DIRECTOR: John Madden [Mrs. Brown]

WRITER: Tom Stoppard, based on Marc Norman's original screenplay.

PRODUCERS: David Parfitt, Donna Gigliotti, Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick, Marc Norman

COSTUME DESIGN: Sandy Powell [Orlando]

PRINCIPAL CAST: Joseph Fiennes [Shakespeare], Gwyneth Paltrow [Viola],
Colin Firth [Earl of Wessex], Judi Dench [Queen Elizabeth], Geoffrey Rush [Philip Henslow], Tom Wilkinson [Hugh Fennyman], Ben Affleck [Edward Alleyn], Rupert Everett [Christopher Marlowe], Imelda Staunton [Nurse], Jim Carter [Ralph Bashford] et al. Read more about the characters here.

ABOUT THE FILM: The place is London. The time is 1593. The film tells the [fictional] story of how Shakespeare's love for Viola inspires him to write Romeo and Juliet. Williams Shakespeare is but a young struggling playwright soon to become the star of London's theatre scene. But this summer he suffers from a severe case of writers block. He seems unable to work up the necessary enthusiasm for his latest play. Enter Viola, who is totally enamoured of the theatre, and who, at a time when women were forbidden to act on stage, disguises herself as a boy and audition for one of Shakespeare's plays. When her guise slips away, Shakespeare finds himself in love with Lady Viola de Lesseps, who is betrothed and soon to be married to the arrogant Earl of Wessex. Wessex marriage to Viola is one of convenience and at Queen Elizabeth's command: the brides large dowry will absolve Wessex of his financial difficulties. Will and Viola's love becomes a serious threat to Wessex marriage plans, and as the story unfolds Wessex gets into repeated duels with Shakespeare.

Director John Madden was intrigued by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard's screenplay, which deals with Shakespeare in both an incredibly mischievous and yet truly respectful way. SIL show us a world where commercialism threatens creativity, where egos rage out of control, where artistic rivalries and feuds abound. Actor Ben Affleck, who plays the famous Elizabethan stage actor Ned Alleyn, says SIL mirror Hollywood politics of today...

Now this is what I call good reviews!
[Excerpts]

If I had to name one film this year that would epitomize a truly 'faultless' film, it would have to be "Shakespeare in Love". It is rare to see a film in which the performances, writing, narrative structure, direction, humor, and production design combine to create an outstanding and enchanting piece of work that is in essence, pure poetry. /.../ There is so much to rave about in "Shakespeare in Love", that I do not know where to begin. First and foremost, the performances are strong all around, especially with the undeniable chemistry between Paltrow and Fiennes. /.../ Affleck, Rush, and Firth manage to steal some of the limelight with their memorable performances. Dench is also a welcome addition to the ensemble with her portrayal of a Queen Elizabeth with attitude to spare. The well-crafted script also elicits excellent performances from the supporting cast, providing every member of the cast, no matter how small the part, a shining moment. [The Eyepeice network. Read the full review by Anthony Leong here.]

Shakespeare in Love is one of the smartest, funniest, most touching films of the year. It's so rare that a picture with such high aspirations succeeds in all of its endeavors, but here we have a movie that defines success: it is at once charmingly acted and flawlessly written. It could have been a smug, self-important movie that panders to die-hard Shakespeare fans, but the appeal of this film is almost universal: if you've ever read a play by Shakespeare, or know anything about his life, it's likely that you'll find grand entertainment in Shakespeare in Love. /.../ [Read Nathaniel R. Atcheson's full review here.]

Everett is not the only well-selected supporting player (Michelle Guish is the film's casting director) Shakespeare utilizes. Starting at the top with an unflappable Judi Dench as the one-woman armada Elizabeth I and Geoffrey Rush in an unexpected comic role as a snaggle-toothed theater owner, adept co-stars include Ben Affleck as a self-involved actor, Tom Wilkinson as a stage-struck usurer, and Colin Firth (Darcy in the BBC's recent "Pride and Prejudice") as Wessex, the well-born but impecunious suitor for Viola's hand. Finally, though, as always in romance, it's the stars that carry the film. Fiennes, the younger brother of Ralph, has the burning eyes and brooding demeanor appropriate for a lover, and he and Paltrow, flourishing once again under a British accent and doing her best work since "Emma," have a winning chemistry. [LA Times, review by Kenneth Turan. Read the full review here.]

The movie gets considerable pep from its supporting characters. Rush and Wilkinson make for a particularly fine comic team and Dench brings a sense of dramatic risk the overall action requires. But Colin Firth is also excellent, in a more straightforward part as the proud, if bankrupt nobleman who has planned to wed Viola and her fortune, even if it means running through an inconvenient playwright with his sword. [The Orange County Register, December 1998]

Shakespeare in Love is exceptionally deep in qualified supporting actors. Oscar-winner Rush ("Shine") chews the scenery mightily as Henslowe and Colin Firth ("The English Patient") attacks his flamboyant Earl of Wessex with unparalleled energy. /.../ We'll never know how "Romeo and Ethel" might have turned out, but "Shakespeare in Love" is a bawdy hoot. [From Express News. Read the full review here.]

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