IMDb user comments for
In the Bleak Midwinter (1995)

advertisement

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Index

34 comments in total

---

17 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Englishfolks play Hamlet. Hamlet loses., 17 September 1999

Author: dagonet

Cliches be damned, this is a wonderful movie, all about transformations, change, and deciding what is really important. Everyone in this movie becomes a real person, moving away from the stereotypes presented in the beginning, and the comic timing is impeccable. (Don't buy the hype that Jennifer Saunders is a star of this movie, though; she's in it for maybe five minutes. Spend your time watching Richard Sessions' magnificently funny performance instead.) Branagh's Hamlet is dull, dull, dull; Branagh's movie -about- making Hamlet is another shade of wonderful entirely.

---

13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Gets ya where ya least expect it, 26 March 2002

Author: lonno from Toronto, Canada

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

---

13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A great film to pick up your spirits, 22 September 1999
Author: Jonathan Rimorin (cromwell-3)

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.

---

12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful Underrated Classic, 7 May 2002

Author: Stu Collett from Kent, UK

This was a film that I wanted to see from the very second that I heard about it. Unfortunately (for one reason and another) I missed it at the cinema and was forced to trawl the depths of video stores to find it. It is a beautifully shot, subtly hilarious piece of cinematic history. Anyone who has ever worked in theatres or have met "theatre types" will empathise with the characters immediately...and anyone who has never experienced the backstage "goings on" of theatres should watch this film to experience the endearing qualities of theatre in its extreme.

Quite simply this film is wonderful and has made me a huge fan of Kenneth Branagh's writing and direction.

My only complaint about this film is that it is impossible to find!! Why can't we buy it on DVD yet??!

---

12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A Masterpiece...and it hits so close to home!, 28 October 1999

Author: peacham from Wilkes-Barre

My wife and I saw this film a week after we completed a production of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.( I directed and she was Meg). We had experienced the disasters of Actors who couldn't remember lines,Tech problems, an Vain Egotist causing problems etc. What A joy it was to enter the theatre as see this Branagh gem. the script,acting and Direction were all flawless. ( for those who said the characters were cliche' youve obviously never delt with actors!) the high marks were scored by Richard Briers as the older no-nonsense character actor, John Sessions as the "queen" gertrude , and the Highly underated Michael Maloney in the lead. Maloney has long been a favorite supporting actor of mine and its good to see him as the protaganist for a change. I cannot speak high enough of this film...and to answer Noel Coward's question "why must the show go on?" because if it didn't we would be robbed of this films suberbly directed ending! BRAVO BRANAGH, BRAVO!!

---

9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Why must the show go on? - Because it's really worth it!, 10 January 2004

Author: javvie from Cologne, Germany

This is a wonderful comedy about actors and the process of acting. A director, brilliantly portrayed by Michael Maloney, is desperate to find a remedy for his depressive mood and has no better idea than to gather unemployed actors around him to stage "Hamlet" in a church. The stunning cast adds a lot to the warm feeling that this movie leaves you with. It is a must-see and the videotape also makes a lovely Christmas present!

---

9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Simply magnificent, 4 January 2005

Author: Michael Morrison (morrisonhimself@consultant.com) from Arizona

Rating this movie, I gave it a 10 only because there wasn't a higher number allowed.

Never having previously heard of this, I decided to take a chance on it one afternoon, though I generally avoid HBO, partly out of the lack of anything else important to do and partly because I saw Kenneth Branagh's name.

How serendipitous.

This almost perfect cinema experience moved me to tears, made me laugh, brought me to my feet applauding and cheering -- right here, perhaps foolishly, in my living room.

Branagh is further evidence that God is no socialist: Branagh has looks, talent, and now deservedly has money and probably all the romance he wants to handle. In other words, he has everything, while so many of us have nothing. Proving, as I said, God is no socialist, equitably sharing the wealth.

The cast of "In the Bleak Midwinter" is just simply magnificent. I can accept a quibble that some performances are a bit stereotyped (and one director wrote in this forum that anyone believing that just needs to accompany a troupe), but even if true, so what?

I love theater people.

