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The Kenneth Branagh Page

I have a copy of this photograph hanging in a prominent place in my bedroom. However, mine is autographed. Just imagine his signature with the words "Best Wishes, Kenneth Branagh" at the bottom.

I've been a big fan of Kenneth Branagh since I saw him on stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1990. This site will attempt to bring together as much information as I can find on his career.

Ellen Armstrong puts out a Kenneth Branagh FAQ which is very complete, and was helpful to my research into this page.
There is now a hypertext version of Ellen's FAQ, it is by D.C. Lehmkuhl (Chris).

Ken, along with Vanessa Redgrave received the Boston Film Excellence Award at the Boston Film Festival last year. In The Bleak Midwinter was also shown at the festival.

Ken admits he was once a looter!

Films

Henry V (1989)
Stars Ken as Henry V. Also in the cast, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Richard Briers, Paul Scofield, Judy Dench and Michael Maloney.

Pictures from Henry V.

The hypertext version of King Henry V by William Shakespeare.

Dead Again (1991)
Stars Ken and Emma Thompson. Also in the cast, Andy Garcia and Derek Jacobi.

A review of Dead Again

Peter's Friends (1992)
Stars Ken, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Rita Rudner, Imelda Staunton.

A review of Peter's Friends.

Swan Song (1993)
Ken directed this short film, with Sir John Gielgud and Richard Briers.

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Stars Ken, Emma Thompson, Richard Briers, Kate Beckinsale.

Ken on the Much Ado About Nothing set.
A Much Ado About Nothing movie poster.
Some pictures from the film.

The hypertext version of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare.

Swing Kids (1993)
Kenneth has an uncredited role as a Gestapo officer in this film.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
Stars Ken, Robert DeNiro and Helena Bonham-Carter.

A Mary Shelley's Frankenstein movie poster.

An article about the music of Frankenstein.

Pictures from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

A great Frankenstein site, includes links to pictures, reviews and the text of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Another great Frankenstein site is Mary Shelley's Private Frankenstein Musical

Sound clips from the film:
Victor: We won't know unless we try.
Victor: No one need ever die, I will stop this.
The Monster: Did you never consider the consequences of your actions?
Elizabeth: What happened to you?

Othello (1995)

Directed, and screenplay written, by Oliver Parker. Ken plays Iago, while Laurence Fishburne plays Othello. Ken's Iago is a treat in his maliciousness.

Here is the shooting script of Othello.

There is a CD-Rom based on Oliver Parker's Othello. You can preview it and order it at the official Othello site

The hypertext version of Othello by William Shakespeare.

A review of the film.
Another review.

A synopsis of Othello.

An article about the film.

In the Bleak MidWinter (1995) ( A MidWinter's Tale)
The film's name has been changed to A MidWinter's Tale for its US release. I prefer the original title.
Stars Michael Maloney, John Sessions, Richard Briers. Directed and written by Ken.

An audio review of A MidWinter's Tale by Jeffrey Lyons. In RealAudio format.

A MidWinter's Tale opened the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 1996. This site has some quicktime clips and sound bites from the film. Look under "this year's films".

A review of In The Bleak MidWinter.
A synopsis and some stills from the film.

Looking for Richard(1996)
Kenneth Branagh is one of the people interviewed in Al Pacino's docu-drama about Richard III. This film opens on Oct. 11, 1996.

Here is a review of Looking for Richard.
This is what the Cannes festival site says about the film, includes a picture of Pacino as Richard III.

The hypertext version of King Richard III

Hamlet (1996)

Ken stars in this version and also directed it. The film is due for release December 25, 1996. Among the co-stars are Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Michael Maloney, Derek Jacobi and Robin Williams.

The hypertext version of Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

There is a slight blurb about Hamlet in Jeanne Wolf's column.
You can also download a clip from the film in either Quicktime or AVI.

Anne Frank Remembered (1996)
Ken narrates this film about Anne Frank. The film won a best documentary Oscar at this years Academy Awards.

Television

Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood
Ken hosts this 6 part documentary about early European cinema. The documentary is being shown on the CBC beginning October 4, 1996.

Audio

The BBC is selling Ken's Hamlet on audio cassette.

Web sites, Usenet groups and zines...

There is a newsgroup dedicated to discussing Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. It is called: alt.movies.branagh-thmpsn

One site also dedicated to Ken and Emma Thompson has biographical information and photos. It is by Tom Power.

A wonderful Ken and Emma Thompson site is by Susan Goetcheus. It's currently offline. You can find it at https://id.wing.net/~susang/em_ken.html when it is back up.

Dark Daytime is a fun 'zine dedicated to Ken and Emma Thompson.

Related sites

Sir Derek Jacobi page. Dedicated to Ken's co-star in a few films, and great actor in his own right, soon to be seen as Claudius in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet.

Patrick Doyle page, dedicated to a wonderful composer and occasional actor in several of Ken's films.

The Unofficial Royal Shakespeare Company Homepage. Find information on the current RSC season.

If you want to let me know what you think of this page, e-mail me at: billie@tor.hookup.net

Or, you could sign my brand new guestbook, which is provided by