What some may not know is that beloved British actor Kenneth Branagh is also a successful director. While he has earned popularity for playing beloved characters like Hamlet and Professor Lockhart, he has also directed many excellent films that have earned both critical praise and awards recognition.
Like all directors, Branagh's filmography tends to be hit or miss, with a few bombs sprinkled in with the hits. Luckily, Letterboxd is a great tool to separate the worthy from the disappointing. And according to that website, these are Branagh's greatest cinematic achievements.
The Magic Flute (2006): 3.1
Rent On Apple TV
Branagh certainly has an eye for older and academic works, and The Magic Flute is no different. This is a movie adaptation of Die Zauberflöte, an opera written by Mozart that premiered in the late 18th century. However, it seems interesting that the work has waned with time.
The movie has a respectable 3.1/5 on Letterboxd, but this is on the lower end of Branagh's filmography. Furthermore, the movie came and went without much public recognition, earning no nominations and grossing just $27 million at the box office.
Cinderella (2015): 3.2
Stream On Starz
Branagh's the best Disney live-action remakes. The movie's production design was immaculate, and its costumes were recognized with an Academy Award nomination. It was also a major commercial success, bringing in just over $540 million and becoming Branagh's highest-grossing movie.
The success of Cinderella helped inspire Disney to create many more live-action remakes of their beloved properties - a practice that has generated praise, criticism, and a lot of money.
Dead Again (1991): 3.3
Stream On HBO Max
Branagh's attempt at a neo-noir film, Dead Again stars Emma Thompson as Grace, an amnesiac with a mysterious link to the past. The movie grossed just under $40 million but found more success in critical circles.
It earned positive reviews and found some award recognition, with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a ing Role for Derek Jacobi. However, the movie has unfortunately faded from the public consciousness, and it is now regarded as an underappreciated early '90s drama.
Swan Song (1992): 3.4
Not Available To Stream
Running just 23 minutes, Swan Song is a short film based on a one-act play written by famed Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It concerns an aging actor, played by John Gielgud, who contemplates his future as an entertainer.
As this is a short film, it has not generated much recognition within the mainstream. However, it did receive highly positive reviews from critics and was even nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 65th Academy Awards.
Peter's Friends (1992): 3.4
Stream On Amazon Prime & Kanopy
Both produced and directed by Branagh, Peter's Friends is one of his strongest comedies. Depicting one of the greatest fictional parties, Peter's Friends is about a group of Cambridge classmates who reunite ten years later for New Year's. The movie was not a box office success, grossing just $7 million.
However, it has received strong word of mouth, earning both positive reviews and a good Letterboxd score of 3.4/5. It's not a classic by any means, but it's one of Branagh's better efforts.
In The Bleak Midwinter (1995): 3.5
Rent On Amazon Prime
The 1995 romantic comedy In the Bleak Midwinter is actually Branagh's first directorial effort in which he also did not star. His role was entirely behind the camera, having both written and directed the film.
Released as A Midwinter's Tale in America, the movie is about a group of middling actors who put on a production of Hamlet to save a local church. The movie is a touching little story that also happened to serve as a practice of sorts for Branagh's next big project - a sweeping, four-hour-long screen adaptation of Hamlet itself.
Belfast (2021): 3.5
Not Available To Stream
In some ways, Belfast is Kenneth Branagh's best film. Filmed throughout the COVID pandemic, Belfast is Branagh's self-proclaimed most personal film and a somewhat autobiographical look at his upraising in the titular city. The movie premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and quickly became one of the leading names in the 2022 awards season race.
To date, it has generated a total of 131 award nominations, including a staggering seven Academy Awards. Branagh himself is up for Best Director, making this the second time he has been nominated for the prestigious award.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993): 3.5
Stream On Max Go
One of the best Shakespeare adaptations, Much Ado About Nothing stars Branagh and Emma Thompson as star-crossed lovers Benedick and Beatrice. Branagh always shined when it came to Shakespeare adaptations, and Much Ado About Nothing is no exception.
This one is quite different, as it's a comedy rather than a tragedy or a piece of historical fiction. Regardless, Branagh was very good at bringing old-fashioned 16th-century humor to the early 1990s, and the movie was a hit with both critics and general audiences.
Henry V (1989): 3.7
Stream On Tubi, Hoopla, The Roku Channel, & Kanopy
While not a commercial success, Henry V solidified Kenneth Branagh as a masterful adapter of Shakespeare. Branagh was only in his late 20s when he made and starred in Henry V, but his young age betrayed his incredible filmmaking talent.
The movie is an exceptional piece of entertainment and a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play. It also generated three Academy Award nominations, including Branagh's first for Best Director. He ended up losing to Oliver Stone for Born on the Fourth of July.
Hamlet (1996): 3.7
Stream On Hoopla
Released on Christmas Day of 1996, Hamlet is an epic 242 minute-long adaptation of Shakespeare's iconic play and the only one to feature every line of dialogue from the source material. It's certainly a tough watch - the dialogue is obviously complex and old-fashioned, it moves at a relatively slow pace, and it's just over four hours in length.
However, its rewards are also well worth the daunting watching experience, and it earned four Oscar nominations at the 69th Academy Awards.
