Having seen this film when it was released and having disliked it at the time, then watched it again recently, disliked it even more.
The worst defect is the overacting. Emma Thompson is perfectly dreadful as she overdoes it in every scene she has; but the rest of the cast also overact, their facial expressions animated like some cartoon. They all mug to camera except Washington but his part is semi-regal. The less said about Michael Keaton's performance the better - it is comically rank. His accent is a bogus Irish stevedore stuck in Tuscany.
The other annoying feature is the glued on grins and smiles as if this is a Carry On film. If only Sid James had appeared to add some class. And finally the music is a sticky overbearing aural goop that lacks nuance. Film music and Shakespeare are not good companions and in this case, to quote, 'The Tempest', "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."
The play is one of Shakespeare's very best. It is the very first romantic comedy with ill-matched lovers who find love, but none of that brilliant sparring battle between Benedick and Beatrice is here.
The worst defect is the overacting. Emma Thompson is perfectly dreadful as she overdoes it in every scene she has; but the rest of the cast also overact, their facial expressions animated like some cartoon. They all mug to camera except Washington but his part is semi-regal. The less said about Michael Keaton's performance the better - it is comically rank. His accent is a bogus Irish stevedore stuck in Tuscany.
The other annoying feature is the glued on grins and smiles as if this is a Carry On film. If only Sid James had appeared to add some class. And finally the music is a sticky overbearing aural goop that lacks nuance. Film music and Shakespeare are not good companions and in this case, to quote, 'The Tempest', "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."
The play is one of Shakespeare's very best. It is the very first romantic comedy with ill-matched lovers who find love, but none of that brilliant sparring battle between Benedick and Beatrice is here.