Meeting Actor Kenneth Branagh and a Review of his Film My Week With Marilyn

Los Angeles, CA fresh from a transcontinental flight British actor, Kenneth Branagh paid a visit to a Screen Actors Guild showing of his latest film and was interviewed for a small audience of fortunate SAG members. As a SAG member I must admit attending these SAG Foundation events is a real perk for me.

Branagh has a gift of a marvelous baritone voice that’s mixed with perfect diction of the King’s English. I approached him afterwards and called to him, “Herr General Von Trescow!.” That got a big smile as he beamed with pride for playing that role in the film Valkyrie.

I told him I want to see the tearjerker film of 21 year-old, anti-Nazi martyr Sophie Scholl remade for an English speaking audience. Sophie Scholl along with her brother Hans Scholl, and their friend Christophe Probst were discovered passing out anti-Nazi leaflets at the University of Munich in 1943. They were tried for Treason and beheaded on a guillotine at the Staddleheim prison. The complex role of Gestapo Inspector Mohr would be perfect for Branagh. Emma Watson is now the perfect age to Play Sophie Scholl.

Needless to say, Branagh is at the zenith of a great career and can do whatever we wants. He never fails his audience.

A for the film, “My Week With Marilyn”, I had no great expectations because two actors, Marilyn Monre and Sir Lawrence Oliver were to be mimicked. Usually I find actors do crappy impersonations of famous characters. This however was not the case. There were fine performances by an ensemble cast including , Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Judy Dench and an adorable, grown up Emma Watson from Harry Potter fame.

Redmayne plays a then 23 year old Colin Clark who by chance becomes a third-assistant film director on the film, The Prince and the Showgirl.” Clark meets the confused and vulnerable 30 year-old American actress just as her new playwright husband Arthur Miller abandons her in London. They had a short one-week, but hot romance that was the subject of the film.

The magic of the films is the collision of two quite opposite actors, Olivier and Monroe. Olivier is placed into a real love-hate relationship with Monroe who is suddenly thrust into a sea of British actors. Monroe goes through culture shock but is helped along the way by her new young lover, Clark.

Michelle Williams has a great career ahead of her. The film was excellent and worth the admission price. Both Branagh and Williams woke up this morning to learn that have been nominated for SAG Awards for their respective roles.