Shakespeare in Love

Released December 25, 1998
Directed by John Madden
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Gwenyth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Imelda Staunton, Ben Affleck

Second Viewing: July 29, 2010
Roger - 5/5 stars

He is the as yet unchallenged master of the English language. It is estimated that he invented around 2000 words of our vocabulary. He created characters and stories that have endured everything that time has thrown at them, and even though the language has changed, the feeling and emotion is still recognizable and beautiful. He is famous in the Western World for his command of English, and known worldwide for his command of human emotion, and his ability to tell a hell of a story.

We know so much about Shakespeare, and yet so little. Although countless biographies and studies of the great man abound, he remains a mystery. What did he write, what did he adapt, and what did he take credit for? Perhaps the greatest mystery of all that surrounds Shakespeare is this: what was Shakespeare like, when he fell in love? Who inspired this legendary man to spout sonnets that are the standard against all else is compared to? How did he get the characters for Romeo and Juliet, and how could the man write such dialogue of love?

While Shakespeare in Love is fictional, it is so cleverly done that it could very well be true. Fact is woven into the fiction so skilfully that we can readily believe everything we see.
Will Shakespeare (Fiennes) is a brilliant, struggling playwright who has a severe case of writer’s block. He’s brilliant, dashing, and a bit of a rogue. He is getting into a pretty desperate situation when the Lady Viola (Paltrow) comes into his life, and, well, love just about conquers all, doesn’t it?

This movie is perfect. The inspirations for Shakespeare’s plays are woven seamlessly throughout the script, and the love story between Will and Viola is comedic, passionate and heartfelt. At one point, Queen Elizabeth challenges a gathering of nobles with the wager that no man can accurately define love on stage. No human can make love a tangible feeling through words and performance. Shakespeare (and this movie) prove otherwise. The subject is treated with originality, reverence and truth, which is most impressive, these Hollywood-saturated days.

There are disguises, midnight escapes, secrets, confusion, danger and comedy. There is love, passion and loss. The movie paints an accurate picture of England in the Elizabethan age, and each actor launches himself into their part without hesitation, lending an authenticity to the character’s voice. Fiennes is entirely convincing in this interpretation of the legendary playwright, and Paltrow won for Best Actress. This movie won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, (among others) and it is well deserved. You don’t have to have read a word of Shakespeare in your life to enjoy this movie completely. The entire movie is an excellent echo of a play that Shakespeare himself would have written, and I can give no higher praise than that.