Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
In Beginning, Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh charts the ups and downs of a life in acting - a young career that has made him the most acclaimed actor of his generation. Opening with his childhood in working-class Belfast, in a neighborhood of drinkers and dreamers, Branagh describes the fires of early ambition that drew him to the stage and to the plays of Shakespeare. At age twenty-four he founded his own actor's troupe with the goal of performing those plays; at twenty-eight, he directed and starred in the movie of Henry V, the role that won him international fame.Beginning is crammed with colorful anecdotes and insights into the actor's and director's craft, including:
- Stories about Olivier, Gielgud, Finney, Jacobi, and a private audience with Prince Charles to research the role of Henry V
- Ad-libbing Shakespeare when props are missing
- The differences in performing on stage, television, and large-screen films
- A near-miss in landing the role of Mozart in the film Amadeus: an actor's dream turned nightmare
- Raising millions from scratch and filming Henry V in seven weeks
As both star and director of the acclaimed film Henry V, young Branagh has had his career compared to that of Lawrence Olivier. Full of charm, humor, and insight into an actor's craft, Branagh's intriguing autobiography tells of his childhood in Belfast, his training at the Royal Academy of Drama, and his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Synopsis
In Beginning, Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh charts the ups and downs of a life in acting - a young career that has made him the most acclaimed actor of his generation. Opening with his childhood in working-class Belfast, in a neighborhood of drinkers and dreamers, Branagh describes the fires of early ambition that drew him to the stage and to the plays of Shakespeare. At age twenty-four he founded his own actor's troupe with the goal of performing those plays; at twenty-eight, he directed and starred in the movie of Henry V, the role that won him international fame.
Beginning is crammed with colorful anecdotes and insights into the actor's and director's craft, including:
- Stories about Olivier, Gielgud, Finney, Jacobi, and a private audience with Prince Charles to research the role of Henry V
- Ad-libbing Shakespeare when props are missing
- The differences in performing on stage, television, and large-screen films
- A near-miss in landing the role of Mozart in the film Amadeus: an actor's dream turned nightmare
- Raising millions from scratch and filming Henry V in seven weeks
Publishers Weekly
Branagh acknowledges that it is presumptuous to write an autobiography at age 28, but he also notes that since youth has not deterred him from achieving his other goals, he might as well attempt this as well. He tells of his Irish family, his studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company and his later decision to leave that prestigious institution and form his own troupe, the Renaissance Theater Company. He has performed to critical acclaim all the major Shakespearean roles on stage, become a television star and directed and acted in a highly praised movie, Henry V . Branagh writes as he apparently lives, rushing from project to project. His book has charm because of the delight he takes in the theater and in working with such great actors as Derek Jacobi and Paul Scofield. In his role as an author, Branagh, rightly, is likely to garner yet more acclaim. (May)