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Kenneth Branagh
On 10th December 1960, a Shakespearean legend was born. Kenneth Branagh grew up in the city of Belfast. However he and his family fled to England (Berkshire) to escape 'the troubles'. It was here, in Britain, that he decided to go into theatre; thus an actor was born. He attended the prestigious RADA, located in London, and learnt the true values of being an actor. He appeared in many stage performances such as 'Another Country' which won him his 1982 SWET award. He then progressed into film work. His film debut was ' A Month In the Country' with his co-star being the future Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth. Shortly after this a film named ' Henry V' was made, cementing Branagh's name in the Shakespearean world. Let alone from acting in it, this film also was the beginning of Branagh's exceptional directing career. This being merely his third film, he received two academy award nominations. During the 1990's, Branagh ploughed his way through many Shakespeare orientated films such as ' Othello' and the classic ' Much Ado About Nothing' in which he acted along side his then wife, Emma Thompson. There is a film, released in 1997, that will always be associated with Branagh's name; Hamlet. This beast of a film, lasting approximately 3 hours with hardly any of the dialogue from Shakespeare's original play tampered with, is probably Branagh's most remembered film. Including an amazing cast, ( Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi), this film earned Branagh another Academy award nomination. In the 2000's (after his relationship with Helena Bonham Carter had ended) Branagh firmly stepped into the role of the director. The magnificent film which is ' Sleuth' was ingenious; Branagh worked with the original playwright, Harold Pinter, on set and created a work of art which had simply two actors; Michael Caine and Jude Law. Then again, as well as directing, Branagh was also involved in such films as ' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' where he portrayed the dim witted Professor Lockhart, and Valkyrie, the hit film starring Tom Cruise, yet again showing Branagh's acting ability. Now, in recent years (still being Married to art director Lindsay Brunnock), Kenneth Branagh has turned his attention to television, starring in the wonder which is ' Wallander'. A fascinating programme about a Swedish detective is critically acclaimed by all, and Branagh recently won a BAFTA for his acting. Now, in the year 2010, Branagh is directing the epic which is ' Thor'. A film with a vast budget and a huge cast including Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins, it appears it will yet again show the world Branagh's ability and how he is a credit to the world of cinema, TV and stage. A true legend. A Shakespearean legend.
News |
What members say |
Filmography
Kenneth Branagh - news / articles
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Winslet and Branagh's Guernsey film delayed -
2 April 2012
-Actress Kate Winslet will have to wait another year to reunite with her Hamlet co-star Kenneth Branagh - their forthcoming war tale has been postponed until next year (13).-The Titanic beauty was due to begin shooting actor/director Branagh's next film, The Guernsey Lit
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Branagh to revive Jack Ryan with Chris Pine -
27 March 2012
-Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh is set to step back behind the camera for another blockbuster - trade reports suggest he has signed on to direct the latest Jack Ryan action movie.-The actor, who won acclaim as the director of last year's (11) Thor, will take charge of the
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Branagh & Winslet to team up for war tale -
13 January 2012
-Great Brits Kenneth Branagh and Kate Winslet are to team up onscreen for the first time since they played lovers in Hamlet in 1996.-Winslet will star in the actor/director's latest film, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, according to Variety.- The movi
Kenneth Branagh - what members say
review by A customer from Hornchurch
A 'Must See' film 26 November 2008
review by NICKJOJO from Surrey
shackleton 2002 19 July 2010
review by A customer from gwaenysgor, rhyl, flintshire
superb series 25 August 2005
Kenneth Branagh - filmography
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Wallander - Series 3
(2012)
Starring: Jeany Spark, Kenneth Branagh, Rebekah Staton
Director: Charles Martin, Toby Haynes
Certificate: 
Kenneth Branagh plays Swedish detective Kurt Wallander in three new detective dramas based on the best-selling books by Henning Mankell - an international publishing phenomenon with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. Includes the three feature-length episodes 'An Event in Autumn', 'The Dogs of ..read more »
 
27%
from 7 members
Due for release on 18th June 2012
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My Week With Marilyn
on DVD
(2011)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson, Michelle Williams
Director: Simon Curtis
Certificate:
Based on the famously missing chapter in Colin Clark's memoir THE PRINCE, THE SHOWGIRL AND ME, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN reveals the enchanted week that the then-lowly production assistant spent with the most famous celebrity of the era during the production of the classic 1957 comedy romance THE PRINCE ..read more »
