and the night of the first performance, Margaretta arrives early to tell Joe that he has to leave the very same night to catch a flight to Los Angeles with Crawford - meaning he will be absent from the first performance. The company begrudgingly say their farewells to Joe, with Molly filling for Hamlet and Nina tearfully begging for Joe to stay for his well being to no avail. The audience arrives, including Carnforth's mother, Nina's father and Tim (who Henry had contacted, telling him that Terry had cholera). Crawford and Margaretta also arrive along with a national newspaper reporter, and during Molly's first scene Joe returns, having been allowed to do the first performance to let Crawford see him act live. The production goes well and is rapturously received, and as the company meet backstage they are met by Crawford, who reveals that she only watched the performance to see why Joe rejected her offer. Instead, she offers Tom Joe's role and has Fadge brought along as a designer for the film, with Margaretta offering herself as an agent to them. Before she leaves, Margaretta does compliment Joe on his performance. When the audience leaves, the company dances with each other, and Nina and Joe begin a relationship as Christmas Day begins. Cast Reception Critical response Roger Ebert, noted critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film three out of four stars, praising the performances and Branagh's screenplay. James Berardinelli praised the film, giving it three-and-a-half out of four stars, stating, "No current film maker appears to love and understand Shakespeare as well as Branagh, and never has his affection for the Bard been more apparent than here. This picture succeeds as a comedy, a satire, and even, to a certain extent, as a mild melodrama about choosing between a paycheck and the nourishment of the soul." Berardinelli concluded, "Anyone who wondered about Branagh's future following Frankenstein can set their concerns to rest. He's back on top in the independent arena with A Midwinter's Tale, a film that offers ninety-eight minutes of pure fun re-interpreting the phrase 'the play's the thing'." Box office In the UK, it grossed £235,302 in its first month of release. In the United States and Canada it grossed $469,571. Accolades As a competitive entry at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival in 1995, In the Bleak Midwinter was among the finalists for the Golden