Love's Labour's Lost (2000)

An update of the classic Shakespeare story, director Kenneth Branagh shot this movie like a classic 30s musical. Love's Labour's Lost tells the story of four best friends who swear off love.

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Kenneth Branagh (screenplay)

Stars:

Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Natascha McElhone

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alessandro Nivola	...	The King (Ferdinand)
Alicia Silverstone	...	The Princess
Natascha McElhone	...	Rosaline
Kenneth Branagh	...	Berowne
Carmen Ejogo	...	Maria
Matthew Lillard	...	Longaville
Adrian Lester	...	Dumaine
Emily Mortimer	...	Katherine
Richard Briers	...	Sir Nathaniel
Geraldine McEwan	...	Holofernia
Stefania Rocca	...	Jacquanetta
Jimmy Yuill	...	Constable Dull
Nathan Lane	...	Costard
Timothy Spall	...	Armado
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Moth

Storyline

The King of Navarre and his three companions swear a very public oath to study together and to renounce women for three years. Their honour is immediately put to the test by the arrival of the Princess of France and her three lovely companions. It's love at first sight for all concerned followed by the men's highly entertaining but hopeless efforts to disguise their feelings.

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Plot Keywords:

love | france | princess | oath | friend | 

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Taglines:

Koi wa hito wo baka ni suru [Japan]

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Genres:

Romance | Comedy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sensuality and a brief drug reference

Details

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

Peines d'amour perdues

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$24,496 (USA) (9 June 2000)

Gross:

$284,291 (USA) (7 July 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Pictures International, Intermedia Films, Arts Council of England

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mercade was offered to Stephen Fry.

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Goofs

The swim suits that were worn during the pool sequences of the "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" musical number were far too immodest for the late 1930's. Women in that era, especially in a movie musical, would have been wearing a panel suit, with a panel of fabric covering the lower front of the suit.

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Quotes

King Ferdinand of Navarre, The: How well he's read, to reason against reading.

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Connections

References Top Hat (1935)

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Soundtracks

"I'd Rather Charleston"
by George Gershwin and Desmond Carter
Performed by Kenneth Branagh, Alessandro Nivola, Matthew Lillard and Adrian Lester

User Reviews

Charming throwback to 1930s musicals

Thanks heaven for Kenneth Branagh; without him, cinema would be far less interesting and rewarding. His adaptations of Shakespeare will undoubtedly be his lasting contribution to the history of film, and this is no exception.

Having never read the play, I was quite pleased that Love's Labour's Lost was as easy to follow as it was. This has a fair amount in common with Branagh's earlier Much Ado About Nothing; mainly the highs, lows and plain ridiculousness of love. That film also featured Hollywood star casting (Keanu Reeves among others), but like that film, does not suffer from it. Indeed, it only seems to boost the feel-good nature of this film, as the actors joyfully get their collective teeth stuck into some of Shakespeare's wonderful dialogue.

What really makes this a must-see though is how the text is broken up into easily digestible chunks, interspersed with classic musical numbers from the 1930s. I wasn't prepared for how much of a joy it was to see some wonderfully romantic songs (sung pretty well actually) being put to some great dance numbers - Adrian Lester in particular was good. If, like me, you're too young to feel particularly nostalgic towards a time and genre of film that has long since gone, then I urge you to watch this and learn. And if you are old enough to yearn for those days, then do yourself a favour and go see!