BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Teodora The Winter's Tale is a romance.Sets (one set )and costumes are very beautiful and fitting.Acting is very good,especially by Anna Calder Marshall as Hermione,Leontes'wrongly accused wife.A very beautiful The Winter's Tale.

mhk11 Though this production is not without some minor flaws, it is overall a sparkling version of a magnificent play. In particular, the director Jane Howell recognizes that the sumptuous language of the play is its foremost virtue, and she assigns top priority to the recitation of that language.The director is helped by superb acting from virtually every performer who appears. On the one hand, there are a few blemishes in the performance by Jeremy Kemp. For example, he rather awkwardly clutches his son while he is delivering the crucial "Affection" soliloquy, and he does not adequately convey a sense of desolation after the deaths of his son and wife have been announced to him in Act III. However, the few shortcomings in his performance are greatly surpassed by its overall excellence.Most of the other performances are flawless or nearly so. Margaret Tyzack is the very embodiment of speaking truth to power in her role as Paulina; David Burke (who is married to Anna Calder-Marshall, who impeccably plays Hermione) is convincing at every stage as Camillo; Cyril Luckham is a highly entertaining Antigonus; Robert Stephens is fine in the quite difficult role of Polixenes (difficult because Polixenes in much of the second half is as heavy-handedly oppressive as Leontes in the first half, albeit for different reasons); Paul Jesson and Arthur Hewlett are amusing as the rustic father and son; Rikki Fulton is an engaging Autolycus; and the sundry other members of the cast likewise carry out their roles admirably.The passage of sixteen years is not handled especially well, as only a few characters (Camillo, Hermione, Cleomines, Dion) look any older in the second half of the play than in the first half. The notorious difficulty of the exit of Antigonus pursued by a bear is likewise not handled particularly well, as the bear looks preposterously phony. (If that bit of the play were unequivocally comical, the phoniness of the bear would be unexceptionable. However, the pursuit of Antigonus is an event that leads to his gory death even though it also offers material for some entertaining remarks by Paul Jesson's character.) Still, the minor defects in this production detract only very slightly from its magic. I heartily recommend it to anyone who loves Shakespeare's awe-inspiring language and to anyone who admires fine acting.

Alain English This excellent Shakespearean comedy is given a good production here with the BBC. Excellent performances combined with some great direction make this one of the more watchable of the BBC productions.King Leontes of Sicily (Jeremy Kemp) suspects his wife Hermione (Anna Calder-Marshall) of cheating on him with his friend King of Bohemia Polixenes (Robert Stephens) and sets in motion a tragic train of events leading to an improbable but welcome resolution...Jeremy Kemp is excellent as Leontes, and Margaret Tyzack is on fine form as Hermione's friend Paulina. Debbie Farrington plays Perdita, Leontes grown-up daughter and she is well matched with Robin Kermode who plays Floriziel. David Burke is solid as Camillo, and it's interesting to see Scottish actor Rikki Fulton as amiable rogue Autolycus.It's not all good - the bear special effect nearly produced laughter in me and the time span of the story is not played well at all - Camillo is the only who appears to age at all.Still, it's good fun and well-paced despite it's three hour running time.Good stuff.

sbullard-2 When watching this screen adaptation of "A Winter's Tale," one must first keep in mind that this is a BBC production and an ensemble cast of actors. This is not Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet and should not be confused as such. That aside, it is one of the better Shakespeare plays produced and is what a real Elizabethan citizen might have seen in their time. There is no pop and circumstance to detract from the text of the play. The scenes are well acted and beautifully played out by some of the best ensemble Shakespearean actors to ever cross the stage.Jeremy Kempt gives a wonderful portrayal of the tormented King Leontes and is well supported by David Burke as Camillo. Hermione is given a delicate sense of nobility by Anna Calder-Marshall and brings the grounding feminine presence to the play. Not to be overlooked is Margaret Tyzach who plays the proud and noble Paulina who defends Hermione in her darkest days. The only two lacking performances were those of Perdita and Florizel played by Debbie Farrington and Robert Kermode respectively, although I blame their bland performances on being young and inexperienced.