ROMANCE… OR SOMETHING LIKE IT.

Rosalind (Bryce Dallas Howard), the daughter of a banished duke, escapes with her best friend into the Arden Forest; will she be reunited with the man (David Oyelowo) she loves? For this pleasant film director Kenneth Branagh picked a Shakespeare play that hasn’t been filmed very often. The setting has changed to Japan, but those influences are modest (it is after all filmed in England). The forest environs help emphasize the romantic content. Brian Blessed plays two characters, Alfred Molina gets to do a fool and Howard is a radiant Rosalind. Entertaining, but no great shakes. Don’t miss the epilogue!

2006-Britain. 127 min. Color. Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Play: William Shakespeare. Music: Patrick Doyle. Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard (Rosalind), David Oyelowo (Orlando), Romola Garai (Celia), Adrian Lester, Alfred Molina, Kevin Kline… Brian Blessed, Janet McTeer.

Trivia: The film had its U.S. premiere on HBO.

IMDb