Kenneth Branagh Books

I ordered this book for my sister who was struggling with an online college English course. She could not understand Shakespeare and was really having a hard time. I found this book on Amazon and had it sent to her. She not only understands Shakespeare now, she actually enjoys it! The original writing is on one side of the page, and the plain English version is right beside it. Wonderful!! I have no doubt my sister will now make an A in her class as well as become a fan of Shakespeare!

I'm not ashamed to admit it. I find Shakespeare difficult. I need help. The Cambridge School Shakespeare editions, with the classroom activities and assignments on each facing page, give me the focus and direction I need to finally truly enjoy the text.

I thought I didn't like Shakespeare until I took a class on several of the plays. It turns out that I love Shakespeare when I'm doing close reading or studying it carefully but for whatever reason I find it extremely difficult to do on my own. The Cambridge School editions allow me to replicate the classroom experience on my own, providing enough background and questions for critical thought that I keep a close focus on the text. Previous times I've attempted to read 'Hamlet' I was struggling just to figure out what was going on; reading this edition I was analyzing the characters and considering different acting and directing choices. It's amazing.

As a college student who had to write a paper on Hamlet,Again,I of course had to get away from any classic ideas about the play. Being a student with a talent for writing I would never be able to "get away with," these common theories, as professor's expect much more. This book really helped me to create a rather ambitious and interesting thesis; one which went against the criticisms in the book, and was refreshingly new.

I like the individual criticisms in this book as they really force you to look harder for textual evidence. One of the BEST things about the book was that it included the whole play as well. That was so useful because I didn't have to juggle two books -one of them being the complete works of Shakespeare which weighs about 20lbs. I was able to take this book everywhere and work on it whenever I had spare time.

However, I would not sugesst this book for an individual who does not have a very strong background in Hamlet. You need to know the play Extremely well in order for this book to benefit you. If you do not know Hamlet inside and out, then this book will only cause confusion and you should probably stay away from it, as the theories may be difficult to comprehend.

Shakespeare Made Easy is a great tool for anyone interested in Shakespeare. It provides the inquisitive Shakespeare amateur with means of understanding passages they do not decipher in the original text. However, it is important to note, this is not the right book for a high school classroom. It allows students to "read one of Shakespeare's plays" without actually reading a word of what Shakespeare himself wrote. Half of what makes Shakespeare so captivating is his style and wordplay. Deprived of those two elements Shakespeare's plays are only stories with good plot. Ultimately, students who don't take the challenge of reading the original text before reading the translation will be less interested in Shakespeare after because they will not have experienced the witticism in his literature. In essence this version of Shakespeare provides a cheep way out for unmotivated students that ultimately rewards neither their teachers nor themselves.

With this generation's youth it is difficult to find many students interested in Shakespeare. Shakespeare Made Easy is the key. The general stories that William Shakespeare put down on paper are truly remarkable and quite fun to read. However, these days there is hardly any interest in deeply analyzing pages and pages of Shakespearian English, especially with his longest play, Hamlet.
With the original text on one page and a modern translation on the opposing page this version of Hamlet can be an insightful read as well as a pleasure read. By having the option of both translations the reader will be fully immersed in the story, rather than the text, and come out on the other end singing the praises of Shakespeare and Hamlet. This is a breakthrough version of Hamlet and should be the premier choice of teachers and students alike. Nothing, except perhaps the movie, will excite the adolescent world to Shakespeare more than this version of Hamlet.

We like and sometimes didn't like this book. "Romeo and Juliet" is based in an "impossible " love. We recommend you not reading this book if you don't like romantic stories.
Also this book didn't like us because it was boring and very difficult to read. I understand that was Shakespeare language but for these new generations is very difficult. In the other way, we like it because the characters did everything for completing their dreams. We could see that Romeo did every thing for being with Juliet.
Thank you for giving us this place for expressing our ideas.

Romeo & Juliet takes place in Verona in Feudal times. In that times women weren't given any rights. They couldn't hold property or discuss with their husband. This is shown during the whole book. Another thing different from nowadays was the language. Shakespeare uses a language, which I can't understand. So, in some parts were I don't know what a word means, the book becomes boring. Shakespeare, in a way, wrote female characters more intelligent and reflective than male, which in those times, women were objects. The story has different little stories in it. For example; the quarrel between the Capulet's gang and the Montague's; the impossible love between Romeo and Juliet; the trouble that Romeo has in Verona after killing Tybalt; Juliet has to marry Paris but she doesn't want and discusses bravely against her father; these make the story more interesting and it attracts the reader until the end.

