The Winter's Tale/Making a Murderer/Serial

Saw the screening of The Winter's Tale last week, with Kenneth Branagh as Leontes and Judi Dench as Paulina. Much as I was keen to see Branagh (and to a lesser extent Dench), I was this close to not wanting to do it because I wasn't sure I could bear another three-hour experience (it was actually listed as 210 minutes, so there might have been a post-show doco we missed) of a relatively obscure Shakespeare play, especially after Hamlet. And I've only read The Winter's Tale once or twice, so I didn't know the plot off the top of my head. Although obviously I knew the famous, "exit, pursued by a bear" stage direction *g* and I did remember the "statue" scene at the end.

So, my expectations were really low, and maybe because of this, I loved it. It was so much better than I'd expected - I enjoyed it, rather than enduring it *g*. I did have a bit of trepidation going in wondering whether Branagh was actually still as good as I thought him, and he really is. It was like a sigh of relief just watching him. I just think he has the ability to make Shakespeare completely intelligible on cold hearing in a way that imo so few people are capable of. He inhabits the language, rather than just "delivering" it, as most actors seem to do. Dench, too, was amazing. I've never quite understood the fuss over Judi Dench - it's like she's so matter-of-fact about what she does that the moment I walk out of the theatre, I'm all, "wait, but what did she actually do that was so impressive?". But when I actually see her in something, then I remember that in a way just being is an art unto itself *g*. She was a perfect complement to Branagh - understated, but with that same knack of truly being inside the character. Whenever both of them were on stage together, interacting with each other, I swear the other actors almost literally faded into the background, they were so two-dimensional in comparison.

( Read more... )

But, yeah, Branagh has still totally got it as far as I'm concerned. As always, his range of expression is just that little bit more overblown than I'm entirely comfortable with, but I kind of like that about him too. There was one moment, where he learns about the death of Hermione, when he crumples into a dramatic heap, and has to be almost literally dragged away by Paulina, and I did think, "...and would you like some cheese with that ham?". But he wouldn't be Branagh without it. Loved it, glad I saw it, and hope to be back to see The Entertainer when it screens.

Also watched Making a Murderer, that ten-part documentary about Stephen Avery, who was convicted of the murder of Teresa Halbach after having already served 18 years in prison for a sexual assault he was later proven NOT to have committed. I only started watching this because I needed a 'workout show', but was thoroughly hooked, and it's an amazing story. There was a comment I read/heard somewhere about "if this was fiction, I'd feel like the scriptwriters were maybe getting a bit unrealistic", and that was the way I felt watching this. It starkly showed the difference between "what happened" and "how it's presented" and how a confession can be anything but. Scary stuff.

On the back of that, I finally listened to the Serial podcast (I'd been recced, but ignored it *g*), which is similar-not-similar in following the case of Adnan Syed, a teenager who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. This one was also compelling, but murkier, and less damning than MaM. I guess for what it's worth, I think the Avery case is highly suspect, but with Syed - I guess I still have reasonable doubt, but less so. And just as I finished listening, I heard that Syed's appeal is happening in court right now.

If you've seen/heard either, I'd love to know what you thought! :)