Kenneth Branagh

A group of pirate-radio DJs duck the British government in this 1960s period comedy from romantic comedy guru Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary). Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans play competitive disc jockeys who work under Bill Nighy on a busted-down boat on the English Channel. Kenneth Branagh, Nick Frost, and January Jones co-star in the Universal Pictures release. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

The Anthony Shaffer play originally brought to the screen in 1972 gets the remake treatment in this updating that finds Michael Caine stepping into the role of the brilliant thriller writer portrayed by Laurence Olivier in the original, and Jude Law following in Caine's footsteps as the young hairdresser who steals the literary giant's wife, only to find himself subsequently swallowed up in an elaborate revenge scheme. Kenneth Branagh directs a script adapted from Shaffer's original play by screenwriter Harold Pinter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh skillfully lifts one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most beloved works from it's original, fairytale setting and places it against the backdrop of the First World War with this impassioned, English-language adaptation staged to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the master composer's birth. Tamino (Joseph Kaiser) has been wounded in battle, but his life is saved when he is subsequently rescued by three kindly field nurses. Papageno (Benjamin Jay Davis) is a bird keeper whose mission it is to check the trenches for dangerous gasses. Upon seeing a picture of the lovely Pamina (Amy Carson) and instantly falling in love with the girl, Tamino makes it his mission in life to save his treasured beauty from the clutches of nefarious kidnapper Sarastro (Rene Pape). Tamino won't be alone on his dangerous mission though, because the noble Papageno, who has determined to rescue his own true love, has vowed to fight alongside the smitten soldier right to the bitter end. An imaginative new adaptation of one of Mozart's most beloved operas, Branagh's variation on The Magic Flute features newly-adapted libretto by Stephen Fry, musical direction by James Conlon, and an unforgettable score skillfully performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Legendary film preservationist Kevin Brownlow (infamous for his 1982 restoration of Abel Gance's Napoléon) and Patrick Stanbury co-helm the affectionate cinematic homage Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic. As narrated by Kenneth Branagh, this documentary explores the life, legacy, and cultural contributions of director extraordinaire DeMille, widely regarded as the 20th-century equivalent of P.T. Barnum -- and hence, one of the greatest showmen in modern history. The film documents how DeMille became the first individual to define the perfect cinematic admixture to satisfy the taste of the average lay viewer: a combination of unearthly sets, magnificent costumes, and earth-shaking spectacles, cloaked in an oxymoronic blend of two-dimensional moralizing and envelope-pushing sexuality -- in other words, the very same formula still employed by Hollywood, decades after DeMille's death. A number of top American filmmakers turn up to offer insights into DeMille's craft, including Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, as well as actors including Charlton Heston and Angela Lansbury; several of DeMille's family members also shed light on the director's private life and personal relationships. The film discusses DeMille's childhood and early theatrical career, his co-establishment of Paramount Pictures, and his production of some of Hollywood's most magnificent spectacles, including Cleopatra (1934), Samson and Delilah (1949), and The Ten Commandments (1956, for which, Brownlow and Stanbury interpolate stunning behind-the-scenes footage of the parting of the Red Sea). Brownlow received the coveted Mel Novikoff Award in the year of this film's release. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

