A Midwinter’s Tale is a sweet, unpretentious comedy of theatrical manners from Kenneth Branagh.
The Production: 3/5
Having once appeared in the Woody Allen film Celebrity (as the Woody Allen surrogate, no less), director Kenneth Branagh now makes his own Woody Allen film with A Midwinter’s Tale, an unabashed valentine to the actor’s life in a provincial theater adventure that might reek of clichés and predictable happenings but is nonetheless endearing and ingratiating, especially to anyone who has ever spent even a few moments attempting to learn lines and trod the boards.
Out of work for a year, actor Joe Harper (Michael Maloney) volunteers to help save his sister’s (Hetta Charnley) local church for the community of Hope by putting on a Christmas production of Hamlet, somewhat against the advice of his agent Margaretta D’Arville (Joan Collins) who’s busy working behind the scenes to land her client the starring role in a big movie franchise trilogy that would change his fortunes utterly. The motley cast he assembles are prepared to do the play on a ‘profit sharing’ basis (no upfront salary though food and lodging are provided), but as they all have their own foibles and insecurities to plow through, they agree to trying to make this production work. Though the three-week rehearsal period starts out rocky with the various actors’ egos and sensitivities clashing, something bigger starts to emerge as they begin to pull together as a troupe.
Having headed his own theatrical company in the past, writer-director Kenneth Branagh’s script certainly knows of what it speaks, and he manages to get his camera in, among, and through the company to put us amusingly into the action constantly. He gets some choice laughs from the various eccentricities the actors bring to the production from the vainglorious Tom Newman (Nick Farrell) who’s playing multiple roles and wants to bring a different accent and physical deformity to each one to the haughtily proud veteran Henry Wakefield (Richard Briers) who considers himself too good for the company and blanches at the thought of anyone thinking him anything but heterosexual (of course, he’s saddled as a roommate with the troupe’s one out member Terry Du Bois – John Sessions – who’s playing Queen Gertrude in drag). There’s also the lovely ingénue Nina (Julia Sawalha) who’s playing Ophelia whom actor-director Joe finds himself falling for, and the off-the-walls designer/costumer Fadge (Celia Imrie) who hilariously decides to construct some cardboard audience members since ticket sales are going so slowly. The entire film is a love letter to the joys and heartaches of being an actor, and Branagh finds ways of working in all the expected conflicts of putting on a show as well as the delights and personal triumphs, too. There’s a predictable third act wrench thrown into the mix, of course, that isn’t too surprising (nor is its resolution), but it’s all a part of the business of show, even in this backwater berg.
All of the performers have nailed their characters, and each audience member will have his favorites. Some rather hover in the background early on (Gerard Horan’s mama’s boy Carnforth Grevill and Mark Hadfield’s enterprising Vernon Spatch) only to come into their own later in the film while others like Nick Farrell’s driven Tom are impressive from the get-go. As is so often the case in Woody Allen’s films and now in this Branagh carbon copy, the central character Joe played by Michael Maloney is normal but of less interest than the kooks who surround him. Joan Collins is rock solid as his hard-working agent financially underwriting the production but hoping for a big payday for her client (and herself) soon. Jennifer Saunders has a spotty little cameo as a Hollywood producer near film’s end.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film has been framed at 1.66:1 and is presented in 1080p resolution using the AVC codec. Image quality is sharp and detailed though the black and white cinematography by Roger Lanser sometimes seems to wash out the actors (that may have been a deliberate artistic decision). Black levels are deep and inky and some nighttime shots while Joe phones his agent from a hillside booth have stunning depth. The movie has been divided into 25 chapters.
Audio: 4.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix is sound but unspectacular. Obviously made on a small budget, like the Woody Allen pictures it’s mimicking, the aural design is unpretentious but also underwhelming. Certainly, all of the dialogue has been clearly recorded and presented, and there are no audio artifacts to mar the listening experience.
Special Features: 1/5
Theatrical Trailer (1:42, HD): presented with its original British title In the Bleak Midwinter.
Overall: 3/5
An affectionate and intimate paean to the joys of provincial show production, Kenneth Branagh’s A Midwinter’s Tale is likable if not especially memorable. This Blu-ray release certainly presents the film in its best possible way.
A Midwinter’s Tale [Blu-Ray]
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Matt has been reviewing films and television professionally since 1974 and has been a member of Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2007, his reviews now numbering close to three thousand. During those years, he has also been a junior and senior high school English teacher earning numerous entries into Who’s Who Among America’s Educators and spent many years treading the community theater boards as an actor in everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to Stephen Sondheim musicals.
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