Taglines: Romance. Mischief. Seduction. Revenge. Remarkable.
Much Ado About Nothing movie storyline. Having just crushed an uprising by his half-brother, Don John (Keanu Reeves), Don Pedro of Aragon (Denzel Washington) and his noblemen visit their friend Leonato (Richard Briers) in Messina. Accompanying Don Pedro is the witty Benedick (Kenneth Branagh), former lover of Leonato’s equally sharp-tongued niece, Beatrice (Emma Thompson). Also present are Benedick’s friend Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), a young count; and Don John who, despite his rebellion, has apparently reconciled with his brother.
Claudio has been thinking of Leonato’s beautiful daughter Hero (Kate Beckinsale) since before he went to war, and returns to find her as attractive as ever. Don Pedro, learning of his friend’s feelings, decides to act on his behalf and arranges the match at a party. An unrepentant Don John attempts to foil it, but unsuccessfully – the match is made. Needing something to pass the time until the wedding, Don Pedro decides to arrange a similar fate for Beatrice and Benedick, whose animosity for each other is clear.
Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio stage a conversation containing a false account of how much Beatrice loves Benedick, all the while knowing Benedick to be hiding within earshot. Hero and her gentlewoman Ursula play the same trick upon Beatrice. Each of them believes the story they hear about the other. In the midst of all of this good-natured scheming, Don John has been searching for ways to stop the marriage between Claudio and Hero. The night before the wedding, Don John’s servant Borachio arranges a steamy liaison with Hero’s gentlewoman Margaret at Hero’s chamber window. Don John shows Don Pedro and Claudio this, and they believe that they are seeing Hero in the act of infidelity.
Against the revelry of the evening, the noble but incompetent constable Dogberry (Michael Keaton) appoints a watch to keep the peace. The three hapless watchmen happen to hear Borachio bragging to his colleague Conrade about how he and Don John had succeeded in stopping the wedding. The watchmen apprehend Borachio and Conrade, and, in the morning, Dogberry attempts to have Leonato interrogate the prisoners. However, a hurried Leonato is unable to decipher what the bumbling Dogberry is trying to tell him. Amidst the confusion, Don John quietly flees.
At the wedding, Claudio publicly disgraces his would-be bride and storms away, along with most of the guests, except for Ursula, the Friar, Leonato, Beatrice, Antonio, and Benedick. They all agree to the Friar’s plan to publish the tale that Hero, upon the grief of Claudio’s accusations, suddenly died. Beatrice and Benedick linger a moment and eventually confess their love to one another.
In the wake of this declaration, Beatrice asks Benedick to do the one thing that will satisfy her outrage with what has just happened – kill Claudio. With a heavy heart, he agrees to challenge his friend. Meanwhile, Borachio and Conrade are interrogated by Dogberry and his men. Despite Dogberry’s incompetence, the truth of Don John’s sinister machinations is revealed.
Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 British / American romantic comedy film based on William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the film. The film also stars Branagh’s then-wife Emma Thompson, Robert Sean Leonard, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Beckinsale in her film debut.
The film was released on May 7, 1993, reaching 200 U.S. screens at its widest release. It earned $22 million at the U.S. box office and $36 million total worldwide, which, despite failing to reach the mark set by Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, made it one of the most financially successful Shakespeare films ever released. It was also entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michael Keaton, Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Kate Beckinsale, Imelda Staunton, Conrad Nelson
Screenplay by: Kenneth Branagh
Production Design by: Tim Harvey
Cinematography by: Roger Lanser
Film Editing by: Andrew Marcus
Costume Design by: Phyllis Dalton
Art Direction by: Martin Childs
Music by: Patrick Doyle
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for momentary sensuality.
Distributed by: The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Date: May 7, 1993
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