All but forgotten at the time of his death in 1922, controversial British explorer Ernest Shackleton would enjoy a rediscovery of sorts decades later, with dozens of books and filmed documentaries devoted to his "magnificent blunder" -- the failed Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916. On the sheer weight of his dynamic personality, Shackleton was able to mount an exploratory journey to the Antarctic, accompanied by a crew of 27 men, among them celebrated Australian photographer Frank Day. Alas, Shackleton's ship was crushed by packing ice early in the expedition, forcing the crew to brave the merciless polar elements for a full ten months. Making matters worse, public concern over Shackleton's plight was shunted aside when Great Britain entered WWI. First telecast in England on January 2 and 3, 2002, the two-part TV biopic Shackleton stars Kenneth Branagh in the title role. The script does not shirk away from the subject's less savory character traits, including his disastrous financial dealings and his blatant unfaithfulness to wife Emily (Phoebe Nicholls). Nonetheless, one emerges from the film with a renewed respect and admiration for the visionary Shackleton and his bedraggled companions. Much of the imagery in Shackleton was based upon the still-surviving films made on the scene by Frank Day, adding extra authenticity to the drama even though the film was made in Greenland and Iceland rather than the Antarctic. The two-part film made its American TV debut courtesy of the A&E cable network on April 7 and 8, 2002; shortly afterward, Shackleton was released on DVD, with four additional hours of documentary footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After directing a number of major motion pictures in the United States, Australian-born filmmaker Phillip Noyce returned home to make this remarkable adventure-drama, based on a true story as well as a lamentable period in his nation's history. When European settlers first arrived in Australia, there was an almost immediate conflict between the recent arrivals and the nation's indigenous people, whose rich cultural heritage which bore little resemblance to that of the Europeans. By the mid-19th century, when white settlers had gained political control of the continent, many aborigines found themselves removed from their lands and their children taken from them, under the belief that the youngsters would be better off in a more "civilized" environment. Through most of the 20th century, it was official government policy that half- or quarter-caste indigenous children were to be taken from their families and raised as "white" children in orphanages, where they would be trained to work as domestic servants or laborers. In 1931, Molly (Everlyn Sampi) and her younger sister Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) and cousin Gracie (Laura Monaghan) were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, where they were subject to physical and emotional abuse as they were taught to forget their families, their culture, and their lives up to that point and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. Gracie and Daisy cling to Molly for support, and Molly decides they need to return to their parents. Molly plans a daring escape, and the three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, travelling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by following the fence that has been build across the nation to stem an over-population of rabbits. A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh), the government functionary in charge of relocating Western Australia's aborigines, takes a special interest in the case of the three girls, and brings in a veteran tracker, Moodoo (David Gulpilil) to help find them, secure in the belief he's acting in their best interest. Rabbit-Proof Fence was based on the acclaimed book by Doris Pilkington Garimara, whose Aunt Daisy was one of the three children who made the extraordinary journey and helped her with the research for the book. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In January of 1942, 15 of Adolf Hitler's right-hand men gathered together for a special meeting in Wannsee, in which over the course of two hours they debated the pros and cons of Hitler's latest directive and the best way to implement it. By the time they left, they had laid the practical groundwork for the "Final Solution," with the execution of every Jewish person in Europe as their goal. A transcript of the meeting has survived, and that document provided the basis for the screenplay for Conspiracy, which dramatizes (in real time) the meeting that led to the greatest crime of the 20th century. Conspiracy stars Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, and David Threlfall; the film was produced for the premium cable network HBO, where it first aired on May 19, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Dreamworks SKG's second feature-length animated film blends comedy and drama in an unusual historical adventure. Two genial swindlers working as stable hands stow away with Cortez, the legendary Spanish conquistador, as he searches for El Dorado, the lost City of Gold. Luck smiles on the two con men, and they happen to find a settlement in Mexico that they believe is El Dorado; however, while the two exotic strangers are at first embraced by the Mayan people, they've also arrived just in time to be offered up as the next human sacrifice. The Road to El Dorado was directed by Don Paul, who helmed the first DreamWorks animated feature, The Prince of Egypt; Will Finn, a featured animator on Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin; Bibo Bergeron, who worked on Ferngully: The Last Rainforest; and David Silverman. It features new songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and the voice cast includes Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez, Edward James Olmos, and Armand Assante. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Following the phenomenal success of their Walking the Dinosaurs series, the BBC produced this special, focusing specifically on Allosaurus, a Jurassic Period predecessor to Tyrannosaurus Rex. The program, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, uses the fossilized remains of an Allosaurus, nicknamed Big Al, as the basis for the story. Using state-of-the-art computer animation, Big Al is brought to life as viewers discover how this ferocious predator mated, hunted, and died. Also included is Big Al Uncovered, a "making of" segment of sorts. Here, using the Big Al fossils, scientists explain why they attributed particular traits and characteristics to the animated Big Al. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, each episode of Walking With Dinosaurs is an in-depth look at the lives of these fascinating and ancient creatures, based on the latest available research. Through the extensive use of computer animation, these tapes bring the giant lizards to life, illustrating how they lived, loved, fought, ate, and died. Each tape focuses on a particular fictional group of dinosaurs, attempting to bring their story to life through the use of narrative. In this particular episode, viewers follow the fortunes of a Liopleurodon as it seeks to plunder a prehistoric nursery. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide