A Midwinter's Tale
Encyclopedia
A Midwinter's Tale is a 1995 romantic comedy
written and directed by Kenneth Branagh
. Many of the roles in the film were written for specific actors.
"A Midwinter's Tale is a comic look at the actor's eternal despair." The film begins with a monologue by out-of-work actor Joe Harper (Michael Maloney
) about his slow decline into depression. In an attempt to beat his depression, Joe volunteers to help try to save his sister's local church from land developers for the community by putting on a Christmas production of Hamlet
, somewhat against the advice of his agent Margaretta. As the cast he assembles are still available even at Christmas and are prepared to do it on a 'profit sharing' basis (that is, they may not get paid anything), he cannot expect – and does not get – the cream of the cream. But although they all bring their own problems and foibles along, something bigger starts to emerge in the perhaps aptly named village of Hope. This film encapsulates the hilarious and heartbreaking struggle of actor versus situation versus life, and often versus each other. It was shot in black and white for artistic effect.
Richaed Briers, Nicholas Farrell and Michael Maloney, who all appear in this film, later had important roles in Branagh's 1996 film version of Hamlet
: Briers played Polonius, Farrell played Horatio, and Maloney played Laertes.
Hamlet: Joe Harper himself.
Ophelia: Nina Raymond, a shortsighted well-meaning space cadet who has been using low-calorie mayonnaise for lotion because she can't make out the label.
King Claudius
: Henry Wakefield, a long-suffering and cynical old Englishman with a sharp tongue and a list of prejudices five miles (8 km) long, forced to room with Queen Gertrude's player.
Queen Gertrude
: Terry DuBois, a flamboyantly gay theatrical actor with a preoccupation for costume and an estranged son.
Laertes
, Fortinbras
, and various: Tom Newman, an uptight, self-righteous character who foists his values on everyone else and attempts to distinguish his many characters with a variety of outrageous accents.
Horatio
, Bernardo
: Not-so-subtle Carnforth Greville, an alcoholic in denial and a kindly bachelor with no memory for lines whatsoever.
Polonius
, Marcellus, and the First Gravedigger: Vernon Spatch, the ambitious techie's techie, self-imposed marketing director, and unofficial documentarian of the proceedings.
Set Designer: Fadge, just Fadge, specializing in new-age art and obscure statements about "air," "space," and "fog." Close friends call her "Fa".
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
written and directed by Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
. Many of the roles in the film were written for specific actors.
"A Midwinter's Tale is a comic look at the actor's eternal despair." The film begins with a monologue by out-of-work actor Joe Harper (Michael Maloney
Michael Maloney
Michael Maloney is an English actor.Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series, Telford's Change....
) about his slow decline into depression. In an attempt to beat his depression, Joe volunteers to help try to save his sister's local church from land developers for the community by putting on a Christmas production of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, somewhat against the advice of his agent Margaretta. As the cast he assembles are still available even at Christmas and are prepared to do it on a 'profit sharing' basis (that is, they may not get paid anything), he cannot expect – and does not get – the cream of the cream. But although they all bring their own problems and foibles along, something bigger starts to emerge in the perhaps aptly named village of Hope. This film encapsulates the hilarious and heartbreaking struggle of actor versus situation versus life, and often versus each other. It was shot in black and white for artistic effect.
Richaed Briers, Nicholas Farrell and Michael Maloney, who all appear in this film, later had important roles in Branagh's 1996 film version of Hamlet
Hamlet (1996 film)
Hamlet is a 1996 film version of William Shakespeare's classic play of the same name, adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the title role as Prince Hamlet...
: Briers played Polonius, Farrell played Horatio, and Maloney played Laertes.
Synopsis
The story is set in Hope, England. It's Christmastime, and 'tis the season to put on Shakespeare's most cheery seasonal play: Hamlet. Joe Harper takes the project on as a Final Stand of sorts under the encouragement of his catty agent, advertising in the local newspaper for actors at a low price. From the rabble of actors both strange and untalented, he chooses the following:Hamlet: Joe Harper himself.
Ophelia: Nina Raymond, a shortsighted well-meaning space cadet who has been using low-calorie mayonnaise for lotion because she can't make out the label.
King Claudius
King Claudius
King Claudius is a character and the antagonist from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. He is the brother to King Hamlet, second husband to Gertrude and uncle to Hamlet. He obtained the throne of Denmark by murdering his own brother with poison and then marrying the late king's widow...
