly liked the quality of the performances, the actors have created truthful interpretations that make the language easy to comprehend. The comedy springs from the characters and context rather than being superimposed and the woodland setting is well used. An excellent resource for Drama and English teachers in particular, but also really enjoyable for all interested in watching good acting. Not at all disappointed! October 19, 2009 G. Barker (Shropshire, UK) I loved the Globe's recent version of this play and, since they don't seem to film their performances, I decided to buy the Branagh version. I am a great fan of his work and I wasn't disappointed! br / br /So many aspects of his version of As You Like It are wonderful and have already been mentioned here. But I was particularly drawn to the subtlety of Kevin Klein's portrayal of Jacques. Watch him during the scene with Rosalind when he says: "I have neither the scholar's melancholy, which is emulation, nor the musician's, which is fantastical, nor the courtier's, which is proud, nor the soldier's, which is ambitious, nor the lawyer's, which is politic, nor the lady's, which is nice, nor the lover's, which is all these ..." A tribute both to his own skill and the director's vision. Never mind the critics - try it for yourself! July 3, 2008 Neil S. Hall 30 out of 30 found this review helpful br / br /Kenneth Branagh's film of As You Like It received a pretty cool critical reception as I remember. Amazon reviewers don't appear to be overwhelmed either. I came to it with low expectations but enjoyed it far more than I ever hoped I would. br / br /Yes - the 19th century Japanese setting is a bit of a problem. It is hardy what one expects to encounter in this play. The (Sumo) wrestling scene is frankly comical - I don't think Shakespeare intended us laugh hysterically at this point! More worryingly, Branagh tries to carry the Japanese setting over into the Forest of Arden. The main problem is that this is one of Shakespeare's most English plays. There are more songs in this play than in any other he wrote, though few of them make it into the film. We only get one verse of Under the Greenwood Tree and that is sung to a faux-Japanese arrangement that I, at least, find too incongruous to swallow. A bit like eating sushi with roast potatoes and gravy! But Shakespeare was a music lover - he knew what he was doing. The songs are an integral part of the play's atmosphere - but not here. However, the famous Pretty Ring Time makes it in by the skin of its teeth. The film ends with a very fizzy and up-beat arrangement of the song - an arrangement which (thankfully) owes more to Lionel Bart than to anything from the Far East. br / br /So - that's the bad news. The good news is that the Japanese setting, with its immigrant communities, creates the impression of a "melting-pot" in which all cultures have a right to exist. Thus, the roles of the de Boys brothers are taken by black actors. David Oyelowo's Orlando is fine. And Adrian Lester finds much more in the role of Oliver de Boys that do most actors. The Forest of Arden, for all its Japanese trappings, becomes a kind of Never-Never Land, where identities can change, characters can mutate and everything can be just As You Like It. br / br /The other performances are all fine - or, at least, they gave me pleasure. Bryce Dallas Howard is a warm and engaging Rosalind, convincingly boyish in the forest scenes and well able to maintain the important sexual tension between "Ganymede" and Orlando. Her English accent is pretty good as well - though the mask starts to slip in the Epilogue. Brian Blessed plays both Dukes. His Duke Senior is a mellow, mellifluous performance which completely gives the lie to his popular stentorian image. And the small but important role of Adam is entrusted to the safest possible pair of hands, belonging to Richard Briers. Kevin Klein is a serious, introverted Jaques and Alfred Molina does what he can with the severely pruned part of Touchstone. br / br /The film isn't perfect. But I was left feeling that certain melancholy happiness which good performances of this play never fail to inspire - a feeling much aided by the final chorus of Pretty Ring Time! I enjoyed the film and I am sure others will too. It is a version to which I will certainly return and I guess it will be many years until we have another film version to match it. br / As I liked it. March 13, 2009 Joseph Brennan (Leitrim, Ireland) Another great adaptation but i didn't see the point of the Japanese influence in it. Fun in the Forest of Arden.. April 23, 2009 Moi (scotland) Funny old Bard with good 'old' Branagh (the actors were clearly Branagh inspired!) Liked it-! Ok Bard commie intro to 13 year old; she enjoyed the love-notions. Showing reviews 1-5 of 9 1 2 Next »

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.