Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love

By

  • Genre: Romance, History, Comedy
  • Release Date: 1998-12-11
  • Runtime: 123 minutes
  • : 6.863
  • Production Company: Miramax
  • Production Country: United States of America
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6.863/10
6.863
From 2,982 Ratings

Description

Young Shakespeare is forced to stage his latest comedy, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter," before it's even written. When a lovely noblewoman auditions for a role, they fall into forbidden love -- and his play finds a new life (and title). As their relationship progresses, Shakespeare's comedy soon transforms into tragedy.

Trailer

Reviews

  • CinemaSerf

    7
    By CinemaSerf
    Set during the later reign of Engand's Queen Elizabeth, this joyful drama sees poor old William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) having a bit of a creative drought. Lacking ideas and cash, and being pursued by both Richard Burbage (Martin Clunes) and the wonderfully dead pan Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe for work he's supposed to have already penned, things are looking a bit bleak. When Gwyneth Paltrow, an ardent theatre fan prohibited from taking to the stage by virtue of her sex, dresses as "Thomas Kent" and auditions for a part, he sees through the disguise quickly and his creative juices once again begin to flow... Snag is, she "Viola de Lesseps" is engaged to the poverty stricken "Lord Wessex" (Colin Firth) and Virginia bound - as soon as he can raise the dowry from her father... What ensues is a rapid-fire, lightly comical, romantic drama that sees quite a collection of acting talents contributing well to the ensemble effect of this story. Fiennes shines as the playwright in trouble - frequently - as do Paltrow, Rush, a surprisingly effective Ben Affleck, Imelda Staunton as her worldly-wise nurse with Jim Carter as the onstage version of that persona and Barnaby Kay as the mischievous little "Nol". The costumes and sets are magnificent; the writing from Marc Norman and the newly knighted Sir Tom Stoppard is witty and stimulating - cleverly incorporating quite a bit of the original bard's efforts into their screenplay as they go. It would have been easily possible for this embarrassment of acting riches to have overwhelmed this story, but John Madden keeps all pulling well in the same direction. The film will doubtless be remembered more as Dame Judi Dench's consolation Oscar (for not winning for "Mrs. Brown" the year earlier), and as far as they go her performances are fine - but there is much more to this story of the trials and tribulations of a bard in love. A wee bit long, it seems to end more than once, but it is still a story the eponymous writer himself might well have enjoyed.

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