: Henry Wakefield, a long-suffering and cynical old Englishman with a sharp tongue and a list of prejudices five miles (8 km) long, forced to room with Queen Gertrude's player.
Queen Gertrude
Gertrude (Hamlet)
In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Gertrude is Hamlet's mother and Queen of Denmark. Her relationship with Hamlet is somewhat turbulent, since he resents her for marrying her husband's brother Claudius after he murdered the King...
: Terry DuBois, a flamboyantly gay theatrical actor with a preoccupation for costume and an estranged son.
Laertes
Laertes (character)
Laertes is a character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. His name is taken from the father of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. In the final scene, he kills Hamlet with a poisoned sword to avenge the deaths of his father and sister, for...
, Fortinbras
Fortinbras
Fortinbras is the name of two minor fictional characters from William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. The more notable is a Norwegian crown prince with a few brief scenes in the play, who delivers the final lines that represent a hopeful future for the monarchy of Denmark and its subjects...
, and various: Tom Newman, an uptight, self-righteous character who foists his values on everyone else and attempts to distinguish his many characters with a variety of outrageous accents.
Horatio
Horatio (character)
Horatio is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. A friend of Prince Hamlet from Wittenberg University, Horatio's origins are unknown, though he is evidently poor and was present on the battlefield when Hamlet's father defeated 'the ambitious Norway'...
, Bernardo
Bernardo
Bernardo may refer to:People;First name* Bernardo Bellotto, Venitian urban landscape painter or vedutista* Bernardo Corradi, Italian footballer...
: Not-so-subtle Carnforth Greville, an alcoholic in denial and a kindly bachelor with no memory for lines whatsoever.
Polonius
Polonius
Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...
, Marcellus, and the First Gravedigger: Vernon Spatch, the ambitious techie's techie, self-imposed marketing director, and unofficial documentarian of the proceedings.
Set Designer: Fadge, just Fadge, specializing in new-age art and obscure statements about "air," "space," and "fog." Close friends call her "Fa".
Cast
- Richard BriersRichard BriersRichard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
as Henry Wakefield (Claudius, the Ghost, and the Player King) - Hetta Charnley as Molly
- Joan CollinsJoan CollinsJoan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
as Margaretta D'Arcy - Nicholas FarrellNicholas FarrellNicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
as Tom Newman (Laertes, Fortinbras, and messengers) - Mark Hadfield as Vernon Spatch (Polonius, Marcellus, and First Gravedigger)
- Gerard HoranGerard HoranGerard Horan is an English actor. Born in Stockport, Cheshire, Horan has appeared in many of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare films, most recently as Denis in the 2006 As You Like It. He has worked extensively in theatre, film and television....
as Carnforth Greville (Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Horatio, and Barnardo) - Celia ImrieCelia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
as Fadge - Michael MaloneyMichael MaloneyMichael Maloney is an English actor.Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series, Telford's Change....
as Joe Harper (Hamlet) - Jennifer SaundersJennifer SaundersJennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
as Nancy Crawford - Julia SawalhaJulia SawalhaJulia Sawalha is an English actress well known for her roles as Saffron Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous, Lynda Day, editor of The Junior Gazette in Press Gang and Lydia Bennet in the 1995 television miniseries of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She also played Dorcas Lane in the BBC's costume...
as Nina Raymond (Ophelia) - John SessionsJohn SessionsJohn Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
as Terry Du Bois (Queen Gertrude) - Ann Davies as Mrs. Branch
- James D. White as Tim
- Robert Hines as Mortimer
- Allie Byrne as Tap Dancer
- Adrian Scarborough as Young Actor
- Brian PettiferBrian PettiferBrian Pettifer is an actor who has appeared in many television shows. Pettifer was born in Lower Durban, South Africa, and briefly brought up in Glasgow and London. He intended to become a photographer, but pursued a career as an actor...
as Ventriloquist - Patrick DoylePatrick DoylePatrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
as Scotsman - Shaun Prendergast as Mule Train Man
- Carol Starks as Audience Member
- Edward Jewesbury as Nina's Father
- Katy CarmichaelKaty CarmichaelKaty Carmichael is an English actress and a professional entertainer. She has been on stage many times in Liverpool, but is most notably recognised for her role of Lucy Barlow/Richards in the ITV soap Coronation Street, Twist Morgan in the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced and Melissa Ryan in Waterloo...
as Mad Puppet Woman (uncredited)