Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)

Much Ado About Nothing
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Produced by Kenneth Branagh
Stephen Evans
David Parfitt
Screenplay by Kenneth Branagh
Based on Much Ado About Nothing 
by William Shakespeare
Starring Kenneth Branagh
Robert Sean Leonard
Emma Thompson
Michael Keaton
Keanu Reeves
Denzel Washington
Music by Patrick Doyle
Cinematography Roger Lanser
Edited by Andrew Marcus
Production
company
BBC Films
American Playhouse Theatrical Films
Renaissance Films
Distributed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA)
Entertainment Film Distributors (UK)
Release dates
  • May 7, 1993 (1993-05-07) (United States)
  • August 27, 1993 (1993-08-27) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 110 minutes[1]
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Budget $11 million[1]
Box office $36,000,000

Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 British/American romantic comedy film based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the film. The film also stars Branagh's then-wife Emma Thompson, Robert Sean Leonard, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Beckinsale in her film debut.

The film was released on May 7, 1993, reaching 200 U.S. screens at its widest release. It earned $22 million at the U.S. box office and $36 million total worldwide, which, despite failing to reach the mark set by Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, made it one of the most financially successful Shakespeare films ever released. It was also entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

Plot

Don Pedro of Aragon (Denzel Washington) and his noblemen are visiting their good friend Leonato (Richard Briers) in Messina after having crushed an uprising led by Don John (Keanu Reeves), the prince's bastard half-brother. With him is the misogynistic and witty Benedick (Kenneth Branagh), erstwhile flame of Leonato's equally sharp-tongued and somewhat fierce niece, Beatrice (Emma Thompson). Beatrice and Benedick are both stubborn and proud. Also present are Benedick's "sworn brother" Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), a young count; and Don John who, despite his attempt at rebellion, has apparently reconciled with his brother. Claudio has been thinking fondly of Leonato's gentle and lovely daughter Hero (Kate Beckinsale) since before he went to war, and returns to find her as attractive as ever. Don Pedro, learning of his young friend's feelings, decides to act on his behalf and arranges the match at a party. An unrepentant and ill-intentioned Don John attempts to foil it, but unsuccessfully: the match is made. Needing something to pass the time until the wedding day, Don Pedro decides to arrange a similar fate for Beatrice and Benedick. Of course, with each party being such a “professed tyrant” to the opposite sex, this match will take a little more ingenuity.

Leonato, Claudio and the Prince stage a loud conversation containing a fictitious account of how much Beatrice is in love with Benedick; all the while, knowing Benedick to be hiding well within earshot. Hero and her gentlewoman Ursula play the same trick upon Beatrice. Each of them believes the story they hear about the other. In the midst of all of this good-natured scheming, Don John and his men have been casting about for ways to stop the intended marriage between the man who “hath all the glory of [Don John's] overthrow” and the woman for whom one may suspect he has cherished some tender feeling. The night before the wedding, his servant Borachio arranges a steamy liaison with Hero's gentlewoman Margaret at Hero's chamber window. John shows his half-brother and Claudio the rendezvous, leading them to believe that they are seeing Hero in the act of infidelity.

Against the revelry of the evening, the noble but incompetent constable Dogberry (Michael Keaton) appoints a watch to keep the peace. The three hapless watchmen happen to hear Borachio bragging to his colleague Conrade about how he and Don John had finally succeeded in wrecking the wedding plans, and quickly capture them. In the morning, Dogberry shows up at Leonato's door to fetch him for the examination of the detainees. Unfortunately, the old gentleman is in too much of a hurry to try to decipher what the malapropism-prone constable is trying to tell him. Amidst the confusion, Don John quietly flees the estate.

At the wedding, Claudio publicly disgraces his would-be bride and storms away along with all of the guests except for Ursula, the Friar, Leonato, Beatrice, Antonio, and Benedick. They all agree to the Friar's plan to publish the tale that Hero, upon the grief of Claudio's accusations, suddenly died. Beatrice and Benedick linger a moment, and wind up confessing their love to one another. In the wake of this declaration, Beatrice asks Benedick to do the one thing that will satisfy her outrage with what has just happened; she asks him to kill Claudio. With a heavy heart, he agrees to challenge the younger man, which he does in deadly earnest shortly after Leonato and Antonio demand satisfaction from him but are refused. While this was going on, Borachio and Conrade are interrogated by Dogberry and his men. Despite Dogberry's incompetence, the truth of Don John's sinister machinations is revealed.

Moments after Benedick's challenge to Claudio, Leonato is made aware of what really happened. Leonato continues to pretend to Claudio that Hero is dead. Claudio entreats Leonato to impose whatever vengeance he sees fit, for Claudio's part in Hero's disgrace and death. Leonato forgives Claudio on the condition that he publicly declare his wrongdoing, and then marry Hero's cousin the next morning. Claudio agrees to both conditions, and carries out the former by reciting an epitaph at Hero's tomb that night.

