Love's Labour's Lost (film)

''Love's Labour's Lost'' is a 2000 British musical romantic comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kenneth Branagh. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s early comic play of the same name and marks the first feature-length film version of this lesser-known work. The ensemble cast features a mix of Shakespearean veterans, including Timothy Spall, Richard Briers, and Geraldine McEwan, as well as Hollywood actors Alicia Silverstone and Matthew Lillard, and stage performers such as Nathan Lane and Jimmy Yuill.

The film was released in the United Kingdom and United States in 2000 by Miramax Films. It received mixed reviews from critics and emerged as a box-office disappointment, grossing approximately $284,291 in the United States against a production budget of $13 million. In response to its commercial failure, Miramax shelved a planned three-picture deal with Branagh. He would later return to Shakespearean adaptations with '' As You Like It'' in 2006.

Plot

The King of Navarre has vowed to avoid romantic entanglements to spend three years in study and contemplation. His chief courtiers agree to follow him in this vow, though one (Berowne) argues that they will not be able to fulfill this plan.

Berowne's claim is proven correct almost instantly. The Princess of France comes to Navarre to discuss the status of the province of Aquitaine. Though the King does not grant them access to his palace (they are forced to camp outside), each of the courtiers falls in love with one of her handmaidens, and the King falls in love with the Princess herself.

The men attempt to hide their own loves and expose those of their fellows. After a masked ball in which the pairs of lovers are comically mismatched, all the amours are revealed. Costard leads a musical number with the King's court, which eventually includes the entire cast. But as the song closes, a messenger arrives with news of the King of France's death. As the year of mourning that will proceed for the princess and her ladies means further courtship is impossible, and the women had until this point treated the men's courtship as nothing but a mocking merriment to entertain their guests, they request demonstrations of humility and constancy from the men, with a promise to marry them at the end of the 12 months if they carry out these acts.

Newsreel footage shows the character's lives over the course of that year, which takes place in the context of World War II. The montage ends with all those who survived the war (Boyet we specifically see die in some covert military action) reuniting in celebration on what appears to be VE Day.

The comic underplot of the original play, in which Costard and others attempt to stage a play (rather like that of the rude mechanicals in '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'') is severely curtailed, as is the boasting of the Spaniard, Don Armado.

Set in the late 1930s, the King of Navarre and his three courtiers—Berowne, Longaville, and Dumaine—pledge to renounce romance for three years in favor of scholarly pursuits. Berowne, skeptical of the vow's feasibility, is quickly proven right when the Princess of France arrives with her three ladies to negotiate the status of Aquitaine. Denied entry into the palace, the women camp outside, and the men soon fall in love with them—each courtier with one of the ladies, and the King with the Princess herself.

The men attempt to hide their affections while exposing those of their companions. A masked ball leads to mismatched pairings and mistaken identities, after which all feelings are revealed. Costard leads a musical number involving the entire court. A messenger then arrives with news of the King of France’s death. The Princess and her ladies, entering a year of mourning, ask the men to demonstrate humility and constancy, promising to marry them at the end of twelve months if they succeed.

A montage of newsreel footage depicts the characters’ lives during World War II. Some participate in the war effort, while Boyet is shown dying during a covert operation. Those who survive reunite in celebration on what appears to be VE Day.

The comic subplot from the original play, involving Costard, Don Armado, and a staged performance, is significantly abbreviated.

Cast

Several characters in the film adaptation—Gaston, Isabelle, Eugene, Jaques, Beatrice, Hyppolyte, Celimene, and Sophie—do not appear in Shakespeare's original text and have no dialogue in the film. Their inclusion follows a pattern common in Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptations, such as '' Hamlet'' (1996), which also featured numerous non-speaking walk-on roles absent from the original play but listed in the cast credits.

Production

Development

Kenneth Branagh became interested in ''Love's Labour's Lost'' during the 1984 Royal Shakespeare Company season, when he portrayed the King of Navarre. At the time, he was familiar with Harley Granville-Barker’s influential essay suggesting that the play could be approached as highly stylized, with its dialogue and action rendered in a rhythm akin to musical phrasing. Inspired by this interpretation, Branagh expanded the concept further, adapting the play into a 1930s-style Hollywood musical. This marked the most radical reinterpretation among his Shakespeare adaptations, risking alienation of both audiences and critics. The film incorporated classic songs by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and George and Ira Gershwin, allowing Branagh to pay homage to the musicals he admired in his youth.

