Film Review 2

Shakespeare in love

Movie info

Genre: comedy, romance

Directed by John Madden

Written by Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard

Running time: 2.03

Release: 1998

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

My review

“Shakespeare in love” is a historical comedy about life and hardships of a great playwright William Shakespeare. It’s a good idea to show creative sufferings in which all Shakespeare’s works were made but John Madden could strengthen this showing not only his creative works but also a private life. So you can see a very specific and original movie.

The script was smooth and interesting but for me, it’s a bit monotonous.  It’s a story full of historical acuities and specifications that made the whole film to be plausible and believeable.

 This wondeful story, sеt in 1594, introduсes Will Shakespeare as a young English playwright struggling with plots and characters. And he's in competition with Christopher Marlowe, who writes for a rival theater. His producer is deeply in debt to the local moneylender whose methods of collection are deceitful. Just as the future of their Rose Theater looks dire, a wealthy merchant's daughter, Viola De Lesseps, who swoons over Will's sonnets, decides to masquerade as a boy and audition for "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate King's Daughter," one of Will's works-in-progress. She's hired immediately, as Will is enchanted with the recitations of his new "Romeo" until, of course, he discovers he is a she. By then, Queen Elizabeth I has promised her in marriage to Lord Wessex, a cold, arrogant Virginia tobacco farmer. All's well that ends well and, if their escapades resemble "Twelfth Night," that's no coincidence.

To sum up, I’d like to say that this film is entertaining, witty and acutely funny, with the ability to appeal to more than Shakespeare buffs. But for real fans of Shakespeare, it's a glorious treat that's smart and humorous, with highly appealing performances all round. It is clear that everyone in the film is having a great time with the material, and it is contagious. Personally I think that a brilliant and witty script by Tom Stoppard is brought to life by a great cast.