Keneth Branagh's Much Ado about Nothing from 1993 has both similarities and differences with Joss Whedon's film from 2012. Branagh's film was done in the old-fashioned way. It is a color version and actors are wear period dresses. Beatrice, played by Emma Thompson, has expressive eyes and way of acting. She is against marriage. Benedick shows the audience acting that is worth enough for theater stage. He is very expressive. Leonato is a noble, rich man. Claudio is a reasonable man, not very emotional. Hero is sensitive, feminine and seems like a fair lady in need of male protection. She is virtuous. Don Pedro of Aragon is African-American, played by Denzel Washington. He gives a very remarkable performance. Don John, played by Keanu Reeves is a very jealous and mean man, but also a coward. Neighbors, who also act as the police, are, although peasants, honorable, simple men. Joss Whedon's film was done in black and white. The story is set today. Actors are wearing modern costumes. Beatrice, played by Amy Acker, delivers a great performance, similar to Emma Thompson's. Benedick, played by Alexis Denisof, is not so remarkable as Keneth Branagh's version. Denisof's Benedick seems to have a weaker character and seems to be less witty, compared to Branagh's performance. Leonato is a rich businessman. Claudio is very sensitive. Hero is a modern young woman, who is stable and not very emotional. Acker's Beatrice has already been in a love affair with Benedick, which is different compared to the 1993 version. Don Pedro is not so convincing as a prince, as Denzel is. He looks like a modern businessman without aristocratic background. The police and neighbors are the same in both versions, but less comic in the 2012 version.
Don John is responsible for slendering Hero. His servant, Borachio slept with Margaret, a waiting gentlewoman, and made it look like it was Hero.
In act four we can see that the wedding day between Claudio and Hero has come. In the 1993 film, the ceremony takes place in front of a house chapel with the friar who is in charge of it. Claudio accuses Hero of being immoral because of what he, Don Pedro and Don John saw the previous night. She is surprised and shocked. She is crying. He pushes her to the ground and she doesn't get up. Beatrice is defending her. The Prince and Claudio believe that she is guilty. They walk away furious. The friar suggests that Hero pretend to have died of sorrow and embarrassement. Benedick promises Beatrice that he will challenge Claudio for a duel. Don John has run away. Borachio and Conrad are caught in the police station. Borachio admits that he accepted 1000 ducats from Don John for the hoax. Neighbor, the peasant, works for the police, and he brings Borachio to the house of Leonato where everybody finds out the truth. Leonato offers Claudio to marry his brother's daughter as a punishment, but in the end, we see that it is Hero. Claudio and Don Pedro are horrified by Don John's conspiracy.
The 2012 version is modernised. After being wrongly accused at the wedding, Hero stays strong. Her father is not sure who to believe at first, but in the end he believes in his daughter's chastity. Hero is sad, but also angry. She doesn't seem helpless. There is a photographer recording all of the events. The wedding was suposed to take place in the backyard with no chapel. However there is also a friar who suggests that Hero should pretend to have died as well. Beatrice and Benedick also talk about their love for each other and about revenge. Unlike in the 1993 film, they are in the dining room and in the living room, not in the chapel. The chapel, perhaps, gives a more seriuos tone to their agreement.
I liked both versions. Original text is a little bit odd for the 2012 film, because it is set in the present. However, Joss's film is very interesting because of modern time and place, clothes and music and dance. The 1993 film also has its charms because we can see what society was like in that period of time when the play was written. We see what the house of a noble man looked like and what the customs were like then. We don't see that in the 2012 film. That is why each version has some aspects that are more interesting in one than in the other version. I was fascinated with the fact that Jess made the film in 12 days, but that can be explained because all the actors are his friends and the film entirely takes place in his house in California. It seems that his film is low-budget and that adds up to its value as well. It is always interesting to see the idea realized with a small budget. That gives hope to independent and aspiring filmmakers. Keneth Branagh's Much Ado about Nothing is also a very good film and we see that he put a lot of effort making it, having been a director, actor, producer and he also abridged Shakespeare's text for screenplay.
Both versions have almost the same script, based on Shakespeare's play and that also makes both films worth watching.
There is a difference in directing between Keneth and Joss. Keneth's scenes seems to be longer and slower, whereas Joss's scenes seem to be more dynamic.
