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Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series)
Category: DVD |
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $9.99 |
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As of: January 06th, 2009 09:30:40 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 SHAKESPEARE, HIMSELF, PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS FILM
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is one of the very best films of the nineties. Gwyneth Paltrow ( in an Oscar-winning role ), and Joseph Fiennes ( in a part that should have, at the very least, garnered a nomination ) make wonderful, and exceptionally witty, star-crossed lovers, Geoffrey Rush is brilliant as the owner of the theater Shakespeare ( Fiennes ) has promised his unwritten play 'ETHEL THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER' to. The comical twists, and turns in this scrumptiously lavish production are as fickle, and fun-filled as anything in TWELFTH NIGHT ( one of my favorite plays by The Bard ). Dame Judi Dench is riotously regal as Elisabeth I.
This marvelous picture succeeds on many levels. As a comedy it is hilarious. As a character study it is fascinating. However, as a delectible, romance of moving, and enduring pathos it truly shines.
The sheer beauty of this film is beyond words.
Much Ado about Writing
Writing a play is a tiresome burden when you don't have the faintest idea what it is going to be about but you need to hand it over real soon. Fortunately, Will Shakespeare finds his muse and the authors of the screenplay also had at least a brief encounter with theirs.
Basically a romantic comedy SIL offers much more that the standard "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" scenario - they present it in a fantastically well rendered setting taking as much as they could from the Swan of the Avon.
A perfect way to spend an afternoon - you get your share of romance, adventure, and literary history (the latter should not be taken at face value, however). Do you need more?
Another great classic movie
We purchased this for our daughter's birthday because she has said it is a classic. She loves the movie and we are happy that we were able to find it at Amazon.
 Intelligently Written and Passionately Acted
Others reviewers have taken issue with how historically inaccurate "Shakespeare in Love" is, and even if they're right on every count, they're missing the point. This movie spins its own story, giving an improbable yet poignant context to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It's not meant to be a documentary of the writer's life, nor does it boast that it tells a true story. The most history buffs could expect are a few grins here and there, what with the scene Christopher Marlowe plotting out "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter" that nods to the "Shakespeare didn't write his own plays" theory, the inclusion of the sadistic child John Webster, and the many lines of dialogue Shakespeare hears and later incorporates into his plays. These are all quite enjoyable, and should help any uptight history buff to remove the stick etcetera etcetera so they can enjoy this film for what it is.
On the acting side, things are nothing but great. I, for one, hate the institution of "big name actors" and think that most small time television stars do better jobs than your Pitts or Damons, but I really can't complain about Gwyneth Paltrow in this film. She does a wonderful, wonderful job, but it truly serves to compliment the performance of Joseph Fiennes as Shakespeare. He is a force of life on film, giving a passionate, hilarious, and downright sad portrayal of what many people see as the greatest writer in the English language. In my opinion, it would have been impossible to do a better job.
It's an intelligently written and passionately acted film with attention to details in plot and character development that is truly impressive. This is very much worth owning on DVD.
8/10
Improbable plot: Shakespeare was high born
What is interesting about this portrayal of William Shakespeare is that the historical figure was actually descended from the Saxon Earls of Warwick (and potentially from the Saxon Kings). Shakespeare's mother was a de Arden, after all, and the heiress of the hereditary family estate called Kingsbury in Wessex. Hence, it is surely at least ironic that the movie has him competing with the now Norman "Lord Wessex", pitting his Saxon pedigree against a Norman rival of similar rank. I wonder if the writers of the screenplay comprehended the irony (and implausibility) in this fictional rendition?
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