I love theater people and that is perhaps the main reason I loved "In the Bleak Midwinter." As much as any film and more than most it shows stage actors in all their quirks and foibles, and in all their inherent humanity; it shows how the love for their craft, for their heritage and traditions, motivates them far more than does money or the chance of it, more than fame or the lack of it, and much, much more than does security.

Actors portraying actors often can be seen shifting into another gear, but that doesn't happen here. Director Branagh and the excellent cast of superb performers provide a nearly seamless, nearly perfect production, beautifully written by Branagh.

If there were room, each and every cast member should get a glowing tribute. Each and every one was great (even Joan Collins was great, though I can't help wondering: Is she EVER going to show any age on her?), and each and every one was a standout -- which might seem to be a contradiction, a paradox, but watch "In the Bleak Midwinter." You'll see what I mean.

Bravo, bravo, bravo. "In the Bleak Midwinter" is simply magnificent.

---

7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Hamlet as a comedy, what could be better?, 22 May 2002

Author: gianduja from NY, NY

I love this film. It is small, and quiet, and it is rather unexpectedly in black and white. It opens like a documentary, and then slips you right into the role of fly on the wall for the rest of the film.

The ensemble is terrific and keep an eye on the facial expressions of the actors who are not actually speaking. A lot of Branagh regulars make welcome appearances. The "look" is wonderfully textured and layered, taking advantage of b/w. Ironically, I prefer many of "Joe's" interpretations of Hamlet to the same scenes in the various film versions I've seen, including Branagh's epic version. Of course, the version they perform is designed for the stage, with a mostly live audience....

My favorite aspect of this film is that it turns a production of Hamlet into a "neo-pseudo-Shakespearean comedy." The parallels between the characters in Hamlet still exist in the players in A Midwinter's Tale. They've been updated and personalized so that Joe's comment that "the play is about loss" works equally well for the film. But, just as almost everyone is dead at the end of a Shakespearean tragedy, everyone is paired up at the end of MT. Of course, as a modern work it can't just end in weddings, but happy endings abound for everyone.

The cleverness of this all is that there is naughty, campy, frivolous humour which hides deep emotional pain, uncertainty, and even tragedy. Anyone who is familiar with Shakespeare's comedies will be familiar with that dark edge which contrasts the joyous romping. Then there are the requisite farcical elements to make the parallel complete.

The only unresolved issues I had at the end of the film/play were "how will Molly handle the fencing scene?" and "how is it possible for Henry to be both Claudius and the Player King?" But I'm not about to gripe about these little points when everything else is tied up so neatly and well.

---

4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
A perfect little movie to cheer our imperfect little lives, 15 December 2003

Author: ConalTaezali from Bristol, UK

A perfect little movie, this tale of provincial actors struggling to deliver a production of Hamlet is one that will cheer your Bleak Midwinter if you have any heart whatsoever. Definitely under-rated and one of Branagh's best, it is simply and effectively photographed in black and white, and features a witty, amusing, and at times, hilarious script performed by a stand-out ensemble cast. Although its tale of backstage trials and tribulations will not appeal to all tastes, there is a lot of subtlety and truthfulness to the gentle, genuine sentiment on offer here. Among very few false notes, only Jennifer Saunder's dire caricature as a Hollywood producer really disappoints. The rest of the cast are just terrific. Almost as good a Christmas movie as It's a Wonderful Life, I recommend it.

---

4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Intellectually genial comedy - a must-see for the cinephile, 16 September 1999

Author: Rick Squillante (squillante@aol.com)

A marvelous comedy concerning a troupe of oddball, misfit actors who travel to a small village to stage a production of "Hamlet". Director Branagh serves up some wonderfully heartwarming sentiments while managing to keep us laugh and on our toes. His excellent direction, a witty script, and stellar acting -absolutely stellar - by the ensemble, add up to an gratifying cinematic experience! Despite a few minor flaws, the film works about 75% of the time, and when it does, it's downright hilarious. Pay close attention to the dialogue - it's venomously funny; and the black and white cinematography, and the sets, are magnificent. Two special treats for the cinema connoisseur - a brilliant Joan Collins, and a surprise cameo from Jennifer Saunders.

---

---

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Plot synopsis	Ratings
Awards	Newsgroup reviews	External reviews
Official site	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history