Kenneth Branagh By Mark White

Exclusive Q & A with Mark White Hardcover (and paperback), 382 pages ISBN: 0571220681 Faber & Faber, London 2005 Available at a special price from amazon.co.uk Mark White was born in Derbyshire (England) and grew up in Yorkshire. He went on to earn BA, MA and PhD degrees in history, and is currently Reader in History at the University of London." Read REVIEWS here		A new biography of Kenneth Branagh, published by Faber & Faber. Mark White writes: "Writing a book on Kenneth Branagh was not something that I had planned to do. I had seen the film of Henry V, thought it stunningly good, and from that point on I followed his career closely. Then one day, when in Stratford-upon-Avon, I found myself drifting in to the Shakespeare Centre Library to look at sources to do with the 1984-85 production of Henry V in which a young Branagh had starred. Then at some point after that I recall walking in to the British Film Institute to take a quick look at some of their materials relating to his career. It occurred to me that what I was doing was researching a book on him, which is what I then proceeded to do. When I look back now and try to identify the reasons why I found his career so fascinating, one was clearly the quality of the work: he is an outstanding actor and director. But the other was the way in which his work had been received, particularly the phenomenon of 'Branagh-bashing' in England. There is so much trash in our popular culture now -- so many people famous for essentially doing nothing, for being good at nothing. And it seemed to me that here was someone, because he had achieved so much at an early age and had carried out an important public service in enlarging the audience interested in Shakespeare, who was in fact worth celebrating but had instead become a target for an array of rather vicious attacks. I could not understand how this state of affairs had come to exist. I wrote this book in an attempt to find out why."
		An Exclusive Ken-Friends Question & Answer Interview with Mark White Q.  Do you think the resistance to Ken still exists and why? If so, and more importantly, as an informed third party what insights can you offer to undo the "tangle"? MW: I don't think the resistance to Ken exists now in the same way that it did in say 1989 or the early 1990s. The critical reaction to his work in Conspiracy, Edmond, Richard III, Harry Potter and other projects shows that is the case. In terms of how the whole phenomenon of 'Branagh-bashing' might be curtailed, I think he's done the only thing he could do, which was to lower his media profile in the UK (thereby making him less of a target), whilst continuing his work. This has increased the likelihood that his work will be judged on its merits rather than through the prism of what is or was perceived to be his personality and character. Sometimes one does see in the media vestiges of the ferocious 'Branagh-bashing' of yesteryear, but it is definitely on the wane. My hope is that this trend will continue so that with the passage of time the remarkable nature of his achievements, particularly those Shakespeare films, will be acknowledged fully!
Q.  How does a student of history get into writing contemporary biography - seems something of a sideways step? MW: It does seem a step sideways. Reflecting on it, though, there are connections between my previous work and this biography. Much of my earlier scholarship was on the presidency of John Kennedy. And there are parallels between him and Branagh. Both were dynamic, precocious talents. The process of research and writing is the same for me. I like to get to the archives, look at all the documents I can, to produce something that is thoroughly researched. In a way, the book on Ken Branagh was harder than anything I've done before. With a biography of someone who works in the performing arts, there is inevitably a repetitive structure once you get past the childhood years -- i.e. he did a play, then a film, then a film, then a play, etc. With politics and international affairs there is an unpredictability to events that makes it easier to develop a lively narrative. The other thing is that for me the sine qua non of any project is that I find the subject fascinating. I thought JFK fascinating, and I think Ken Branagh is as well. Q.  Do you see a unifying theme in Ken's work, and if so, what is it? MW: That's an interesting question. On the one hand, what's striking about his work is its diversity. Consider the first three films he directed: a Shakespeare history, film noir and a contemporary comedy. I think he is drawn to things that speak to the positive, redeeming aspects of human nature. He seems to steer away from anything that is too bleak and pessimistic. Put another way, there is a strong streak of romanticism to his films. His films of Much Ado and Love's Labour's Lost can clearly be seen in that way -- and even his epic movie version of Hamlet, in which his prince is passionate and dynamic, not excessively gloomy, shows the same thing. Q.  What was the biggest surprise you encountered in writing this book? MW: I suppose it wasn't necessarily a surprise, but what struck me were the things which I kept being told time and again by the various people I interviewed. One was how funny he apparently is, 'Robin Williams funny' I remember one interviewee telling me. The other is his professionalism and kind of common sense. He always seems to let people know, when offered a project, whether he's going to do it in a matter of days. He knows his lines word perfect before starting rehearsals or shooting. The other thing that struck me was just how deeply all the 'Branagh-bashing' affected him. My view is that he was profoundly hurt by it. He could appear unaffected and upbeat, but I think he is a sensitive man who was perplexed, as the rest of us who admired his work were, at the negativity he generated. Q.  Having taken a close look at Ken's education, experience and natural talent, is there a career field you believe Ken would be particularly successful in other than acting? MW: I say in the book that in another life he would have made a good football (i.e. soccer) manager. He has an ability to attract huge talents (Scofield, Dench, Gielgud, Jacobi, etc), to receive loyal support from those with whom he works, and he can be genuinely inspiring -- all qualities that the great football managers, like Sir Alex Ferguson, have. I can't imagine him working behind a desk; so it would have to be something out of the ordinary. Q.  Do you think that Ken's greatest gifts are as an actor or as a director, and why? MW: As an actor, I think it's three things. First, his technical ability, by which I mean his vocal technique in particular. Nothing impressed me more during my research than the videos I saw of his performances as a 23-year old for the RSC; he was incredibly precocious from a technical point of view -- speaking the verse superbly and naturalistically, and hitting the back row with a voice that was rich and centred. Secondly, he has an ability to extract the maximum comedic potential out of each role, even with seemingly serious roles (like Henry V) or disturbing ones (such as Edmond). The only other actor who I think does that to the same extent is Mark Rylance. The third thing is the way (in the theatre) he can dominate a stage and shape the tempo of an entire production. The only actors I've seen who have that quality in the same way are Michael Gambon and David Suchet. As a director, what strikes me is his clarity of vision. He always develops a very precise view of what he's going to do with a film or a play. As he is an actor himself, he's an exceedingly empathetic director, and that's why actors love to work with him. In addition, he's a great visual stylist as a film director. Dead Again, Much Ado and Hamlet are beautiful films. In this way, he reminds me of Michael Powell or Visconti. Q.  Why write this book NOW?! MW: I didn't make the decision to write this book on the basis of timing. I did it simply because I found Ken Branagh's story a fascinating one. Also I thought it was an important story to tell. He is a key figure in the performing arts. As I do in the conclusion, I would rate him (our greatest classical actor) alongside the likes of Bryn Terfel (greatest baritone in the world) and Simon Rattle (one of the great conductors). But his story is also important because of the way some people have reacted to him and his work: it illuminates broader, cultural themes, such as the difference between how success is viewed in England and in the US. Actually if I was thinking about timing I would have waited a year or two so that I could discuss fully As You Like It and The Magic Flute. Q.  The odd reaction to Ken Branagh's talent is widespread enough to have its own name -- "Branagh-bashing." How unusual is this? Have other talented young people been treated this way? And if so, how did they handle it? MW: I can't think of anyone else for whom a term like 'Branagh-bashing' has been invented; but there are certainly lots of young talented people who have been attacked rather mercilessly by the media. You can see it particularly in the sporting arena. In football, for instance, our greatest players in the last two decades -- Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney -- have all been attacked at times. Different individuals have handled this sort of thing in different ways. All things considered, I think Ken has handled it well. Q.  Of the people you interviewed, who was the most interesting or helpful? MW: David Parfitt is an important person because he worked with Ken for a long time. He was helpful and informative. Richard Briers was the most entertaining interviewee; he had lots of great anecdotes. I enjoyed chatting with the theatre critics Michael Billington and Alastair Macaulay. I was the most starstruck when interviewing Julie Christie.
Kenneth Branagh by Mark White is published by Faber and Faber (ISBN: 0571220681) and available from amazon.co.uk