DVD : Shakespeare In Love [1999]

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?

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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.

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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 to be actors in Shakespeare's day. Here starts the love story between William and Viola, finally giving Shakespeare the inspiration he needs to write Romeo and Juliet.

The script is full of jokes and refernces that people who have studied Shakespeare will appreciate, but theres also plenty for the non-fans too to keep you occupied. Jospeh Fiennes did an OK job as Shakespeare but he was over-shadowed by not only Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola (I've never been a fan of Shakepeare but when she read his poems and speeches I fully understood the meaning of his words), and especially by Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth. What I especially liked was the ending to the story, which was not what I had expected to finally happen (but I guess, is more true to Shakespeare's life).

A good film, but not great. I look forward to watching it again.

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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.

A film to see much sooner than your dying day.

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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 the next installment from Will.

Soon though, the comedy in Will's play disappears into thin air as he is distracted in real life by the beautiful Viola De Lesseps. Soon his comedy becomes a deep and tragic romance - renamed Romeo and Juliet. A newcomer to acting is playing the role of Romeo, rather well. Little does everyone know that 'Thomas' is in fact Viola in disguise. Her passion for acting forces her to dress as a man so that she may be cast in plays, because in that day and age, women were banned from the stage.

After some time, our lovestruck playwright realises that his actor friend Thomas is in fact the beautiful Viola, and she confesses she reciprocates his feelings. They embark on a risky but very romantic affair, and the tale of Romeo and Juliet is interwoven with their own affair. Sadly, they both know it can never be - as Will is married, and Viola is betrothed to the beastly Lord Wessex, played by a stern-faced Colin Firth.

They continue their affair as Will's words are in full flow and the play is completed. After much ado, the secret couple are forced to act out these scenes together - but little does the audience know how true their stage kisses are. As with Romeo and Juliet, Will and Viola's romance must end - their circumstances keep them apart, but they are both changed profoundly by the experience.

This was a fantastic film! It was beautifully romantic, but not too soppy, and there was plenty of humour in there too. I think guys would enjoy this film too as it's not too much of a chick-flick. Literature buffs and fans of Shakespeare would love this, purely to see some of the most famous quotes in the world spoken by the all-star cast.

Overall, despite it's downcast ending, this is a feel-good film with a great plot and excellent cast, and high re-watch value. Loved it.