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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Marc Norman (written by) and
Tom Stoppard (written by)
Release Date:
8 January 1999 (USA) 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
NewsDesk:
(205 articles)
Hmmm ... Can 'Inglourious Basterds' pull off an upset at the Oscars?
(From Gold Derby. 13 November 2009, 8:00 AM, PST)
Jamie Foxx Bringing Back Wanda Is Nothing New: Here Are Five Other Cross-Dressing Oscar Winners
(From MTV Movies Blog. 10 November 2009, 12:00 PM, PST)
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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for sexuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
123 min
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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
Filming Locations:
Company:
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.more (703 total)
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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.