In 1989, with the positive reception accorded his film version of William Shakespeare's Henry V, twenty-eight-year-old Irish-born British thespian Kenneth Branagh became one of the hottest film properties on either side of the Atlantic. Although a new name to American film audiences, Branagh had been a force on the British stage for several years, making his name with the Royal Shakespeare Company before forming his own troupe. In the years since Henry V made him a box-office commodity, Branagh has brought more bardish drama to the silver screen--his productions of Much Ado about Nothing, Othello, and Hamlet have created new generations of Shakespeare afficionados--while also broadening his oeuvre by directing, producing, and appearing in such diverse films as the mystery thriller Dead Again and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Roles in such mainstream fare as The Gingerbread Man and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets have also come Branagh's way...