Stars: Ian Richardson, Judi Dench

Director: Alan Tibbitts

Summary: A profile of the life and work of William Shakespeare, the world's most famous dramatist. Features archive material, period cameo scenes and music by The Shakespeare's Globe Musicians. Filmed on location in Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon and London, this programme attempts to bring Shakespeare back to life.

A profile of the life and work of William Shakespeare, the world's most famous dramatist. Features archive material, period cameo scenes and music by The Shakespeare's Globe Musicians. Filmed on location in Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon and London, this programme attempts to bring Shakespeare back to life.

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One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the 1990s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Loveis filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of theatre owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Jokey comedy, though, soon takes a backseat to ravishing romance when the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition in the all-male cast and wins both the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes the beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet, reflecting the agony and ecstasy of Will and Viola's romance--he's married and she's set to marry the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth).

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 trulyregal 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 ardour. --Mark Englehart

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2002
Release Date:	June 21, 2002
Runtime:	60 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	V I D E X 018
Keywords:	Life, General, Shakespeare, William, Documentaries, Biographies
Genre:	Documentaries & Biographies