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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
Video Description
DVD Special Features
"making Of" Documentary
John Madden Commentary
Cast and Crew Commentary
Theatrical Trailer
21 TV Spots
Academy Awary Winning Costumes
Deleted Scenes
Language:English, Dolby Digital 5.1/German, Dolby surround
Subtitles: English/Dutch/German/Danish/Finnish/Swedish/Norweigan/Hebrew/Polish/Czech
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shakespearian Wit,
By A Customer
This review is from: Shakespeare in Love W/S [VHS] [1999] (VHS Tape)
Stoppard certainly knows what he's about: The plot is delightful and the references elegant, clever parodies if you spot them or inconspicuous parts of the plot if you don't. And the references are on all levels: to Shakespeares plays, his unknown life and the many theories that have been made about it, and his writer and actor collegues. Normally I'd hate "the person behind the genius-films" because they miss the point that it's precisely the work, not the person, that's interesting. However, this is not so much a film about Shakespeare as a story in its own right. There is no temptation to believe that "this is really how it was" and yet the information is so true to the period that even specialists need not be annoyed by uninformed inconsistencies. It's a cornucopia of Shakespearian wit!
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The show must...........Go on!,
This review is from: Shakespeare In Love [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
What can you say about this film that hasn't already been said? Nothing, its absolutely brilliant, I noticed that someone gave it one star previously. Idiot. You do not have to have an intimate knowledge of The Bard to enjoy this film, a modicum of intelligence is useful but really anyone could & should enjoy this film. Its funny, witty, beautifully written & the acting is superb throughout, especially Tom Wilkinson who to be fair is brilliant in anything he is in anyway. Its also incredibly uplifting & the final scenes with Gwyneth Paltrow walking across the beach to the words of Twelth Night whilst Stephen Warbeck's incredible score grows ever louder in the background, never fail to inspire & move me to tears. A wondrous, wondrous film!
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant romantic movie reflecting Shakespeare's works,
By Jonathan Palombi (Nuremberg, Germany) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shakespeare In Love [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
One of the most romantic, charming and at the same time witty and humorous films about Shakespeare. With John Madden as the director "Shakespeare in Love" becomes a film to be recommended to Shakespeare-fans as well as to those who just want to enjoy a fabulous movie. However, due to all the parallels that the director drew to Shakespeare's plays - especially to Romeo and Juliet - it is recommended to have read them before in order to be able to fully understand all the allusions. Likewise a deeper knowledge about the various circumstances of the Elizabethan Age like all the customs and the social situation at that time helps to be able to follow the plot of "Shakespeare in Love". But the brilliant acting of the protagonists and their way of interpreting their roles makes the film also very interesting and just a romantic love story to everyone who doesn't know anything about Shakespeare.
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