Troopie

This remains, for me, one of the best of this superb BBC series & certainly the best version of this particular play. This production saw no need to dress up the actors in ridiculous fake-military costumes (a vice Branagh shows off in all his productions, I know not why) or cut those parts which it didn't like (either do Shakespeare as he wrote it or write your own play!). Robert Lindsay reveals previously unsuspected Shakespearian talent & I would dearly love to see him take on some other such roles. He is superb in this, using his comic ability to bring out the humorous essence of Benedick & the beautiful Cherie Lunghi (who has never shown me a poor performance, be it in Shakespeare, Hornblower or even "A Touch of Frost") is a perfect partner, being both cuttingly witty & enticing -- enough to make any Benedick risk her barbs to chase her! Admittedly, Jon Finch isn't as good as Denzil Washington, who also showed untapped Shakespearian talent (a future Othello or even Iargo, maybe?) but he isn't actually bad. All in all, a joy to watch & a great introduction to Shakespeare's lighter works. Sincerely recommended.

First off, let me say I'm not a Republican or a Democrat -- I'm not even an American, so I consider myself neutral. Anyway, the main thing I noticed following my reading of the anti-film reviews shown in the Comments section is that whereas so many Republican viewers complained about inaccuracies & mistakes in this film, there were very, very few errors reported in the 'Goofs' section. Strange, no? Could it be that the inaccuracies were those that disagreed with the opinions of the writers rather than reality? Anyway, anyone expecting ANY film to be 100% accurate is born to be constantly disappointed. Was 'Tora Tora Tora' (another film dealing with wasted chances to prevent a disaster) completely accurate? Was even 'Flags of our Fathers' infallible? No, & not even Mr. Eastwood would claim otherwise. If you want 100% accuracy (which might also disagree with previously held opinions), use an encyclopaedia -- though even these might upset the more politically chauvinist readers. Personally, I found this film interesting, provocative & providing plenty of food for thought. Well worth the watching.