Mike Chagouri

It's a serious drama written by Ben Elton - that's basically all you need to know (his comedy work in 'Upstart Crow' is much better). Strong performances by all the cast but it drags on and on (and is possibly the worst lit film I've ever seen - some scenes are practically in the dark). Some interesting themes covered, like the mourning of a loved one, the opressed life of a 17th Century woman and what fatherhood means, but overall it was hard work to sit through it all until the end. Don't be fooled by thinking it is an Ian McKellen film; he's on all the publicity but only appears half way through, for about 10 minutes at most, although it is one of the better scenes. Dame Judi Dench is a bright spot, offering a subtle take on a resigned Anne Hathaway, complete with Brummie accent (somewhat oddly lacking from Sir Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare). Alex McQueen is excellent and provides some much needed antagonism but like McKellen is vastly underused. Overall this would have been better as a 60 minute TV film, rather than the 101 minute (that felt like 200) running time, with the title 'All Is Tenebrous'.