69%
from 6,030 members
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Thor
on DVD
(2011)
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate: 
The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
69%
from 35,656 members
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Thor - Blu-ray
(2011)
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
Director Kenneth Branagh (HENRY V) and I AM LEGEND scribe Mark Protosevich bring Marvel Comics strongman Thor (played by STAR TREK'S Chris Hemsworth) to the big screen in this big-budget adventure that chronicles the mystical roots of the Asgardian god. Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie ..read more »
71%
from 13,264 members
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Wallander - Series 2
(2 discs)
on DVD
(2010)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh
Director: Hettie Macdonald, Aisling Walsh, Andy Wilson
Certificate:
Kenneth Branagh takes up the role of Inspector Kurt Wallander in three new stories. Kurt Wallander is a sensitive but brilliant detective - a man who takes each murder case he works on personally and will stop at nothing in his search for the truth, even at the expense of his health and his family ..read more »
80%
from 461 members
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The Boat That Rocked
on DVD
(2009)
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost
Director: Richard Curtis
Certificate:
Writer-turned-director Richard Curtis (LOVE ACTUALLY, NOTTING HILL) directs a cast comprising the cream of British acting talent - which includes Bill Nighy (NOTES ON A SCANDAL, LOVE ACTUALLY), Rhys Ifans (NOTTING HILL, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDLANDS), Nick Frost (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ) and ..read more »
68%
from 55,490 members
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Wallander
(2 discs)
on DVD
(2008)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, David Warner, Tom Hiddleston
Director: Philip Martin
Certificate:
Starring Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander, a hard-working cop with a strong sense of integrity. Based in the small town of Ystad, Sweden, these compelling murder mysteries are based on the award-winning and phenomenally popular novels by Henning Mankell.
71%
from 2,182 members
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10 Days To War
on DVD
(2008)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Juliet Stevenson, Art Malik
Director: Bruce Goodison, David Belton
Certificate:
A leading cast including Kenneth Branagh, Juliet Stevenson, Stephen Rea, Art Malik and Toby Jones feature in an innovative series of eight dramas to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Each drama focuses on a real event that happened exactly five years ago to the day.
69%
from 50 members
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Sleuth
on DVD
(2007)
Starring: Jude Law, Michael Caine
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
This savvy remake promises just as many twists and pitch-perfect performances as the 1972 film. Since the original SLEUTH still shocks, some might question director Kenneth Branagh's desire to remake the classic, but Michael Caine doesn't reprise his role from the first film. Instead, he stars as ..read more »
51%
from 9,608 members
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Galapagos
(2 discs)
on DVD
(2006)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Dr. Carole Baldwin, Mathias Espinosa
Certificate: 
Part adventure, part scientific expedition, part personal quest, this stunning film takes us on a journey with marine biologist Dr. Carole Baldwin from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History during her first trip to the Galapagos. Traveling to the terrestrial world of the ..read more »
77%
from 647 members
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As You Like It
on DVD
(2006)
Starring: Takuya Shimada, Brian Blessed, Richard Clifford
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
Japan, the 1880s. Duke Senior (Blessed) is ousted by brother Frederick (Blessed) and flees into the forest. Senior's daughter Rosalind (Dallas Howard) and Frederick's daughter Celia (Garai) set off after him, where Rosalind meets the man she loves (Oyelowo) and befriends him in a male disguise.
53%
from 2,140 members
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Warm Springs
on DVD
(2005)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Cynthia Nixon, David Paymer
Director: Joseph Sargent
Certificate: 
A dramatisation of Franklin D. Roosevelt's remarkable life, WARM SPRINGS stars British actor Kenneth Branagh as FDR. Joining Branagh in a glittering cast are SEX AND THE CITY star Cynthia Nixon as Elanor Roosevelt, Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, and MINORITY REPORT star Tim Blake Nelson. Having ..read more »
61%
from 527 members
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Five Children And It
(2004)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Zoe Wanamaker, Freddie Highmore
Director: John Stephenson
Certificate: 
What they thought was going to be a dull summer in the country is about to become the most exciting adventure of their lives, when five children dig up an eight thousand year old sand-fairy who is prepared to make their wildest dreams come true... at a price.