The play is about two star-crossed lovers, who cannot be together because their families, Capulets and Montagues, hate each other. They will do anything to be with each other, even if it means killing themselves. There comes a moment in the play where the only way out is committing suicide. And that was what Romeo and Juliet did. When Juliet found out the real identity of Romeo, she couldn't believe it: "My only love sprung from my only hate". The families really hate each other: "I hate hell, Montagues and thee" so Romeo and Juliet decide to keep their love in secret, the only ones who know are Friar Laurence and the Nurse. As everyone knows, the end, is extremely tragic. Juliet has no way out so she decides to pretend her death, but if it doesn't work, she is willing to kill herself: "If all else fail, myself have the power to die". As Romeo can't stand her "death", he also commits suicide. Juliet wakes up, sees him dead, and kills herself also. So both can finally be together.
That's why we think parents shouldn't interfere in their children's love life. Because if they do, their children might end as Romeo and Juliet. It's better to have them married with someone that you dislike rather than to have them dead. Love is always stronger so people do anything to be with the one they love.

The book's content is incredible. It has all elements an excellent drama piece should have. Suspense, love, romance, action, everything is included in this book. The only feedbacks are the ancient english it is written in. Anyway, I would say like it wouldn't 'stick' with modern english.
The plot is somewhat boring at first. The action begins when Romeo falls in love with Juliet, and Tybalt discovers it. In the climax, there is intense, non-stop action, when Romeo's Friar gives a sleeping potion to Juliet so she can escape from marrying, but Romeo has not heard about it. This great tragedy ends with the suicide of these two. It is a great book and I really recommend it for young and adults.

I think that this is a great book because it tells you how much two people can really love each other and they gave up their lifes for their love.
I have seen the movie version about Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and still love the book every time I revisit the story. Every word fascinates the reader into truly feeling the passion and tragedy of these two lovers. Even a character such as Tybalt Capulet won me over as far as description goes. Shakespearean writing is very much complex and confusing but it has a touch romance and anger which adds to the emotion of the story.
Is an excellent story for teenagers, read this classic book of love, hate and tragedy!

This is a minor novel by Greene, although his major themes are here. It was his last and the feeling that prevails is the loneliness of life, the feeling of being a permanent outsider. Victor is the son of a cruel man and a deceased mother, miserably living in boarding school. On his twelfth birthday, instead of his father a complete stranger shows up to pick him up and take him to lunch and maybe a movie. But instead of returning the boy, the stranger, known only as "The Captain", tells him he has won him at backgammon, and proposes him to go and live in London. Hating boarding school, Victor decides to go to London, where he is placed in a young woman's apartment, to live there as a kind of stepson. The woman is the occasional mistress of the Captain and former lover of Victor's father. Victor adopts the new name of Jim. The Captain, who is obviously a criminal, appears at increasingly longer intervals. In the meantime, Jim and the woman, Liza, develop a kind of mother-and-son relationship. Eventually Jim grows up and becomes a journalist. When the woman dies, Jim looks for the Captain and finds out he is living in Panama, where he travels to meet him. There he discovers the Captain is involved in drug-dealing.

Although this is not at the level of Greene's masterpieces, it is an interesting one to read, because Greene's obsessions are present in a haunting way: moral dilemmas, solitude, the strange relationships we develop with the people our fate brings us close to. Worth a try.

Publishers reprinting an author's entire opus are always claiming obscure works have been unfairly overlooked. In the case of "The Captain and the Enemy," that is surely true. Any reader will find all sorts of intrigues in this little-known work. But even for a Greene fan, like me, this was something of a revelation--one also made possible through the brilliant introduction by John Auchard. You'll gain more insight into a complex author from this short novel and new introduction than from three volumnes of most biographies. DGibson from Brooklyn.

This is not one of Greene's best books, but it is worth a read if you are a fan of his works. About a third of the way through this book I was ready to chalk it up as a major disappointment. The payoff comes late, and when it does it makes the read well worth the time. The last third of the book is a marvelous sketch of relationships and love. Greene really knows how to put the subtleties of life into words.

