Shakespeare In Love
1998
The reign of Elizabeth I finds Will Shakespeare, a writer, broke and envious of a rival. Then, he meets with a woman who wants to be an actor and who disguises herself as a man... Read more
| Starring | Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett |
|---|---|
| Director | John Madden |
| Genres | Comedy, Romance |
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Shakespeare In Love
The reign of Elizabeth I finds Will Shakespeare, a writer, broke and envious of a rival. Then, he meets with a woman who wants to be an actor and who disguises herself as a man...
| Starring | Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Daniel Brocklebank, Colin Firth, Simon Callow, Jim Carter, Martin Clunes, Anthony Sher, Imelda Staunton, Estelle Harris, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Williams |
|---|---|
| Director | John Madden |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 59 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Rom-Coms |
| Genres | Comedy, Romance |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | German |
| Subtitles | DVD: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 02 Feb 2004 Production year: 1998 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Taking the writing process behind Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as its inspiration, John Madden's follow-up to Mrs Brown combines contemporary humour with a convincing 16th-century setting. Young Will (Joseph Fiennes) falls for the soon-to-be-married Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow) and casts her, disguised as a boy, as his Romeo. As their love affair unfolds, so does the play in a film that is passionate, intelligent and hysterically funny in turns. Fiennes and Paltrow are supported by an outstanding cast that includes Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson and Colin Firth, while Judi Dench delivers an Oscar-winning portrayal of Elizabeth I, making fine use of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard's Oscar-winning script.
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If movies be the food of love, then there's an excess of it in this delightful romantic comedy, a clever romp that makes witty use of theatrical conventions and Shakespeare's own works; it is not only in love with love, but with the power of theatre.
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Most helpful member's review
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15 out of 17 people found this review helpful
Why?
Infuriating romantic comedy in which every moment is drowned in a sea of schmaltz, particularly those between the lovers; the script is fairly good, witty even, but is ruined by honey-coated direction and poor performances.
Why this arrogant, soppy sludge won so many Oscars remains beyond comprehension; it’s just a run-of-the-mill, saccharine rom-com. Don’t be drawn in by the word ‘Shakespeare’ in its title; it doesn’t make it any cleverer. -
Most recent members' review
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6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
How good's your Elizabethan theatre?
The great thing about this film is the number of levels it works on. Firstly it is a rich period piece, secondly a first rate comedy with real tragic elements (just like some of the Bard's best) and thirdly, if you know a bit about Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre it is extremely clever in drawing laughs out of literary references. Thus snatches of great Shakespearian drama litter the script, often beautifully played for comedy and thus you have a wonderful study of the ambivalent sexuality of Shakespeare that is both comedic and tragic. The supporting cast is superb as well. A film you will watch again and again.
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News and features
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Dench upset about cuts for arts
- 11 Dec 2009
Dame Judi Dench is furious with the government officials for cutting funding for the arts to pay for the upcoming Olympic Games in London. Officials are busy erecting new buildings for the 2012 sporting extravaganza, but the veteran actress insists more money is needed to help struggling theatre companies and film projects. She says, "I am concerned, of course, that they've taken a lot of the subsidy to the arts away for the Olympics. There's no question that the recession has had an effect on Read more
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Shakespeare In Love
The reign of Elizabeth I finds Will Shakespeare, a writer, broke and envious of a rival. Then, he meets with a woman who wants to be an actor and who disguises herself as a man......
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