Much Ado About Nothing

"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me." So says Beatrice (the radiant Emma Thompson) in this sparkling 1993 adaptation of the Bard's classic comedy in which she is wooed by the purportedly matrimonially-immune Benedick (star and director Kenneth Branagh, the Shakespeare aficionado largely responsible for Hollywood's resurgence of interest in the plays). On celluloid--if I can borrow the title from another comedy--all's well that ends well, as Beatrice and Benedick are ultimately wed; in real life, however, Thompson and Branagh's marriage would end in divorce a year later. But viewers would never suspect that unhappy outcome judging from the palpably electric chemistry the two principals display onscreen here in saucy battles of wit that remind us of the aphrodisiacal power of the King's English. As the title suggests, the plot is a trifle, revolving around the evil Sicilian prince Don John's (Keanu Reeves) attempts to smear the good name of a comely lass named Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and disrupt her impending marriage to the dashing Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), one of the soldiers under the command of his hated brother Don Pedro (Denzel Washington). But it is Beatrice (tied to Hero by blood) and Benedick (tied to Claudio by military friendship) that provide the real sparks in this beautifully lensed film (the opening five minutes in which Don Pedro's merry men and the household of Signor Leonato--played by Richard Briers--prepare to meet are priceless). Sporting a very handsome anamorphic widescreen transfer, the disc's only extra, unfortunately, is a six-minute "making of" that is little more than an extended trailer. Still, the play's the thing, and this one's a beaut. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—May 24, 2011—MGM, 111 min., PG-13, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1993's Much Ado About Nothing features a solid transfer with DTS 2.0 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the standard DVD release, including a “making-of” featurette (6 min.) and trailers. Bottom line: a welcome Blu-ray debut for this beloved contemporary Shakespeare adaptation by gifted director Branagh.]