59%
from 16,980 members
Not currently released
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Rabbit Proof Fence - Blu-ray
(2002)
Starring: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan
Director: Phillip Noyce
Certificate:
Set in Australia in 1931, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE tells the story of a government policy that required "half-caste" children (whose mothers were Aboriginal and whose fathers were white) to be taken from their homes by the authorities to be trained to work as servants. Based on the true story of Molly ..read more »
78%
from 55 members
Currently unavailable
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Shackleton
on DVD
(2002)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Lorcan Cranitch, Paul McGann
Director: Charles Sturridge
Certificate:
One of the most amazing and compelling adventure stories of all time, Ernest Shackleton's 1915 expedition to the previously unexplored, forbidding land of Antarctica has been a subject of great public fascination for decades. With 27 crew members, the intrepid man became trapped in the icey land ..read more »
73%
from 2,230 members
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Rabbit Proof Fence
on DVD
(2002)
Starring: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan
Director: Phillip Noyce
Certificate:
In Western Australia, 1931, the small depot of Jigalong sits on the edge of the Gibson Desert. Running through Jigalong and out into the desert is a rabbit-proof fence that bisects Australia from north to south. The fence was built to keep rabbits on one side and pasture on the other. This remote ..read more »
71%
from 14,211 members
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Wild Wild West
on DVD
(1999)
Starring: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
Barry Sonnenfeld is reunited with his MEN IN BLACK star Will Smith in this gadget-soaked romp based (loosely) on the 1960s television show. WILD WILD WEST supplies many impressive visuals (thanks to brilliant production designer Bo Welch) and some hearty laughs. Will Smith is James West, a Civil ..read more »
52%
from 12,977 members
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Walking With Dinosaurs
(2 discs)
on DVD
(1999)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh
Director: none
Certificate:
Learn all about the dinosaurs and how they ate, fought, mated, and more. High-tech animatronics and computer graphics are used to bring the world of the dinosaurs to life, in this popular documentary series. Includes six episodes featuring the most up-to-date discoveries, narrated by Kenneth ..read more »
75%
from 2,604 members
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The Proposition
(1998)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Madeleine Stowe, William Hurt
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Certificate: 
Father Michael McKinnon goes from the UK to Boston circa 1935. For unknown reasons, he avoids at all costs the most prominent parishioners, Arthur and Eleanor Barret. Meanwhile Eleanor and Arthur desperately want to have a child, but Arthur is sterile, so they hire Harvard law student Roger Martin ..read more »
10%
from 1 member
Currently unavailable
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The Gingerbread Man
on DVD
(1998)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz, Robert Downey Jr.
Director: Robert Altman
Certificate:
Robert Altman throws his chips into the film noir ring with this stylish, moody thriller that features a spot-on performance by Kenneth Branagh as Rick Magruder, a successful Savannah, Georgia lawyer. After a party celebrating a major victory, he offers Mallory Doss (Embeth Davidtz), a shy waitress ..read more »
51%
from 800 members
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Celebrity
(1998)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Judy Davis
Director: Woody Allen
Certificate: 
Woody Allen's star-studded CELEBRITY skewers America's fascination with fame and glamour. Kenneth Branagh stars as Lee Simon, a travel writer who also interviews celebrities when he's not working on his novel and screenplay-or at least talking about writing them. As he hangs out more and more with ..read more »
54%
from 2,605 members
Not currently released
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The Theory of Flight
(1998)
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Jones
Director: Paul Greengrass
Certificate:
A dreamer who aspires to human flight is assigned public service after one of his attempts off a public building. This leads him to meeting a young woman, who is dying of motor neuron disease. The strong-willed woman admits her wish to be de-flowered before her death. The man, struggling to ..read more »
60%
from 7 members
Currently unavailable
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In the Bleak Midwinter
(1995)
Starring: Michael Maloney, Julia Sawalha, Richard Briers
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
An out-of-work actor on the verge of a nervous break-down decides to put on a production of Hamlet in a church. At Christmas. Despite admonitions from his agent and sister about the career suicide he's about to commit by investing in such a morbid play over the holidays, he pushes on to realize his ..read more »
76%
from 21 members
Currently unavailable
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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
on DVD
(1994)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
In this adaptation of the classic Mary Shelley tale, Kenneth Branagh stars as Victor Frankenstein, a man possessed by a mission to create life but painfully unaware of the consequences of his actions. He succeeds in his quest to create a man, but his creature (Robert De Niro) is both revolting and ..read more »
60%
from 4,992 members
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Much Ado About Nothing
on DVD
(1993)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Richard Briers, Michael Keaton
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
