Despite the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) awarding Kenneth Branagh a 6.3/10.0 rating for his 2006 film of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, Branagh's film is one of the few film adaptations of Shakespeare's play. Furthermore, it also received nomination for one Golden Globe Award in 2008. Perhaps the most distinguishable difference between Shakespeare's play and Branagh's adapted film is that the film takes place in a forest named Forest of Arden in Japan rather than France. Visually, the film has vivid colors throughout the scenes, especially during the wedding scene due to the colorful ornaments utilized to decorate the place. However, Kenneth Branagh helps the audience visualize homosexual human impulses that Shakespeare abruptly obscured
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Rosalind disguises herself as a young boy named Ganymede, whom Orlando acts out a relationship with. However, Kenneth Branagh portrays Ganymede as a feminine character and fails to augment the homosexuality of the play based on physical looks. When Rosalind changes identity, she only ties her hair with a ponytail and puts on a hat to create Ganymede. For an audience that has never read As You Like It or doesn't know that Rosalind and Ganymede are the same person, when Orlando and Ganymede "woo" each other, it would seem completely traditional for a woman and man to flirt with each other. Branagh would have done a more suitable job portraying homosexual impulses if Ganymede had resembled a man. Often film directors tend to alter characters' physical appearance when cross-dressing, but this was not the case for this film. Some of the techniques used for effective cross-dressing include using fake breasts, facial hair, and sometimes makeup. For example, in Big Momma's House (2000), Martin Lawrence dresses up as an elderly woman and receives female attributes, such as breasts. Despite being a man, Martin Lawrence resembles an elderly woman by wearing fake breasts, a long dress, wears a wig, and
Rosalind disguises herself as a young boy named Ganymede, whom Orlando acts out a relationship with. However, Kenneth Branagh portrays Ganymede as a feminine character and fails to augment the homosexuality of the play based on physical looks. When Rosalind changes identity, she only ties her hair with a ponytail and puts on a hat to create Ganymede. For an audience that has never read As You Like It or doesn't know that Rosalind and Ganymede are the same person, when Orlando and Ganymede "woo" each other, it would seem completely traditional for a woman and man to flirt with each other. Branagh would have done a more suitable job portraying homosexual impulses if Ganymede had resembled a man. Often film directors tend to alter characters' physical appearance when cross-dressing, but this was not the case for this film. Some of the techniques used for effective cross-dressing include using fake breasts, facial hair, and sometimes makeup. For example, in Big Momma's House (2000), Martin Lawrence dresses up as an elderly woman and receives female attributes, such as breasts. Despite being a man, Martin Lawrence resembles an elderly woman by wearing fake breasts, a long dress, wears a wig, and