Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

A Midwinter's Tale
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Warner Home Video 02/96 DVD/VHS Feature Film
R - some language

In A Midwinter's Tale, Joe Harper (Michael Maloney) is an actor who has been out of work for nearly a year. In order to rejuvenate his spirit, he takes a loan from his agent (Joan Collins) and invests the last of his savings in a production of Hamlet which will open over the Christmas holidays. As the director who will also play the role of the Danish prince, Joe finds a colorful group of down-and-out actors and actresses to play the other characters. They decide to stage Hamlet in an old church.

Writer and director Kenneth Branagh delivers a bittersweet portrait of the trials and surprising rewards that come with being part of a theater company. A Midwinter's Tale is filled with a delicious mix of humor, sadness, gusto, and fun.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat