Taglines: A New Spin on the Old Song and Dance.
Love’s Labour’s Lost movie storyline. In 1939, the King of Navarre and his three best friends swear an oath to give up women for three years whilst devoting themselves to the study of philosophy. One of the terms of their pledge specifically prohibits women from their presence, but the arrival of the Princess of France and her three beautiful attendants on a diplomatic visit throws the plan into disarray. Is this a feasible feat for a man of the court? And what of the King?
The men begin to pursue their desires unbeknownst to each other, acting in secret and concealing their passions. The mood is broken by the news of the death of the Princess’s father and the girls return to France. In the meantime, France has fallen to the Nazis and the men must leave to fight for their countries. Before they leave, the heartbroken men dedicate their love and promise to remain faithful. The war will test the couples’ devotion and therefore decide the fate of their futures together.
Love’s Labour’s Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. It was the first feature film to be made of this lesser-known comedy. Branagh’s fourth film of a Shakespeare play (he did not direct the 1995 Othello, although he did play Iago), Love’s Labour’s Lost was a box-office and critical disappointment.[1]
Branagh’s film turns Love’s Labour’s Lost into a romantic Hollywood musical. Set and costume design evoke the Europe of 1939; the music (classic Broadway songs of the 1930s) and newsreel-style footage are also chief period details. The cast includes Shakespearean veterans such as Timothy Spall, Richard Briers and Geraldine McEwan, alongside Hollywood actors Alicia Silverstone and Matthew Lillard and Broadway and West End stars such as Nathan Lane.
Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000)
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Natascha McElhone, Kenneth Branagh, Carmen Ejogo, Matthew Lillard, Adrian Lester, Emily Mortimer, Stefania Rocca, Geraldine McEwan
Screenplay by: Kenneth Branagh
Production Design by: Tim Harvey
Cinematography by: Alex Thomson
Film Editing by: Dan Farrell, Neil Farrell
Costume Design by: Anna Buruma
Set Decoration by: Celia Bobak
Art Direction by: Mark Raggett
Music by: Patrick Doyle
MPAA Rating: PG for sensuality and a brief drug reference.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: March 31, 2000
Views: 121
