Oscar-nominated director and actor Kenneth Branagh might have recently made waves with his semi-autobiographical movie Belfast, but he has had a prolific career before now. Branagh was born in Northern Ireland, in Belfast, and left with his family during the Troubles, which would later form the storyline for Belfast. In London, he would train at the Royal Academy for the Dramatic Art for acting, which led to acclaim and acknowledgment in the theater worlds of his native Northern Ireland and England. Before he became a film director, Branagh would first be known as a talented actor on the stage.
It is his training in theater that led to his first films: Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. Branagh made his debut as a film director in Henry V and that was only the beginning. Twenty years later, he became the director for Marvel’s Thor, Disney’s Cinderella, and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and the upcoming follow-up Death on the Nile. While he has had varying degrees of success when it comes to mainstream appeal, he has broken into the mainstream consciousness as a director to keep an eye on. These are the best movies Kenneth Branagh has directed.
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8 Thor
Marvel
Thor was Branagh’s first mainstream film outside his Shakespearean adaptations. It was only the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Guillermo del Toro was one of the other directors considered, and he almost directed the movie. We may not know what it may have looked like under del Toro’s creative vision, but this is known: Thor entertained many audiences around the world. The movie made almost USD 450 million at the box office and was praised for its acting and world-building, although some critics thought the storyline was a bit lackluster.
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7 In the Bleak Midwinter
Castle Rock Entertainment
In the Bleak Midwinter was the first Branagh film where he did not appear in it himself. It is, however, just as inspired by Shakespeare as his early work. A depressed actor whose career is declining borrows money from his agent to put on one last Hamlet production in his hometown to help save his sister’s church. He pulls together an odd group of people to cast his play, making this movie a peculiar blend of comedy, melodrama, and satire. In the Bleak Midwinter was shot in black and white, a tactic Branagh would later use in Belfast.
6 Murder on the Orient Express
20th Century Fox
Agatha Christie’s mystery novels are well-beloved by her fans, and Murder on the Orient Express was adapted three other times before this version. Branagh served as producer, director, and in the lead role of Hercule Poirit, a detective trying to solve a murder on a train. This character will be returning in the upcoming sequel, Death on the Nile, and Branagh will reprise his role. Murder on the Orient Express featured an all-star cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp.
5 Cinderella
Time magazine
The original Cinderella is one of Disney’s best movies to have ever been released, so when Disney entered the era of remakes, it was no wonder why they released the 2015 Cinderella. With Branagh directing, a cast consisting of Lily James, Cate Blanchett, and Helena Bonham Carter revitalized an old tale with some contemporary updates. When Cinderella opened at the box office, it became Branagh’s biggest opening in his career, a testament to the nostalgia and magic evoked by the remake.
4 Much Ado About Nothing
BBC Films
Branagh starred in, directed, and adapted Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in 1993, creating what was one of the successful Shakespeare movies, during this time, at the box office. Branagh is a Shakespeare lover, and it shows in his adaptations of the Bard’s plays; if not done well, Shakespeare can come off-dry and unassuming. He defies this expectation and creates a film entertaining rather than a movie to nap through at the back of a high school English class.
3 Belfast
Focus Feature
Belfast was one of the best films released in 2021. Its remarkable strength and storytelling have been acknowledged through awards circuits, but it is Branagh’s vision that drives the movie. It seeps in the nostalgia for an era he once lived through: the Troubles in Northern Ireland, specifically in Belfast. The cast ties together this tale of childhood and innocence as conflict drives the chaotic world around them. Belfast is something special because its authenticity is evident in the story and the way the movie expresses itself. Perhaps that is why at the 2022 Oscars, Belfast has nominations for Best Picture, Director, and many more.
2 Hamlet
Columbia Pictures
1996’s adaptation of Hamlet had a run time of four hours, making it one of the first movies to show an unabridged version of a Shakespeare play. While it was not strictly traditional—it is in the 1800s rather than the 1500s/1600s—it still reached major acclaim with critics and audiences alike. This Hamlet is an epic journey full of color, flashbacks elaborating on implied scenes in the play, and dialogue borrowed from the First Folio. Any Shakespeare lover should indulge in Branagh’s Hamlet, that is for sure.
1 Henry V
In his directorial debut with Henry V, Kenneth Branagh bagged Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Director. Other films, such as The King, have tried to use the combined Henry IV and Henry V plays to create a movie with substance. Branagh incorporates flashbacks to combine these plays, deviating from the original texts to bridge the plays and bring much-needed context. Shakespeare is something many in the West have grown up with, making it seem redundant, so it is incredible when an actor or director takes these cultural touchstones and delivers a performance that manages to knock one’s socks off.
