I'm a Canadian living in England which gives me an odd view on things sometimes. Live in Norfolk wit...
I'm a Canadian living in England which gives me an odd view on things sometimes. Live in Norfolk with my husband and am waterlilly on dooyoo.
Member since:21.06.2009
Reviews:28
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Another Sunday on my own has rolled around (husband on a stag do in the Peak District) so it's time for another girly film review. Sorry men! I am realising that my taste in film may be coming across as a little shallow, but in 1998 everyone fell in love with "Shakespeare in Love" which went home from the Oscars with 7 awards including Best Picture. A decade later, does it still hold up?
THE PREMISE
Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) has written a couple of plays, but is no match for the brilliance of the playwright of the day, Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everett) and still a player for hire who dreams of greater things. Something of a womaniser, Shakespeare has writer's block when it comes to his latest work, "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter" because he cannot find his muse.
Meanwhile the beautiful and wealthy Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) is hopelessly in love with poetry and plays, particularly those of William Shakespeare. Having been promised in marriage in a business deal between her title hungry father (Nicholas Le Prevost) and the impoverished Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) Viola decides to embark
on one last adventure.... performing in Shakespeare's production disguised as a man, Thomas Kent. The romance of Will and Viola inspires the writing of Shakespeare's greatest love story, and poor Ethel is lost to the world to the world of literature forever.
SO SHOULD I SEE IT?
"Shakespeare In Love" is a beautiful period piece by any standards. Directed by John Madden, "Shakespeare In Love" balances the period costumes, locations and crowds with a love story that works in any time period. The costumes really are gorgeous, particularly Viola's gowns. The poor extras must have been rolled in mud to represent the folk who lived and worked along the Thames. Reconstructions of the theatres of the time as well as the court of Elizabeth I were beautifully executed and before you know you are immersed in Elizabethan England. I have a history background but choose not to employ it to nit pick if there are one or two details that may be slightly historically inaccurate. On a whole I was impressed. The first time I saw the film I was sixth form age and went to the cinema where I fell in love.
Madden obviously had a clear, strong vision and handled his star-studded cast brilliantly. In a very large ensemble cast of big personalities the leads had to stand out and win us over quickly. Gwyneth Paltrow is vibrant and full of life in this film in a way that I'm not sure we've seen since. I'm not the biggest Paltrow fan in the world and I really do question that Best Actress Oscar as it doesn't seem like the most challenging role, but she immersed herself in it fully. Fiennes is sexy and romantic in this film. Again, as a Canadian teenager I think this film was the first time I encountered this member of the Fiennes family and fell in love with him.
"Shakespeare In Love" had a slew of veteran actors turning relatively small roles into scene stealer. Judy Dench plays the iconic but aging queen with strength and humour, winning the Best Supporting Actress award that year. I have to admit that the size of the role barely seemed to merit such an award but the Academy has always loved Dame Judy and I can't blame them. Geoffrey Rush is delightful as one of the pioneering theatre owners and patrons of the arts, Philip Henslowe, while Martin Clunes is equally as wonderful as his competitor, Richard Burbage. Tom Wilkinson really does steal almost every scene he's in as the money lender, Hugh Fennyman. It is fun to see Colin Firth as an unattractive marriage partner considering his usual roles and Ben Affleck manages to convince me to like him (and I am not generally a fan!) as the leading man of the day, Ned Alleyn.
BONUS FEATURES
The dvd comes with a few Bonus Features including the theatrical trailers for the film and a documentary on the love that the film industry has for Shakespeare and "Romeo and Juliet" in general. It's actually quite a lovely and interesting documentary.
Looking back "Shakespeare In Love" was a product of a time when Hollywood was enamoured of huge, period romances of love in the face of adversity. "Titanic" had been the big winner at the Oscars the year before and "Shakespeare In Love" was playing to the same audience. However, this film stands the test of time better than "Titanic" (and didn't have a theme song by Celine Dion which has got to be a good thing). At only 123 min it's also a much more manageable length! It is a classic romance that will continue to delight.
Also published on dooyoo as Waterlilly
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One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the 1990s, the ... more
Oscar-winningShakespeare in Loveis filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is a romantic comedy set in the 1590''s, telling the witty, sexy story ... more
behind the creation of the greatest love story of them all - 'Romeo and Juliet'. Young Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is the up and coming playwright of the t...
One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the 1990s, the ... more
Oscar-winningShakespeare in Loveis filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Triumphant winner of 7 Academy Awards - including Best Picture - this witty sexy smash ... more
features Oscar-winning Best Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and an amazing cast that includes Academy Award winners Judi Dench Geoffrey Rush and Ben Affleck! When Will S...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Well, where do I begin.....no, really, WHERE do I begin?? Disadvantages: Well, I'll give you Gwyneth for starters, but I don't think I'll know where to end!
![Shakespeare In Love [DVD] [1999]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/76559276.jpg "Shakespeare In Love [DVD] [1999]")
Jul 21st, 2009
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