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Shakespeare in Love has been lavished with an extraordinarily
talented creative group. CV loved director John Madden's earlier films, Mrs. Brown
and the sadly underrated, extremely powerful Ethan Frome, both rather serious
films. Here Mr. Madden brings his skills together with the great British writer of
literary comedy and farce, Tom Stoppard, whose play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are
Dead, also a riff on Shakespearean themes, was brought to the screen in 1990. Add to
the stew a cast that includes Simon Callow, Rupert Everett, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench,
Joseph Fiennes, Colin Firth, and Gwyneth Paltrow and CV swooned in anticipation of a giddy
evening of intelligent hilarity.
We were not disappointed in the least. On the
contrary, Shakespeare in Love turns out to be something far more than anticipated:
a tour de force of filmmaking that seamlessly weaves bawdy, witty comedy together
with believably passionate romance and the poetry of Shakespeare, all coming together into
a unified and utterly unique entertainment.
The premise is clever. Young playwright
Shakespeare (Fiennes) has writer's block and can't seem to finish his work in progress, Romeo
and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Even a visit to his "counselor" - read
shrink jokes here, even to the hour glass running - doesn't seem to help. But
a forbidden romance with the beautiful and elsewhere betrothed daughter (Paltrow) of a
wealthy local merchant inspires Shakespeare to turn his comedy to tragedy, as it follows
the inevitable course of their affair. Fiennes and Paltrow are both young, fresh, and
beautiful. They are as convincing doing farce as they are being passionately in love, and,
indeed, playing the roles of Romeo and Juliet on the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare's
iambic pentameter is well served.
A subplot on the competitive relationship
between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everett) meshes nicely into the spin
of events. Additional complications are introduced, of course, and the witty lines,
frequent allusions, and low puns come fast and furious. The entire piece is suffused with
a love of the theater, and stage humor is delivered in profusion. Sets and costuming are
extravagantly handsome, without neglecting to keep Shakespeare's hands stained with
writer's ink.
In other supporting roles, Judi Dench as Queen
Elizabeth is wry, Ben Affleck as a star actor is commanding and sexy, and Colin Firth is
suitably hateful as the opportunistic villain.
This was a problem film in the making. Originally started in 1993, it went
through delays and changes of casting and director. Often, under such circumstances, the
product turns out to be a disaster. Somehow, here, with a deep bow to Mr. Madden, it has
turned into a holiday gift for us all, a film that will amuse and beguile, and doubtlessly
create a generation of new fans for Will Shakespeare.
- Arthur Lazere
1999
Academy Awards:
Best Picture
Best Actress - Gwyneth Paltrow
Best Supporting Actress - Dame Judi Dench
Best Screenplay - Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
