----spoilers----- If this story had only been about Beatrice and Benedict I'd have given it 10 stars, but the Hero-Claude plot is rather weak. I think it was a mistake to turn spiteful Uncle Don John into Hero's obsessive and clinging friend with whom she'd had an unwise flung through being sorry for him. Nasty Don John scheming to cause trouble is I think better than drippy Don miserying over Hero. But I can see the attraction of this different theme and it does work well at first, but from the wedding onward the plot goes awry. It's obviously impossible for any modern girl to want to marry this berk Claude who's so easily deceived by pathetic Don's silly plot, whilst in the original naive Claude can get away with his very bad behaviour as Don John then is far too clever for him and moral attitudes were different then. So this relationship is left unresolved and I can't see how it could ever work.
But Beatrice and Benedict - oh yes, brilliantly done! Sarah Parish and Damian Lewis (is he meant to look like Kenneth Branagh or is it chance?) are marvellous and the whole script concerning them is excellent and very funny.
But Beatrice and Benedict - oh yes, brilliantly done! Sarah Parish and Damian Lewis (is he meant to look like Kenneth Branagh or is it chance?) are marvellous and the whole script concerning them is excellent and very funny.