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Shakespeare In Love [1999]
starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Simon Callow
directed by: John Madden

List Price: £17.99

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Used Price: £2.46
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5050582074123
Format: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
Label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Pictures UK
Region Code: 2
Release Date: February 02, 2004
Running Time: 119 minutes
Studio: Universal Pictures UK
Theatrical Release Date: January 08, 1999
Sales Rank: 1653

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the 1990s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love is filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of theatre owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Jokey comedy, though, soon takes a backseat to ravishing romance when the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition in the all-male cast and wins both the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes the beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet, reflecting the agony and ecstasy of Will and Viola's romance--he's married and she's set to marry the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth).

The way that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard enfold their story within the parameters of Romeo and Juliet (and even Twelfth Night) is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly, Norman and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in addition to riding a Shakespearean roller coaster, with director John Madden (Mrs. Brown) reigning in his huge ensemble with rollicking energy. Along the way there are small gems to be found, including Judi Dench's eight-minute, Oscar-winning turn as a truly regal Queen Elizabeth, but the key element of Shakespeare in Love's success rests on the milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably overlooked at Oscar time, is a dashing, heartfelt Will and as for Best Actress winner Paltrow, well, nothing she'd done before could have prepared viewers for how amazing she is here. Breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely intelligent, strong-willed and lovestruck--it's a performance worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By the film's end, you'll be thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare with newfound ardour. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Much Ado about Writing
Writing a play is a tiresome burden when you don't have the faintest idea what it is going to be about but you need to hand it over real soon. Fortunately, Will Shakespeare finds his muse and the authors of the screenplay also had at least a brief encounter with theirs.
Basically a romantic comedy SIL offers much more that the standard "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" scenario - they present it in a fantastically well rendered setting taking as much as they could from the Swan of the Avon.
A perfect way to spend an afternoon - you get your share of romance, adventure, and literary history (the latter should not be taken at face value, however). Do you need more?

Rating:

- Everything about this film is astonishingly good
I even cried this time round! Read Amazon's own review on this - it's spot on. What a film!

Small point - it is very kind to the somewhat weak and overrated Twelth Night. I suspect I'm in the minority there, though.

Rating:

- Primarily a Love Story - The Shakespeare Thing is Just an Extra
I guess the biggest fault you can find in this film is that the story of E.T. is more likely to have been true than the love affair portrayed in 'Shakespeare in Love'. But as the film never once claims to be historically accurate, then I can't really complain about this and instead will take the film for what it is - a love story with a twist!

The story goes that William Shakespeare is having writer's block and needs inspiration to help write his next play (which will end up being Romeo & Juliet). While watching the auditions for the part of Romeo, Shakespeare is dazzled by the talent of one boy - who turns out to actually be the beautiful Viola De Lesseps who has auditioned under the disguise of a man as women were not allowed ... Read More:

Rating:

- Outstanding class
This film will change your whole perspective on love. It has the ability to move you to both laughter and tears, and that reason alone places it in my top five of all time.

The acting is superb, as is the set design, choreography, script and costume. This film is packed with talent in the actors; Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow are brilliant throughout. But I love it when a film has not so big characters, yet the actors who play them make them their own and really make the most of it. Examples in this film would include Martin Clunes, Simon Callow, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck, Colin Firth and above all Judi Dench.

I could rant on all day about the beauty of the script and the way in which Shakespeare is so characterised. ... Read More:

Rating:

- Never mind Shakespeare, I'm in love!
I've no idea why it's taken me so long to get round to watching this 1990s rom-com which I believe won several Oscars. But all that matters is I did finally give Shakespeare in Love a spin, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's definitely my kind of thing; jam-packed with humorous characters, illicit sex, witty one-liners and a really clever plot.

The film follows a young Will Shakespeare as he is trying to earn a living from writing plays for two major theatres in his town, and yet he is struggling with writer's block. He is expected to produce a comedy, Romeo and Ethel - The Pirate's Daughter and yet he is struggling. The words simply will not flow. Producing the play painfully slowly, characters are cast and rehearse the play whilst awaiting ... Read More:

DVD : Shakespeare In Love [1999]