Kenneth Branagh's greatest influence on this film is the sheer amount of work he has done on Shakespeare in his life. He is one of the most accomplished actors of his generation, and has been much praised for his performances in Shakespearean theater. He uses a wintry set to allow the audience to easily understand the season the play is taking place within. Branagh's focus on the language with actors is quite apparent in the film as well as each are eloquent in their speech, not allowing any word to go unarticulated and the blank verse to be met with the reality of the characters they have built in the rehearsal process.
It must be noted that Branagh did direct the stage version of this play, and that it was filmed for television and directed by Paul Kafno. The Renaissance Theatre Company originally produced the play for the theatre and Mr. Kafno was able to produce it for ITV. This is important as Branagh is a man who has brought Shakespeare to the masses throughout his career, and this being an early production for television falls directly in line with this. Branagh has bridged the world of Shakespeare's plays to modern times as he has carried on in this tradition by creating films for subsequent films, such as Henry V and Hamlet.
