Kenneth Branagh‘s latest deserves Much By Jennifer Epps _ victory and watching it blaze is an incredible rush. Much Ado About Nothâ€" ing is full of such glories. You may find mmmwcwm the sheer thrill of inspired line readâ€" 'EUI'W.I’K-M Branagh seem ordained by God to play the feisty and stubborn Beatrice and ital and professional union for some time now and their portrait of Shakeâ€" speare‘s romantic duelists is the most sublime example of this beneficial relaâ€" Good acting is its own special kind of and Thompson‘s marâ€" have probably had Much Ado in mind from the moment they met, they resemble the characters so much; they‘re both smart, sensible, wry and individualistic. Much Ado‘s celebratory battle of the sexes does a great deal of damage to claims that the bard was a chauvinist. Beatrice and Benedick are a match because they‘re equals. Their verbal tang uy diee psingtth stame coy, she‘s out at a man :‘uwmmmut mmmm ‘tame‘ her, he‘s determined not to make himself vuinerable to love. it takes cutside intervention to get these two to soften; without it, their strong â€" moviemaker‘s hamminess. We guffaw personalities might have led them to a _ at the deliberat T, i tecnniques standstill akin to Rhett and Scarlett‘s. â€" intended to mock the charact Branagh is a rarity in that he‘s a true _ excesses of emotion but we are, at the hyphenate. He is an actorâ€"director out â€" same time, magically moved. of conviction, not ego; he‘s not just The casting is bold and astute. moonlighting. The reason he keeps has plucked some of the most casting his wife is that she‘s so feroâ€" talents in commenrcial cin ciously intelligent and dynamic. She ema: Keanu Reeves is the brooding. gives him a run for his money. evil Don John; Denzel Washington is hdâ€"'rofm.mohopanï¬m. mmm.mm Branagh is able to blend rival elements muw ® ) emerge in into one tapestry. His performances in . one brief : Robert Sea Leonard Benedick‘s soliloquies are especially huthu“ s straight role engaging â€" he gets so worked up his . of Claudio, the dupe, but Michs voice keeps breaking â€" but as direc _ Keaton gets to frolic in the mud as tor, he also balances insight with jub â€" Constable Dogberry and he has a blast. gives him a run for his money. hd-rdhï¬uhopanï¬m. Branagh is able to blend rival elements into one tapestry. His performances in Benedick‘s soliloquies are especially â€"â€" he gets so worked up his m â€"â€" but as direc u.mummmmw lant slapstick, colorful staging and a Ado