IMDb > Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Shakespeare in Love
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Shakespeare in Love (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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Shakespeare in Love (1998) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   73,501 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

John Madden

Writers (WGA):

Marc Norman (written by) and
Tom Stoppard (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for Shakespeare in Love on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

8 January 1999 (USA) more

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance more

Tagline:

...A Comedy About the Greatest Love Story Almost Never Told... more

Plot:

A young Shakespeare, out of ideas and short of cash, meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays. full summary | full synopsis

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 43 wins & 60 nominations more

User Comments:

An Abundance of Riches more (703 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Geoffrey Rush ... Philip Henslowe

Tom Wilkinson ... Hugh Fennyman
Steven O'Donnell ... Lambert
Tim McMullan ... Frees (as Tim McMullen)

Joseph Fiennes ... Will Shakespeare
Steven Beard ... Makepeace - the Preacher
Antony Sher ... Dr. Moth
Patrick Barlow ... Will Kempe
Martin Clunes ... Richard Burbage
Sandra Reinton ... Rosaline
Simon Callow ... Tilney - Master of the Revels

Judi Dench ... Queen Elizabeth
Bridget McConnell ... Lady in Waiting (as Bridget McConnel)
Georgie Glen ... Lady in Waiting

Nicholas Boulton ... Henry Condell
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Additional Details

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:14 | USA:R (certificate #36421) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

After initial test audiences had mixed reactions to the ending, a new version of Will and Viola's final scene was filmed in November 1998 (only weeks before release), which expanded upon the previously brief Twelfth Night projections in order to better handle their parting. In order to film the scene, Joseph Fiennes had to interrupt work on a West End play, and Gwyneth Paltrow had to be brought in from filming The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). more

Goofs:

Plot holes: Lord Wessex, as a member of nobility, would not have risked the perilous journey to The New World to oversee his holdings, much less, move there. He would have sent a surrogate. more

Quotes:

Queen Elizabeth: I know something of a woman in a man's profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that. more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Bill Murray/Lucinda Williams (#24.14)" (1999) more

Soundtrack:

The Play & the Marriage more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
37 out of 49 people found the following comment useful.
An Abundance of Riches, 20 June 1999
Author: BB-15 from California

A romantic comedy does not get much better than Shakespeare in Love. Here is a movie that captures the feel of England 400 years ago. It is romantic yet light. It is funny but is complex enough to provide enjoyment for fans of literature.

The sets of England 400 years ago, the costumes and the character's makeup including their bad dental work were just right. You could almost smell those streets. The hero, Shakespeare, is excellently played by Joseph Fiennes. He is sympathetic but never pathetic. As for Gwyneth Paltrow, she shows her range from boyishness to radiance. This is the first film I have seen her in where I believed she could become a great actress. There is also a great supporting cast, especially Judi Dench, who all have good melodramatic and comic instincts.

The film never plods. The screenplay is rich with romance, emotion and action. The plot weaves several stories and themes. You can enjoy it as a simple love story with some action and basic suspense about producing a play or you can get much deeper into movie's complex tapestry of ideas and in jokes. But most importantly the film's mood is always light and is never overblown (unlike another recent movie about unfulfilled love, Great Expectations).

Deserving of its Oscar, this is simply a great film.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
How did this beat Saving Private Ryan for the Oscar? patchdyer
I loved this the first time I saw it Esmacious
MY FAVORITE LINE IN THE FILM. Edwardslcn
the first time silentbizzob
shakespeare's handwriting isabella07
An historical concern radarchick
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