Film Review №2. Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

 

Movie Info 

Shakespeare in Love Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow			-	Viola De Lesseps
Joseph Fiennes			-	William Shakespeare
Geoffrey Rush			-	Philip Henslowe
Judi Dench			-	Queen Elizabeth
Ben Affleck			-	Ned Alleyn
Colin Firth			-	Lord Wessex
Rupert Everett			-	Christopher Marlowe

 

 

Shakespeare in Love Movie Basics

 

Year of Release: 1998
Running Time: 2 hrs. 02 min.
MPAA Rating: R
Director: John Madden
Screenwriter: Marc Norman and Tom Stopppard
Producers: Donna Gigliotti, David Parfitt and Harvey Weinstein
Studio: Miramax Pictures 

Synopsis

Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) owes a play to cash-strapped theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush). He has writer's block. He meets his muse in young Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) and is inspired to write Romeo and Juliet. That's the basic premise of this charming and clever romantic comedy set in 16th century England.

Review

"Shakespeare in love" takes place in the 1500's and tells the story about a young play writer named William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) who's out of ideas, but then he falls in love with a girl named Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow) and she inspires him to write the famous play "Romeo and Juliet"
 Have you ever thought of a well known story in terms of some novelties? So to say, can the content of a movie still leave a contemporary viewer breathless? Indeed, in our age of consumption and shallow effects, it seems that true commitment to the essence of what art is supposed to be is faded. We rarely encounter any freshness in such themes like love and romance, the themes well known in cinema but frequently considered as 'prefabricated,' and, consequently, distorted, deprived of their essential vitality. A very justifiable question arises: are there still films that can really move us? If there are some, is "Shakespeare in Love" one of them?

At first, it seems that the content of this movie is rather common and predictable. It shows, in a fictitious manner, the inspiration that Shakespeare might have had during writing one of his timeless love dramas. The suggestion goes on logically as the movie calls our attention to the creative experience of love that touches the mind and heart of the playwright to write one of the most beautiful love stories, "Romeo and Juliet". That is the crucial link between this movie and the great masterpiece since Shakespeare is showed as the one who goes through similar love that Romeo did go through.

Except for the main characters, we have a wide range of different people, different personalities: the proud, the rich, the noble, the poor, the curious, the wretched; finally, the gentle and creative. Witty scenes with curious and over-caring Nurse (Imelda Staunton) who sits at the door the whole night outside the room where Will and Viola are making love are hilarious. The character of proud and rich Lord Wessex is memorably portrayed by Colin Firth who stresses one of the key poisons of human pride: selfishness. The character of John Webster (Joe Roberts) is interesting, too: it calls our attention to the young boy, partly lost in the world's glamor, who finds his entire interest and enthusiasm in brutality. The supporting cast are also very good and in no way shadowed.
As for me, "Shakespeare in Love" may be considered one of the movies that still move us. The sumptuous costumes, the gorgeous sets and scenery, the excellent script, the vibrant direction, and the fantastic musical score and you have a film with absolutely no flaws whatsoever!