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Amazon.co.uk Review
Director Richard Eyre (Iris) is still best known for his stage work, and it shows: Stage Beauty is rich in character and attention to detail, yet it doesn't have a popcorn-and-soda pop ease. Jeffrey Hatcher's well-observed script, based on his own play, romps a little self-consciously in Eyre's hands--you can tell it would like to be Shakespeare in Love if it could only relax. The gorgeous Crudup and dewy Danes don't quite click here, but the supporting cast is having a good time going way over-the-top, so if you're hungry for an elaborate historical confection there's enough here to satisfy your taste buds. --Steve Wiecking
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I can live with the artistic license taken with the period -- at times, one gets the impression that Bardolatry was anywhere near as widespread as it is today, and the post-Brando acting at the end would probably have elicited boos rather than cheers from its audiences -- but anything true to its time would be alien to us. And, hey, the ever-iterated Desdemona death scene really does finally work!
On the minus side, the four-plus initial minutes of unskippable commercials and previews definitely robs this DVD issue of one star. Would that there were a warning system -- or better, that DVD producers recognized simple politeness as a selling point.
the two leading actors. (Clare Danes and Billy Crudup) give a superb performance, particularly as Crudup would have been greatly challenged to find the awkward character of Ned in himself. Danes, of course, is quite on form and is truly excellent as Ned's dedicated dress mistress. A fresh, honest film about love, truth and the true meaning of beauty. Buy it.
But I'll try, because the movie is just extraordinary.
Stage Beauty is conceived much like a play by Shakespeare, with its layers of complexity behind the apparent simplicity of its powerful story, its well-crafted characters, and its underlying themes (interactions between genders, definition and pursuit of Excellence, disorder versus order). In fact, it is highly reminiscent of Othello in its central themes - and, not surprisingly, Othello the play is at the heart of the movie.
The performance of the actors is simply stunning - they effortlessly take viewers from one emotion to the next; and watching them portray players who in turn play roles (of their own gender or not) is an absolute delight.
However, acting skills are enablers - what really allows the cast to deliver such a compelling performance is the movie's overall structure, and the consistent way in which it deals with its core themes. In fact, the movie progresses in such an irresistible way that it culminates with a man and a woman simply greeting each other before a rehearsal - the masculine Excellence and the feminine Excellence, finally defined, and facing each other at last - after a period of disorder and conflicts.
An absolute jewel.
Ned Kynaston has made his fortune through acting as a woman on the stage. Read more
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