Plot
Young lovers Hero and Claudio, soon to wed, conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles Benedick and Beatrice to wed as well.
Release Year: 1993
Rating: 7.3/10 (25,203 voted)
Director:
Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves
Storyline Young lovers Hero and Claudio are to be married in one week. To pass the time, they conspire with Don Pedro to set a "lover's trap" for Benedick, an arrogant confirmed bachelor, and Beatrice, his favorite sparring partner. Meanwhile, the evil Don Jon conspires to break up the wedding by accusing Hero of infidelity. In the end, though, it all turns out to be "much ado about nothing."
Writers: William Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Richard Briers
-
Leonato
Kate Beckinsale
-
Hero
Imelda Staunton
-
Margaret
Jimmy Yuill
-
Friar Francis
Brian Blessed
-
Antonio
Andy Hockley
-
George Seacole
Chris Barnes
-
Francis Seacole
Conrad Nelson
-
Hugh Oatcake
Phyllida Law
-
Ursula
Emma Thompson
-
Beatrice
Alex Lowe
-
Messenger
Denzel Washington
-
Don Pedro
Keanu Reeves
-
Don John
Richard Clifford
-
Conrade
Gerard Horan
-
Borachio
Release Date: 7 May 1993
Filming Locations: Villa Vignamaggio, Greve in Chianti, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Box Office Details
Budget: $8,000,000
(estimated)
Gross: $22,551,000
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Set in Messina (Sicily) but filmed in Chianti (Toscana, central Italy).
Goofs:
Continuity:
After the night guard has been posted, we see one of the three guards serving at the dinner table in the next scene.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Beatrice:
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more. Men were deceivers ever. One foot in sea and one on shore, to one thing constant never. Then sigh not so but let them go and be you blithe and bonny, converting all your sounds of woe into hey nonny nonny.
User Review
I am quite confused about the reviews
Rating: 10/10
Personally I loved the movie, from the opening credits to the last
brilliant
tracking shot. What I do not understand is the dissing of Keanu Reeves'
performance. I can just imagine Ken sitting around his kitchen table with
his casting director saying "okay we have this brilliant ensemble cast,
the
movie is going to be great, what can we do to completely screw it up? I
know
let's cast Keanu Reeves as Don John and completely snarl up the whole
thing"
Personally I think Keanu made a great villain, and I trust Ken's ability
in
casting to choose the perfect actor for the part. I do not think that in
reality that Ken would cast someone so hopelessly inept as others have
posted in a part that is so essential to the plot. (and don't give me the
star power excuse cause they already had Denzel Washington)..., I have
always said that Shakespere done right is brilliant.. (done poorly it is
pathetic) and this is Shakespere done right in the purest sense of the
term. To listen to Ken and Em deliver Shakespere's lines is to listen to
them as they would have been spoken and acted when they were written. It
is
a revelation and pure joy.
0