This isn't a "buyer beware," it's just a "buyer be patient!" The Greene touch is here, you just have to get to it.

I had read a few negative online reviews of this novel, had looked at the the cover (with King Kong standing there), and I had few hopes. I find the book a remarkable book---and just those qualities that some readers disliked were qualities which impressed me. The fact that some characters, most characters here, are not "fleshed out" is just right, for these people exist in a kind of spare landscape of slim hope and love, and they are no more attached to worldly things or even common social interaction, say, Ahab. As much as anything else here (and perhaps because the world depicted is somewhat vaguely suggested), we get the feel of Graham Greene's deep and mature consciousness, for in fact we are roaming around the inside of his mind more than around any landscape populated with Dickensian people (despite what one of the back-cover reviews says). Greene wrote this novel only three years before he died, and I found it a privilege to be in the company of his maturity, his encroaching despair, his sense of bleakness and crassness, all touched by hints of the power of love. It's a book that deserve more attention, and perhaps you need to be a bit older than younger to appreciate it.

One of the last novels by Graham Greene, "The Captain and the Enemy" was written in 1988, just three years before the death of the master. Although his prose is as always enjoyable, a little detached and sentimental at the same time, in the novel there seems to be an indication that Greene was aware of the shortcomings of the old age. The books is written in a form of a careless memoir with too many holes in it, no doubt intended ones, considering the contents, but now and then Greene ventures into the reflexive mode of general narration, and I couldn't help but have an impression that I listened to an old man's voice of admission. For a writer, it must not have been easy, but then Greene kept writing all his life, and virtually all of his literary heritage has been revered to this day; a wonder the man had never won the Nobel Prize for literature - another proof that one should not hold too much value in such awards.

In a way, "The Captain and the Enemy" is full of contradictions, whether intended or not, but on the other hand, this small book incorporates all lifelong passions of Graham Greene, where yet again he touches the multidimensional subjects of interest from yet another viewpoint. The book starts in a humorous way, to quickly transform into a good-natured and intriguing story of a small boy whose life is one great patchwork, him not having a fixed place in the world, with all family connections never materializing themselves. The mother - dead as long as he remembers; the father, or 'The Devil' as everyone is fond of saying - loses the boy in chess, or was it backgammon? The boy never seems to unveil that mystery which no one bothers to tell him. Then there is the Captain, the winner of the game, whatever it was, and his woman, Lisa. As you shall see when you read the book, there is no other way to call her, but the woman. Never in the center of the storyline, although incredibly essential for one's understanding of the novel, Lisa enters the story as abruptly as she does exit, leaving us virtually scratching our heads. Such is the whole novel, in fact, full of mysteries, secrets, blanks spaces, only some of which shall be filled in eventually.

One of the greatest strengths of the novel is the portrait of the pair, Lisa and the Captain. Although Greene takes infinite care to never really show us them both, or none of them separately for that matter, it seems to me that the key to understanding "The Captain and the Enemy" lies in letting go of the reader's routine, and the yearning for the full explanation, resolution of all threads, explanation one is used to be spoon-fed with. If you accept the fact that the story leaves much to you, all of those blanks to fill in, patchwork to sew together - you are already well-prepared. However, as much as the details are important, the key is to adopt the narrator's viewpoint, or better, the Captain's, if you dare. Why did they live apart from each other all their life, and why it seemed they loved each other dearly, although there's never any real sign of it? Greene was capable of writing a great love story without having his characters ever mention the subject, nor mouth the four-letter word themselves, for that matter. So far away, and so close.

"I brought up the forbidden word. 'Does he love you?'

'Oh, love. They are always saying God loves us. If that's love, I'd rather have a bit of kindness'" [p. 84]

I finished this four-part novel in one day. At first I enjoyed it immensely, but as I read on, I had more and more trouble understanding its real meaning. As the book progresses, we change the scenery and land in Panama of the late 70s, where another part of the Captain's life is revealed, and the book adopts the flavor of an espionage thriller. As I closed the book, I had mixed emotions, and needed to air my head a bit to at least attempt to grasp the full meaning of this novel. Good literature makes you think, and that we can't deny Greene. His novels slowly grow on you, and leave a long-lasting impression and a desire to come back, one day. Which I shall do, and I wish you the same, dear reader.

