Shakespeare in Love

Rating:
Summary: Charming and Delightful; Filled With Witty Dialogue
Review: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is absolutely one of my all time favorite films. A big part of its charm, for me, lies in the fact that it revolves around young Will Shakespeare, not Shakespeare, grown and established at the Globe Theatre.

Set in late Elizabethan England, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE takes place during a time when theatres were as often closed (for may reasons, plague being one of the worst) as they were open, and when Will Shakespeare was but a struggling, young playwright, attempting to hold his own against the more popular Kit Marlowe.

We learn a lot about theatre in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, especially during the opening scenes, and, if you're a theatre lover (and a love of Shakespeare) like I am, this part of the film will delight you rather than bore you. Actually, the scenes are so delightfully performed and the dialogue so witty, I don't know how anyone could be bored, theatre lover or not.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is a story revolving around Elizabethan theatre but it's also a love story. As Will struggles to meet deadlines (and with a broken quill, no less) he longs for something to recharge his batteries, so to speak. Along comes Viola De Lesseps, the daughter of a wealthy man. Viola not only goes against popular opinion and prefers Shakespeare to Marlowe, she has the overwhelming urge to act in one of Shakespeare's plays.

The roles of women, in Elizabethan England, were played by men, so Viola must dress, and act, as a man, Romeo, to be exact. And, predictably, but still, charmingly, Will Shakespeare is smitten by "Romeo," then later falls hopelessly in love with Viola.

Of course, the path of love, true or not, never runs as smoothly as we would like it to and it doesn't for Will and Viola, either. Complications arise when Will learns that Viola is to be married in only two weeks...to Lord Wessex, a man she really doesn't like but a man her father needs.

There is comedy aplenty in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, and one of the most charmingly comedic scenes occurs when Will is caught in Viola's bedchamber. Will, apparently never one to lose an opportunity, tells his capturers that he is Kit Marlowe.

Joseph Fiennes is wonderful as young Will Shakespeare and very believable. Colin Firth plays the hateful Lord Wessex to perfection and Judi Dench, as Queen Elizabeth II, almost steals the show. I believe she would have, had she only had a larger role. Gwyneth Paltrow is not my favorite actress; I think she lacks range, but I think she was beautiful and delicate as Viola and she and Fiennes looked wonderful together. It certainly wasn't difficult to "buy" them as a couple very much in love.

Surprisingly, at least for me, was Ben Affleck in the role of Ned Alleyn. I would never have thought I would enjoy Affleck in a film set in Elizabethan England, but he did a wonderful job. The minor players were just as delightful as were the major ones, i.e., Simon Callow, Tom Wilkinson, Imelda Staunton and Antony Sher, all of whom, by the way, have acted in Shakespearean plays.

For me, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is a film with everything. There's intrigue, stage politics, romance, wonderful period costumes, jokes, asides, witty dialogue and more. It's all handled with a light touch, as it should be and it's all delightful.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is a film I adore and a DVD that I had to own.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Witty Movie
Review: I did not know who playwright Tom Stoppard was until after viewing this movie. Now I know. This movie will define his work in future years for all students of film. It is a very subtle satire of the life of one of the greatest writers who has ever lived.

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare in Love on DVD!!!
Review: Directed by John Madden ''Shakespeare in Love'' was the winner of 7 academy awards including Best Picture, Best atcress, and Best supporting actress.

This was a great film. The sets were good, the budget obviously was big, the acting was great by Fiennes, Paltrow, Rush and others and it was very entertaining. However the movie does have many flaws though most of which were revealed
on Special Edition DVD and by simple facts of history on Shakespeare himself.
For instance on DVD Director John Madden does mention that he takes
liberties with the film, including the depiction of future playwright John Webster as a street beggar, who gets turned by William Shakespeare. In fact, half of the film takes many liberties which scholars will debate as untrue.

For one is the depiction in which Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everette) seems to be the one that gives Will, all the ideas to write ''Romeo and Juliet'', including the characer of Mercutio and Romeo. I asked this to my English teacher who is
a big Shakespeare buff and researched this and could find no proof that Marlowe
even met with Shakespeare. So these events in the film stretched the truth.

The other liberty the film takes is depicting Shakespeare as a heterosexual , who loves women, when in fact, the real Shakespeare loved not only women, but young boys. Shakespeare was a bisexual but you research his background, you'll
(...)
his Sonnets, for an unknown young man.

The good points of the film is that several depictions of Elizabethan life are factual.
Throughout the 13 to 1600's, the plays written by Shakespeare and Marlowe were largely unknown. Since, the Bubonic Plague was rampant this also
posed a problem for potential audiences.

Elizabethan theatres, like Shakespeare, chronically were unsactioned and held gambling and prostitution in between and after plays.

There is also the debate of Viola De Lesseps(Gwenyth Paltrow's character) who falls in love with Shakespeare. In fact my English colleagues, told me, that there is
no proof that Viola ever existed.

Shakespeare in Love is about young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) who is struggling to make his new play (which would end to be ''Romeo and Juliet'')
to make ends meet.

