Cheap Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series) (DVD) (Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow) (John Madden) Price
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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 ardor. --Mark Englehart
| ACTORS: | Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow |
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | John Madden |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 08 January, 1999 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Miramax Home Entertainment |
| MPAA RATING: | R (Restricted) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby, Special Edition |
| TYPE: | Feature Film-comedy |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 717951005458 |
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Customer Reviews of Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series)
A good film hurt somewhat by ineffectual leads "Shakespeare in Love" is the second of Tom Stoppard's Shakespearean whimsies to hit the screen, after "Rosencranz and Gildenstern are Dead." Like "R & G", "Shakespeare in Love" imagines circumstances that cannot really be inferred from any history or text by Shakespeare himself--this time, the life of Shakespeare rather than his minor characters. While the older film was essentially an elaborate stunt that was amusing and interesting to a certain extent--essentially a stage play trapped on film--this one is highly cinematic, full of eye-candy costumes and recreations of Elizebethan England. The story is resolutely unrealistic, but that's not the point, anyway: The point is the passionate romance between Shakespeare and a fictional heiress who dresses in drag to act in the premier production of what will eventually be "Romeo & Juliet." That romance is very sexy--there may not be two more beautiful people on this planet than Gweneth Paltrow and Joseph Finnes--and earnest, but the best parts of the movie are firmly tongue-in-cheek: Shakespeare's distress at the death of rival Christopher Marlowe, Ben Affleck's performance as a preening prima donna actor (a sly satire of many of his arrogant peers), and best of all, Geoffrey Rush's hysterical performance as a conniving theatre owner whose sole asset is a playwright (Shakespeare) whose name sells tickets like few others. The leads could be better--Paltrow is steady and sexy as Shakespeare's love but there is nothing remarkable about her performance, and Finnes is beautiful but unconvincing as the hard-drinking, hard-loving genius Shakespeare--but they're adequate for this stylistic comedy.
Top-Ten Romance, and One of the Most Clever Screenplays!
"Shakespeare in Love" is a triumph, pure and simple. With screenwriters Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman at the top of their game and feeding immortal lines to a top-notch cast, "Shakespeare in Love" could not fail to succeed.
The film opens with young Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) struggling with writer's block . . . he is clearly not yet the magnificent WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (insert trumpets here), the world's most famous writer. Indeed, the top playwright of the age is Kit Marlowe (Rupert Everett), as Shakespeare is reminded several times. And young Will is also hopelessly infatuated with Rosaline, a woman completely unworthy of his affections.
After some psychotherapy that anticipates Freud, Will is no better. Still, heavily in debt, Will attempts to stage his next opus, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." Working with Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, who would have stolen a lesser film with his perfect performance), who's also heavily in debt, Will seems headed for disaster.
That is, until he sees his muse, young Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow, never better). Smitten, young Will begins to write the romantic poetry that becomes "Romeo and Juliet." Viola, who recognizes Will's genius, meets Will through some classic Shakespearean disguises and mistaken identities. Of course, Viola is betrothed to a true slug, Lord Wessex (a plump Colin Firth), who plans to take her to Virginia in seek his fortune across the sea -- essentially sending her into exile.
Despite the roadblocks, Will and Viola are soon hopelessly in love. Viola, daring to breach the silly rule that only men can play parts on stage, has taken the role of Romeo by day. By night, Will and Viola write Will's most romantic play together.
"SIL" keeps the wheels turning mighty fast, and one of the joys of watching this movie over and over is catching a quick joke that you didn't get the first time around.
It's also a pleasure to watch this stellar cast go through its paces. While Judi Dench won her Oscar for her surprisingly brief performance as Queen Elizabeth, other actors turn in equally entertaining performances. Tom Wilkinson, Simon Callow, Martin Clunes, and Imelda Staunton each bring amazing proficiency to the supporting cast, and even the much-maligned appearance of Ben Affleck elevates the movie -- he is perfectly cast as a self-absorbed theater star (first line -- "What is the play, and what is my part?"). Affleck's comeuppance, when he realizes that he, as Mercutio, doesn't have the title role, is handled wonderfully well.
This is simply a movie that doesn't miss a trick. The film is shot beautifully, the extravagent costuming gets at the ridiculous conformity that we associate with jolly old England (and makes the torrid romance of Will and Viola that much more intimate), and the music is uplifting.
The film's final shot, as Viola walks along the beach and we realize that we've just seen the birth of arguably Shakespeare's greatest heroine, Viola of "Twelfth Night," is a masterpiece of powerful understatement.
This movie is simply a must for the film library!
A GOOFY YET DELICIOUSLY SEDUCTIVE ROMANTIC COMEDY!
The DVD casing claimed in big bold letters "Best Screenplay" Academy Award winner. I can surely see why! Must have been some deviously creative team that crafted this crisp comic period-piece.
The film is really two love stories: one a bawdy romance between two smitten humans, and the other an ode to the art of theatre. The writers'/director's love for showmanship is loud and evident throughout the brilliant screenplay, and if you're a fan of wordplay in any way, well then this is a surefire delight.
Both Paltrow and Fienners turn in lusciously romantic performances in their respective roles -- she pulls off the formidable order of gender-switching without a hitch, and he has just the right pitches and patterns for a young, struggling Shakespeare. Geoffrey Rush is magnetic as usual.
Don't be fooled by the Elizabethan accoutrements, this film and its arsenal of laconic quips could easily shoot several contemporary romances to dust. Buy this one in fact, don't just rent, it quite comfortably stands the test of more than one viewing..