Hatchuel is a fan of Shakespeare, but even more, she is a fan of Kenneth Branagh. So she brings a devotee's spirit of enthusiasm to her study of Branagh's treatment of Shakespeare in three movie adaptations: Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. Like a good fan, she's obviously watched these movies a dozen times, as well as every other film Branagh has done. Like a good academic, she lists in the bibliography every review, book, and snippet ever written about the movies from either side of the Atlantic. The book is a light read, never profound or deeply analytical, it probes Branagh's choices of imagery and camera angle and text, much of which are related to his mission to make the plays accessible to the public. This is a fun read, and even useful if you've just seen the movies or are about to see them again. But it's also a bit repetitive. Hatchuel explains the book's outline and choice of themes in the Introduction, but the chapters read like a series of somewhat disconnected observations, so that it's difficult to discern the functional difference between the last chapter and the first. The absence of any conclusion leaves the reader hanging a bit. The conclusions are in the Introduction, so the book's squishy organization is felt most acutely on the last page when the expected concluding remarks never materialize. This is an interesting and quick little book for those who enjoy Shakespeare and Branagh, but it's a lot of trees without much forest.

Sarah Hatchuel's Companion is an insightful tribute to Kenneth Branagh's work. In the Forward, Hatchuel states "Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean movies occupy a very peculiar cultural position. As Shakespearean works, the participate in an 'elite' culture, often rejected by the young. Yet by their well-paced and sensuous cinematic treatment, they participate in the world of Hollywood movies, often scorned by scholars."

If you agree with Hatchuel's statement, you will love this book.

Hatchuel covers Branagh's first three Shakespeare films: Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. In Hatchuel's first chapter, "Branagh's Mission of Accessibility," she draws a relationship between Branagh's report of his emotional response to Derek Jacobi's Hamlet in Oxford and Branagh's screen style. Hatchuel describes this experience as "an emotional shock, a sensory experience, almost a musical sensation, and not an intellectual or literary discovery." Hatchuel ably make her case that it is this reaction that inspires and informs Branagh's work.

In the second chapter, "Theatrical Influences," Hatchuel argues that Branagh's source of inspiration for many of the elements in these films can be traced directly to theater productions in which he participated. Hatchuel makes an excellent defense and since the productions are fairly recent, the reader will be familiar with most of the names in this chapter. The second chapter has 60 reference notes, giving you an idea of how carefully Hatchuel documents and supports her statements.

In Chapter Three, "Hamlet: A Long Way," Hatchuel documents the roughly twenty year odyssey that culminated in Branagh's masterpiece. According to Hatchuel, Branagh's journey began with the Derek Jacobi Hamlet mentioned above and traveled through a variety of stage productions. Hatchuel presents Branagh's Hamlets in chronological order and shows how each of the productions influenced his decisions in the film. She includes the BBC audio production as well as the stage plays.

The fourth chapter, "From Shakespeare's Text to Branagh's Script," explains Branagh's text arrangement and deletion decisions in Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing. The fifth and sixth chapters cover cinematic elements, including Patrick Doyle's film scores. It is interesting to read Doyle's objectives for his themes and his inspirations. These chapters also discuss sets, perspective, pacing, lighting and Branagh's choices of cutaway shots.

Not only does Hatchuel raise interesting points, she supports her arguments with a variety of interesting sources, all carefully documented and including helpful endnotes for each chapter. As delightful as the book is, it would have benefited from some still photographs. On the other hand, you get a 23 page Bibliography which is probably as at least as beneficial as photos from movies you've already seen.

Due to the price tag, I recommend purchasing this book only to readers who already know they love Branagh's Shakespeare films. You'll find reading this book as interesting as discussing these films with like-minded friends.

This is a terrific version of Shakespeare's play, starring Robert Stephens as the wicked King Richard in a deliciously "over the top" performance. Audio book lovers should take heed: this is the *unabridged* play, on three cassettes and clocking in at approximately four hours! And indeed some of the more formal lamentation scenes do tend to grow tiresome (but that is a feature of the play and not the performers' fault); however, the vitality of the Richard scenes amply outweighs this. The supporting cast, including Glenda Jackson, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, and Cyril Cusack, is uniformly excellent, but top honors must go to Stephens. The recorded sound (digitally remastered from a 1967 recording) is very good. Highly recommended.