His friend and business partner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) is literally almost killed for the debts he owes , along with the fact that the theather he manages
has failed to show a profit. Shakespeare, then with a little help from Chris Marlowe,
(Scholars say that Shakespeare didn't even know Marlowe) gets the idea to make ''Romeo and Juliet'' (his most famous love tragedy).

Everything from the beginning goes wrong to make the play until Shakespeare finds a good actor named Thomas kent who is really a woman played named Viola De Lesseps (Gwenyth Paltrow).

Shakespeare at first doesn't know that Kent is a woman, but when he does, is when the funny action starts. However, all is not well, as Viola is in love a loveless
engagement with another man Lord Wesses (Colin Firth).

The famous playwright then must know find a way to finish his play and not lets his feelings get in the way for Viola, because it could mean the end of his life.

As I said the movie takes many liberties with the ''facts'' of Shakespeare, and more than half of the movie is filled with uncomfirmed, evidence on Shakespeare.

As I said, Shakespeare had an incredible desire for young boys, and it's illogical that Shakespeare would have fallen for this woman Viola so rapidly in the film.

In fact, there is part of the film that does show some of Shakespeare, homosexuality. The film also inaccurately says that Chris Marlowe and
Shakespeare well old friends, but against there is no evidence showing that.

Despite that, ''Shakespeare in Love'' is a pretty entertaining film that showcases what life was like during Shakespeare's time.

The DVD for the film comes with many extras including:

* A special feature on the making of the film
* A special look at the costumes made for the film.
* Over 5 Deleted scenes.
*Commentary from the Director.
*A special section showing a couple of facts on the real Shakespeare and much more.

So if you haven't seen the movie check it out and check out the DVD too.

Rating:
Summary: True Tragedy
Review: I saw this in the theater, and while semi entertaining, did not move me. I watched it again day before last and though I appreciate the costumes (some discrepancies), the music, and the ending which truly saved this movie from being absolutely rancid I still cannot get past the fact that this beat out Saving Private Ryan as Best Picture.
Saving Private Ryan stuck with me for days, weeks, and now years, I forgot this drivel an hour after I watched it. Forget Romeo and Juliet, forget the heartbroken 'Will' Shakespeare, the only real tragedy was that this movie won Best Picture.

Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surpirse
Review: This is a very clever film, far more interesting and engossing than I anticipated. Oh yeah, there's a pretty fair love story too. Note to men: You'll be very surprised when this movie ends and you realize just how much you liked it. I was.

Rating:
Summary: must have been a slow year...
Review: (...)

the movie is great and only once i've gone through the commentary tracks did i realize how truly amazing the script really is (if you're a shakespeare scholar you'd have realized that without the commentary tracks i suppose). indeed the tracks are very informative, one is by director john madden and one by cast & crew, which is an mix of interviews and separate commentaries made by each individual. most noteworthy to listen to is the evil executive producer-cum-groupie julie goldstein who really sounds like a hollywood suit trying to tamper with the movie but talks about how she came to 'see the light' and let the movie be made the way it was written.

the featurette is great, talking about shakespeare on film and showing clips of other shakespeare movies. the trailers and tv spots are disgusting, the costume design featurette is nice and the deleted scenes are really interesting to see (especially the one of viola in america).

if you haven't read all of shakespeare's plays yet then a lot of the comedy will be lost on you, this is where the commentaries come in, they explain how everything fits in together and will cause you to laugh about a lot more things. indeed i change my mind about what i wrote at the beginning. this movie DID deserve the oscar.

Rating:
Summary: Seamlessly Written, Brilliant & Original
Review: This movie may quite possibly be my favorite of all time, and for anyone familiar with Romeo & Juliet, you will love the humor, drama & insight this provides. With its award for best original screenplay, Mark Norman & Tom Stoppard raised the bar with this film, seamlessly incorporating the play Romeo & Juliet with the "events" from Shakespeare's life that inspired the play. While it is historical fiction, it's a great story to be told. I can't say enough about how much or how often I've enjoyed this film, and never tire at seeing the plots of this play within a play come together and make you appreciate Shakespeare more than ever.

Rating:
Summary: a must see movie
Review: there are only a few words that can describe this movie's greatness. all i can say is you have to see it to belive it.

Rating:
Summary: The ending really uplifted the whole experience!
Review: I thought it was well made and had some fun parts but was not really moved to say that it deserved all the praise it got...until the last scene with Viola and William (It showed their love was more powerful than I was led to believe from the earlier scenes.) Because of that scene I watched the whole movie again in a new light because I saw true passion in that one scene and so I had to see what led up to it. Now I love it! But the ending had to get to me for that. And maybe it will for you.

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare Comes to Life
Review: This movie is truly beautiful. Yes, I love Shakespeare anyway; so, perhaps I am biased in that regard. But, the story intertwines Will Shakespeare's personal life (falling in and out of love continuously, and then eventually falling in love with Viola - aka Gwyneth Paltrow) and his writing (and directing) Romeo and Juliet. The movie is truly breathtaking, as you watch the unfolding of Viola and Will's relationship. I didn't want the movie to end. I highly recommend "Shakespeare in Love." It was a lovely change of pace from the typical hollywood "shoot 'em up" movie. Just fabulous!