KENNETH BRANAGH - BRANAGH TO UNLEASH OPERA MOVIE IN VENICE

Director KENNETH BRANAGH is set to startle audiences at the Venice Film Festival in Italy next week (07SEP06), when he unveils his new movie adaptation of famous opera THE MAGIC FLUTE. Branagh admits he initially found making the film, based on the opera by WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART, hard-going as he preferred pop music. But, with the help of screenwriter STEPHEN FRY, Branagh soon fell in love with opera. He says, "I've never tried opera. I was raised on pop music. It's a whole new medium for me. Stephen, of course, is an opera buff and was a natural choice. "I come from a words tradition. But after two-and-a-half years making the film, my enthusiasm has never waned."