Unlike his 1996 adaptation of ''Hamlet'', which preserved the full text, Branagh significantly condensed ''Love's Labour's Lost'', retaining only about a quarter of Shakespeare's original lines. Although all seventeen of the play’s speaking roles were kept, some characters—particularly those among the lower classes—had their parts greatly reduced or rendered silent.

Casting

Branagh cast the film with little emphasis on singing or dancing experience. Drawing inspiration from Woody Allen’s ''Everyone Says I Love You'' (1996), he aimed for energy and enthusiasm over technical polish. Among the ensemble, only Nathan Lane had an established background in musical theatre. The cast included a blend of Shakespearean performers and film actors, including Alicia Silverstone, Matthew Lillard, Alessandro Nivola, Adrian Lester, and Branagh himself.

Several characters who appear in the film—such as Gaston, Isabelle, Eugene, Jaques, Beatrice, Hyppolyte, Celimene, and Sophie—are not found in the original play and have no lines in the adaptation. Their inclusion follows Branagh’s pattern from ''Hamlet'', which featured additional non-speaking roles credited in the cast.

Filming

The film’s pre-production phase focused heavily on dance and vocal training. Cast members underwent rigorous coaching to prepare for the musical numbers, which were staged in the style of Golden Age Hollywood choreography. Musical sequences were tightly integrated with the adapted Shakespearean dialogue, requiring precise coordination. The narrative was transposed to the prelude and aftermath of , with the ending montage—set to newsreel-style footage—depicting the characters’ fates during and after the war, culminating in a celebratory reunion resembling VE Day.

Music

In adapting the play into a musical, Branagh incorporated a selection of classic songs—primarily from the 1930s and 1940s—to replace large portions of Shakespeare’s dialogue and underscore the film’s homage to Golden Age Hollywood. These include:
*I'd Rather Charleston (George Gershwin/Desmond Carter)
*I Get a Kick Out of You ( Cole Porter)
*I Won't Dance (Jerome Kern/ Dorothy Fields)
* No Strings (I'm Fancy Free) ( Irving Berlin)
* The Way You Look Tonight (Jerome Kern/ Dorothy Fields)
* I've Got a Crush on You (George Gershwin/ Ira Gershwin)
* Cheek to Cheek (Irving Berlin)
* Let's Face the Music and Dance (Irving Berlin)
* There's No Business Like Show Business (Irving Berlin)
* They Can't Take That Away From Me (George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin)

Release

Box office

''Love's Labour's Lost'' was not a commercial success. In the United Kingdom, it opened on 31 March 2000, grossing £143,649 from 186 screens during its opening weekend. In the United States, it opened on 11 June 2000 in two theaters, earning $24,496 in its opening weekend. The film's total domestic gross was $284,291, against a production budget of $13 million.

Critical reception

''Love's Labour's Lost'' received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 50% approval rating based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 5.54/10. The site's consensus states: "Interesting idea, poor execution." Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 29 critic reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."

Roger Ebert described the film as "winsome, charming, sweet and slight," awarding it two and a half out of four stars. He noted that while the film had appeal, it lacked substance, attributing some shortcomings to the original play's material. Critics like Stanley Kauffmann and John Simon were less favorable. Kauffmann criticized the casting as "dull" and "dreadful," expressing concern over the significant reduction of Shakespeare's original dialogue. Simon found little redeeming in the adaptation, highlighting issues with performances and the adaptation's approach.

Conversely, some reviews were more positive. Derek Elley of '' Variety'' described the film as a "luscious labor of love," praising its homage to classic Hollywood musicals. James Berardinelli gave the film three out of four stars, acknowledging its unique blend of Shakespearean elements with musical and slapstick components, concluding that it was "an enjoyable trifle" for those open to its stylistic choices.

Accolades

References

External links

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{{Love's Labour's Lost

2000 films
2000 musical films
2000 romantic comedy films
2000s musical comedy films
2000s romantic musical films
British musical comedy films
British romantic comedy films
British romantic musical films
Films based on Love's Labour's Lost
Films directed by Kenneth Branagh
Films with screenplays by Kenneth Branagh
Films produced by Kenneth Branagh
Films produced by David Barron
Films scored by Patrick Doyle
Films shot at Shepperton Studios
Jukebox musical films
Miramax films
Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare
Films set in libraries
StudioCanal films
2000s English-language films
2000s British films
English-language romantic comedy films
English-language romantic musical films
English-language musical comedy films