Stephens is a bit much as Richard (does he have to yell so often?) but the supporting cast, with Michael York in a multitude of roles, Dame Peggy Ashcroft as Margaret, Glenda Jackson as Lady Anne and Jeremy Brett as the Earl of Clarence (for once, the part is done right--Brett comes off as believable, not as a whiny brat as in many portrayals) is fantastic. Unabridged, as another reviewer noted, and digitally remastered, this recording is the best I've come across so far. Highly recommended!

like the companion book to bram stoker's dracula, this book has pictures from the film and its set and costumes designs and the photos of the make-up in process. it also has the screenplay from the film with pictures to go along with the film. this is a perfect book for those who want a book on the film, the making of it, the screenplay and the story behind it and the story of its creator and other stories involving frankenstein.

The story by Mary Shelling has made another big screen debut almost 60 years later then the original one. They movies about the same old frankenstein getting loose in the village and terrorizing everyone only this is 20 times more gory! Changed a little bit for the better but all the same a great horror movie. Frankenstein doesn't have the bolts coming out of his neck. Rated R: for graphic violence

As a Kenneth Branagh fan, I fin this book rather interesting but now is antiquated.

Frankenstein is the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist in pursuit of greatness. His goal is to create a human out of sewn together parts of corpses. When the creature comes to life Victor instantly regrets his progress. His creation is a hideous monster that Frankenstein fears. The remainder of the book documents Victor's exploits in trying to capture the monster and conquer his fear and depression. Throughout the book the reader gets to hear the story from several different perspectives: a captain of a ship on a voyage to the North Pole who runs across Victor on the ice, Victor himself, and even the monster's side of the story. The end of the book is quite bleak and very depressing, but the idea discussed is one to think about: When does science go beyond morals and ethics into cruel punishment?
There was everything I love to be in a book in this book: mystery, a little bit of romance, and a great adventure. I love the way Mary Shelley keeps her audience reading by not revealing anything until the right time. The reader begins to question what is about to happen in the story and reviews all the possible outcomes of the situation.
The only drawback with this book is that the vocabulary of the characters is very sophisticated. The book is beautifully written, but some parts are difficult to understand because of the language used.
This book is a great piece of literature with action, adventure and suspense. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure.
Elizabeth Edmondson
Landrum High School
Landrum, SC

What can I say about Mary Shelly's story of Frankenstein? How about BORING! I mean sure the concept of the book is cool but only two out of so may parts were the only interesting part. Wait, I take that back, three. The part in the letter where Walden first saw the monster, the part when Frankenstein was making the monster, and the part when the monster was killing people. The rest was just unwanted details. That book literally put me to sleep and it's about a monster! Frankenstein's suppose to be an exciting Halloween story gives little kids nightmares! Instead it's a bed time story for a caffeine addict.

I thought it would be cool to finally know how the monster really came to life, but I didn't even get that much out of the book. It doesn't say how it was created, or even what happened to him after he left.

If you've ever read the book you know that long 50 page story of when the monster was stocking those people in the cottage. Instead of that how about this. After scaring a man out of his home, the monster finds a hole in the wall, looks through it and sees people. He watches them 24 7 while he learns more words, gets more food, and evidently, learns how to read. After so long he decides to meet and actually talk to them, but does it the wrong way so they beat him up and throw him out. Then he runs away ashamed of himself. Wow, that was so hard.

The book would be great with a little work. Okay, lots of work. But, you can't save them all.

came next day in perfect condition my sister needed it for school and she was very pleased thank you

One word. "Endeavor"

This word was used ATLEAST 4 times a page on every page of the book when Victor is talking.

By the last half of the book, I was so fed up with her lack of vocabulary that I just could not stand to read it anymore.

Horribly written. Decent plot, though. I will give her that.

3 Words best describe this book: wordy, contrived, and melodramatic. I LOVE reading classics, but this one consistently disappoints. A lot of classics are wordy, and a lot of Gothic tales are contrived and melodramatic, but at least the pay-off is worth the effort. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Hollywood does a better job with the story than the original author.