When gallant Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), his nefarious brother Don John (Keanu Reeves), and close confidantes Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) ride thunderously into the Sicilian village of Messina, romance, gaiety, and suspicion abound. The men have returned safely ..read more »
70%
from 7,809 members
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Peter's Friends
on DVD
(1992)
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
Ten years after leaving university, Peter and his best friends reunite for a New Year's party to end all parties. Having weathered most of life's triumphs and disasters, there doesn't seem to be much left to shock them - but Peter has a special surprise that will test their friendship to the utmost...read more »
68%
from 3,534 members
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Dead Again
on DVD
(1991)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Andy Garcia, Derek Jacobi
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
In Kenneth Branagh's stylish suspense film, Branagh stars as Mike Church, a Los Angeles detective who is drawn into the life of Grace (Emma Thompson), a woman with amnesia who is plagued by disturbing nightmares. Attempts to help her regain her memory bring them to Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi), a ..read more »
62%
from 1,346 member
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Henry V
on DVD
(1989)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Paul Scofield
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
Kenneth Branagh makes his directorial debut and also plays the title role in HENRY V, an ambitious film that began a resurgence of interest in films of Shakespeare's plays. Henry is a young king seeking a way to make his mark on history. He gets his chance when he learns he can make a legal claim ..read more »
68%
from 3,192 members
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Look Back In Anger
(1989)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson
Director: Judi Dench
Certificate:
Adaptation of the John Osborne play, about Jimmy Porter, a selfish, very "angry young man" who feels the world is against him and takes it out on his wife, by seducing her best friend; a woman he originally despised. Starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, this Renaissance Theatre Company ..read more »
54%
from 360 members
Not available for rental
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Twelfth Night
on DVD
(1988)
Starring: Richard Briers, Caroline Langrishe
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate:
Kenneth Branagh's version of William Shakespeare's classic comedy revolves around Viola, a young woman who disguises herself as a man to work as a page in the court of Count Orsino. Orsino is hopelessly in love with a woman named Olivia, and soon Viola finds herself hopelessly in love with Orsino. ..read more »
59%
from 369 members
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High Season
on DVD
(1987)
Starring: Jacqueline Bisset, James Fox, Irene Papas
Director: Clare Peploe
Certificate:
Katharine is a talented photographer living on an idyllic Greek island. Unfortunately, the only thing that's clicking is her camera, until she finds herself surrounded by crazies, spies, smugglers, love-sick tourists, a teenage daughter and an ex-husband.
45%
from 111 members
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A Month In the Country
(1987)
Starring: Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh, Natasha Richardson
Director: Pat O'Connor
Certificate:
Two war-weary young veterans, Birkin and Moon, have come to a peaceful Yorkshire town to escape the horrors of war that haunt their dreams. But their work at the village church takes an explosive turn as one ignites long-denied passion within the pastor's young wife which forces the other veteran ..read more »
60%
from 1,030 member
Currently unavailable
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Fortunes Of War
(3 discs)
on DVD
(1987)
Starring: Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Rupert Graves
Director: James Cellan Jones
Certificate:
The Baltics, 1939, British Professor Guy Pringle arrives in Romania with his new bride and becomes enmeshed in the politics of anti-fascism. Guy's social circle soon includes members of the Secret Service who want to involve him in dangerous missions. Their marriage is soon tested by accidental ..read more »
75%
from 590 members
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Alan Plater at ITV
Starring: Helen Mirren, Kenneth Branagh, James Bolam
Certificate:
Jarrow-born Alan Plater was one of Britain s most cherished playwrights. Equally at home either adapting existing works or crafting his own stories, the pinnacle of his prolific output is arguably the highly successful Beiderbecke trilogy starring James Bolam and Barbara Flynn. Plater excelled in ..read more »
26%
from 3 members
Not available for rental
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Wallander - Series 1-2 - Blu-ray
(4 discs)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh
Director: Aisling Walsh, Andy Wilson, Het
Certificate:
Kenneth Branagh takes up the role of Inspector Kurt Wallander who is a sensitive but brilliant detective - a man who takes each murder case he works on personally and will stop at nothing in his search for the truth, even at the expense of his health and his family life.
78%
from 296 members
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Symphony For The Spire
on DVD
Starring: Placido Domingo, Jessye Norman, English Chamber Orchestra
Certificate:
Richard Armstrong conducts the English Chamber Orchestra in a musical and theatrical tribute staged before Prince Charles in Salisbury Cathedral to benefit the restoration effort of this magnificent British landmark. Includes firework display to Handel's 'La Rejouissance' (from 'Music For The Royal ..read more »
46%
from 9 members
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Kenneth Branagh facts
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...This version of 'Much Ado About Nothing' by Kenneth Branagh is a must see. This is Shakespeare in his own words but delivered in a superbly contemporary and accessible way. We...