When the bride is brought forth the next day, she is revealed to be none other than Hero herself. She and Claudio profess their true and undying love for each other, as do Beatrice and Benedick when faced with written evidence (acquired and produced by Hero and Claudio) found in the pockets of each, Benedick's in the form of an endearingly poorly written song. With loud but obviously insincere protests, having realised that despite their volatile personalities they are meant for each other, they agree to marry as well and Benedick formally renounces his challenge against Claudio, embracing him as friend and kinsman once again. Moments later, Don John is marched in, having been captured before he could make his escape. The film ends with the whole of Leonato's household dancing in the courtyard, with the two happy couples at the centre of them. Don Pedro remains behind, still single but happy for his friends.

Cast and characters

Production

Soundtrack

Much Ado About Nothing
Film score by Patrick Doyle
Released 4 May 1993
Recorded 1993
Genre Soundtrack
Length 59:02
Label Epic Soundtrax
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Filmtracks link

The music to Much Ado About Nothing was composed by frequent Kenneth Branagh collaborator Patrick Doyle, who makes a brief cameo in the film as Balthazar singing Sigh No More Ladies and Pardon, Goddess of the Night.[3] The soundtrack was released May 4, 1993 through Epic Soundtrax and features twenty-four tracks of score at a running time just under an hour.[4]

  1. "The Picnic" (2:57)
  2. "Overture" (4:20)
  3. "The Sweetest Lady" (2:05)
  4. "The Conspirators" (2:39)
  5. "The Masked Ball" (1:55)
  6. "The Prince Woos Hero" (1:18)
  7. "A Star Danced" (2:43)
  8. "Rich She Shall Be" (1:42)
  9. "Sigh No More Ladies" (1:58)
  10. "The Gulling of Benedick" (3:12)
  11. "It Must Be Requited" (1:58)
  12. "The Gulling of Beatrice" (1:41)
  13. "Contempt Farewell" (1:32)
  14. "The Lady is Disloyal" (2:14)
  15. "Hero's Wedding" (0:47)
  16. "Take Her Back Again" (3:10)
  17. "Die to Live" (4:43)
  18. "You Have Killed a Sweet Lady" (3:03)
  19. "Choose Your Revenge" (1:48)
  20. "Pardon, Goddess of the Night" (4:32)
  21. "Did I Not Tell You" (1:40)
  22. "Hero Revealed" (1:26)
  23. "Benedick the Married Man" (2:06)
  24. "Strike Up Pipers" (2:41)

Reception

Much Ado About Nothing received generally enthusiastic notices from critics. The film currently holds a 91% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that aggregates professional critiques, with the consensus "Kenneth Branagh's love for the material is contagious in this exuberant adaptation."[5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three out of four stars, calling it "cheerful from beginning to end."[6] Vincent Canby of The New York Times also wrote the film a positive review, praising Branagh's direction and calling it "ravishing entertainment."[7] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post praised Branagh's cuts to the text as giving "wonderful import to this silliness from long ago" and stated that "Kenneth Branagh has, once again, blown away the forbidding academic dust and found a funny retro-essence for the '90s."[8] Online critic James Berardinelli gave the film a glowing four-star review, calling it a "gem of a movie", especially praising the accessibility of the humor, the performances, and Branagh's lively direction, of which he wrote, "This film cements Branagh's status as a great director of Shakespeare, and perhaps of film in general, as well."[9]

Conversely, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote the film a negative review, praising some moments as "invigorating fun", but ultimately calling it "overripe."[10] Most of the negative criticisms focused on particular casting choices, notably Keanu Reeves as Don John, and Michael Keaton as Dogberry.[6][10] For his performance in the film, Reeves was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor.[11]

Much Ado About Nothing was ranked #11 on Rotten Tomatoes list of Greatest Shakespeare Movies.[12]

Accolades

Award Category Recipients and nominees Result
British Academy Film Awards Best Costume Design Phyllis Dalton Nominated
Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Kenneth Branagh Nominated
Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Actress Emma Thompson Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Kenneth Branagh Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards Best Film Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Evans, David Parfitt Nominated
Best Female Lead Emma Thompson Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle British Producer of the Year Kenneth Branagh Won
Golden Raspberry Award Worst Supporting Actor Keanu Reeves Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 "Much Ado About Nothing (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Much Ado About Nothing". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  3. ↑ Patrick Doyle Biography (1953-) at Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  4. ↑ Clemmensen, Christian. Much Ado About Nothing soundtrack review at Filmtracks.com. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  5. ↑ "Much Ado About Nothing (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  6. 1 2 Ebert, Roger (21 May 1993). "Much Ado About Nothing". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Canby, Vincent (7 May 1993). "Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Review/Film; 'A House Party of Beatrice, Benedick and Friends'". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Thomson, Desson (21 May 1993). "Much Ado About Nothing". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Berardinelli, James. "Much Ado About Nothing". ReelViews. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  10. 1 2 Travers, Peter (7 May 1993). "Much Ado About Nothing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  11. ↑ Wilson, John (4 December 2005). "Nominees & Winners". Fourteenth Annual RAZZIE® Awards (for 1993). Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  12. ↑ "Greatest Shakespeare Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 April 2012.

External links

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