Au beau milieu de l'hiver

It seems Director Kenneth Branagh has the immortal Dane on the brain. The video even comes with the trailer for Kenneth Branagh's bigscreen "Hamlet". This minor canon Bard is a tale of a motley troupe recruited by Joe (Michael Maloney subbing for Kenneth Branagh) to save an ancient church in obviously-named hamlet of Hope. Troupe features nice performances from Richard Briars (veteran of big budget "Hamlet"), Nick Farrell (same; and was Horatio to Kenneth Branagh's Laertes in 85) and mum & daughter Julia Sawalha and Jennifer Saunders (affecting a gawdawful Southern accent) to assure comic impact. The black and white lensing gives a nice indy feel, but the lovingly shot stained glass looks lacking. Joan Collins does a nice turn as Joe's agent.

This was really good. The coming together of a number of people who create a 'family' is so positive in an, at present, negative world. They support each other and offer positive strokes So much film and tv portrays our planet's inhabitants as violent and unpleasant. Children must have a strange idea of the environment in which they are to grow. This did have witty dialogue and no special effects because it had things to say and slightly exaggerated characters who were different from each other. Although it is British it is about eternal values of persistence, commitment which is not financially motivated and thinking about others beside self and therefore applicable to humanity generally. It certainly wouldn't do any harm in our modern world. It did no damage to the image of theatre and film either. No guns or knives, no car chases, no police or ambulances, how quaint, how rare but harder to write.

I selected this movie from the video shelf because the title seemed consonant with my mood. My girlfriend had just dumped me, my best friend had just broken off with me, and it was raining. The realisation that it was black and white throughout seemed to be perfect. Yet the story, of a struggling actor's frantic attempts to mount a benefit showing of Hamlet to save a church, along with Branagh's comedic editing, begins as a farce, sails along with Coward-like snippets of conversation (along with the use of Coward's song "The Show Must Go On") and develops facilely and elegantly into a moving portrait of the camaraderie of an acting company without one noticing. I didn't realise I wasn't unhappy and in love with all these people until the movie was over and I was beaming quite sunnily (who needs friends and girlfriends anyway when you've got movies?). Julie Sawalha's reading of the line "Let's face it, we're all depressed" may very well have saved my life.

This is a movie that will make you see that when things look their bleakest, as in midwinter, you have to push on. The characters undergo a long journey from strange actor-folk and emerge as people who are near and dear to us at the end. They are the light at the end of the tunnel. Anyone who's been involved with a difficult stage production will identify with this movie. I loved it! "Dear Hamlet, cast thy coloured nightie off..." -D

Bizarrely, given its small scale, this may be Branagh's best film to date. Shorn of the over-ambition which hampered Frankenstein and Dead Again, this minor masterpiece (which almost looks made for TV) will be a joy to anyone who's ever worked in under-funded theatre (excuse the tautology).

The cast are in fine form, and the photography is suitably glowing - but the film's greatest strength lies in its witty and accurate script. Obviously born of years of painful experience, the dialogue sparkles with insight and humour. Why the hell doesn't Branagh write more of his own material? Subtly directed, cleverly structured and superbly performed, this is recommended to all Branagh followers, all theatre lovers, and all fans of grown-up British humour. 9 out of 10.

PS The connections with Branagh's own version of Hamlet are obvious, but who is Dylan Judd, who gets offered a three-film sci-fi deal? Could it be Liam Neeson or Ewan Macgregor? Answers on a postcard to Shepperton Studios...