This is a wonderful comedy about actors and the process of acting. A director, brilliantly portrayed by Michael Maloney, is desperate to find a remedy for his depressive mood and has no better idea than to gather unemployed actors around him to stage "Hamlet" in a church. The stunning cast adds a lot to the warm feeling that this movie leaves you with. It is a must-see and the videotape also makes a lovely Christmas present!

This is a brilliant, totally overlooked film.If you are new to Shakespeare and do not get the passion for his works, this is the one to see. A fine introduction to the various people that are touched, moved and amused by Shakespeare.Brilliantly written, brilliantly acted, brilliantly photographed. The best Christmas film ever.10/10

I love this film. It is small, and quiet, and it is rather unexpectedly in black and white. It opens like a documentary, and then slips you right into the role of fly on the wall for the rest of the film. The ensemble is terrific and keep an eye on the facial expressions of the actors who are not actually speaking. A lot of Branagh regulars make welcome appearances. The "look" is wonderfully textured and layered, taking advantage of b/w. Ironically, I prefer many of "Joe's" interpretations of Hamlet to the same scenes in the various film versions I've seen, including Branagh's epic version. Of course, the version they perform is designed for the stage, with a mostly live audience.... My favorite aspect of this film is that it turns a production of Hamlet into a "neo-pseudo-Shakespearean comedy." The parallels between the characters in Hamlet still exist in the players in A Midwinter's Tale. They've been updated and personalized so that Joe's comment that "the play is about loss" works equally well for the film. But, just as almost everyone is dead at the end of a Shakespearean tragedy, everyone is paired up at the end of MT. Of course, as a modern work it can't just end in weddings, but happy endings abound for everyone. The cleverness of this all is that there is naughty, campy, frivolous humour which hides deep emotional pain, uncertainty, and even tragedy. Anyone who is familiar with Shakespeare's comedies will be familiar with that dark edge which contrasts the joyous romping. Then there are the requisite farcical elements to make the parallel complete. The only unresolved issues I had at the end of the film/play were "how will Molly handle the fencing scene?" and "how is it possible for Henry to be both Claudius and the Player King?" But I'm not about to gripe about these little points when everything else is tied up so neatly and well.

This wonderful little movie pushed all the right buttons for me. It's about actors and the miracle of drama. It's about people rising to insuperable challenges. It's about people who don't fit in, the "misfits and nutters", managing to coalesce into a unit. It's the history of a dramatic production from casting through rehearsals to performance, with all the reversals and unexpected problems that always arise. And it has Shakespeare.Sound familiar? It should. This movie shares all the above characteristics with Shakespeare in Love.What Shakespeare in Love has, besides all that, is a pretty predictable love story and some gorgeous sets and costumes.What this film has, besides all that, is a lot of laughs and a theme that flows through every frame. Part of it is stated in the real title of the film, In the Bleak Midwinter (Why must some stupid American constantly insist on changing book and movie titles, usually sacrificing subtlety in favour of inanity?), and its reference to Holst's sad little Xmas tune which turns up in the score when the emotions are running high. The bleakness of the depressed characters is underscored by the black-and-white film, the lack of camera tricks or even motion, and the low-budget feel of the film which corroborates the low-budget production of Hamlet.The other part of the theme is rather emphatically indicated as they all pull into the village ("I think it's a sign!" "Yes, a road sign, love.") of Hope. The script is full of puns about those who have "abandoned Hope", reminding us of Dante's Hell. The awakening of a new hope in the darkest hour of the year when everything is at its bleakest is the message of Christmas, and this is a Christmas story in the deepest sense.It's probably just a coincidence that the first episode of the world's most famous sci-fi trilogy was called "A New Hope".The acting is practically flawless. Julia Sawalha is perhaps a bit weak in spots and is filmed in an extremely unflattering way at times, but she more than compensates with a marvelous snippet of Ophelia which is in itself worth the price of purchase.Many of these actors worked with Branagh on Much Ado and Hamlet; they are obviously having fun and the result is brilliant. Branagh's direction is characterized by unobtrusiveness and understatement which might surprise some.For most folks out there this will be a funny, feel-good picture which is well worth seeing. If, like me, you believe in Shakespeare, acting, underdogs, Christmas or light at the end of the tunnel this might be the best movie you've ever seen.