As You Like It (2006)
The way you ultimately feel about Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of William Shakespeare's As You Like It depends on how digestible you find the play. It contains some of the Bard's most memorable lines but this presentation makes some bad calls along the way.
Set in Japan, the story begins with a coup. Having taken over, Duke Frederick (Brian Blessed) exiles his older brother but allows his niece, Rosalind (Bryce Dallas Howard) to stay. Rosalind is best friends with Celia (Romola Garai), Federick's daughter. When his patience with them runs out, they run away to the forest of Arden, accompanied by the court jester Touchstone (Alfred Molina). In the woods, they find safety and eventually, love.
I enjoy most of Shakespeare but this play isn't among my favorites, which is fine because this film decides to change certain details. Unfortunately, the changes are most puzzling. Why is the story now set in Japan instead of France? It's not like Japanese actors have been cast in any important roles. This is most problematic when we look at Rosalind. Bryce Dallas Howard is talented but when her character disguises herself as a man, you're not convinced for a second. The idea of anyone being fooled is ludicrous. This would've been a perfect opportunity to cast a Japanese actress. You could've played on the culture's views of cross-dressing or poked fun at the white characters being unable to identify masculine/feminine features in Asian faces but it's a prime opportunity director Kenneth Branagh fails to take advantage of.
The original dialogue is preserved, which makes the film enjoyable to simply listen to. On DVD, you can turn on the subtitles and get your moneyâs worth of this script. It'll allow you to clearly understand everything being said and you wonât miss a single word of that witty dialogue. There are many memorable speeches and several lines will have you exclaiming âOh! THATâS where that came from?!â Yes, the language is archaic but you can still understand what people are saying, particularly when you get to see the actions that match them.
The story is light as air and idealistic. As You Like It believes in true love at first sight and fully embraces comical situations that stem from disguises and cross-dressing. Some might call it unrealistic but by being consistent throughout, it feels natural. Either you can get past this type of storytelling or you can't. I could, for the most part. While Branagh was altering the setting and inserting a new prologue (along with trimming down some of the dialogue for pacing and brevity) the ending could've been expanded upon a bit to make it feel like less like it comes out of nowhere.
Everyone should see a rendition of As You Like It at some point. Is this one the definitive adaptation? Not quite. It stays true to its source and there's a lot of talent on-screen but its strength lies in the source material, not the treatment it's been given. (On DVD, April 25, 2015)
