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Stage Beauty (2004)

 -  Drama  -  3 September 2004 (UK)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 7,203 users   Metascore: 64/100
Reviews: 96 user | 98 critic | 38 from Metacritic.com

A female theatre dresser creates a stir and sparks a revolution in seventeenth century London theatre by playing Desedmona in Othello. But what will become of the male actor she once worked for and eventually replaced?

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Title: Stage Beauty (2004)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Derek Hutchinson ...
Stage Manager
Mark Letheren ...
Male Emilia / Dickie
...
...
...
Thomas Betterton
...
George Villiers II - Duke of Buckingham
...
Jack Kempton ...
Call Boy
...
Miss Frayne
...
Lady Meresvale
...
Harry
Nick Barber ...
Nick
...
Thomas Cockerell
...
...
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Storyline

Based in the 1660's of London's theaters, this film is about the rules of gender roles in theatre production, and means to change them for everyone's benefit. Ned Kynaston is the assumedly gay cross-dressing actor who has been playing female parts in plays for years, particularly Desdemona in Othello, he also has a close relationship with a member of the Royal Court, the Duke of Buckingham. One day however, the rules of only men playing women could change when aspiring actress Maria auditions as Kynaston's praised role, Desdemona, and soon enough, King Charles II decides to make the law that all female roles should be played only by women. Maria becomes a star, while Ned finds himself out of work. But after a while, Ned finds it in his nature to forgive Maria's aspiration, they may even fall in love, and Charles may proclaim women will be played by either gender. Written by Jackson Booth-Millard

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

She was the first of her kind. He was the last of his.

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

| |

Language:

Release Date:

3 September 2004 (UK)  »

Also Known As:

Belleza prohibida  »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$38,654 (USA) (8 October 2004)

Gross:

$776,691 (USA) (26 November 2004)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

|

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the movie starts out portraying the traditional Elizabethan style of acting on the stage (ie, stylized non-realistic acting), by the end of the movie, sequences on the stage are being performed in the style of realism (ie, what most people think of as modern acting), which was a style of acting not introduced until the 20th century. See more »

Goofs

When Samuel Pepys is telling Kynaston to play a man's role, Kynaston's lips are out of sync with his speech in some shots. See more »

Quotes

Sir Charles Sedley: Kynaston... It feels I've had the honour already.
Ned Kynaston: Or you've already had the honour of feeling it.
Sir Charles Sedley: Obviously I'm behind on my drinking.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Billy Crudup (2004) See more »

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User Reviews

Sumptuous, passionate, raw - a gorgeous, romantic film
3 December 2004 | by (Melbourne, Australia) – See all my reviews

'Without beauty, there's nothing. Who could love that?' (Ned Kynaston, Stage Beauty)

Don't expect an elegant historical romp from Stage Beauty; it's much more than that. Director Richard Eyre (Iris) and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher have loosely interpreted true events to deliver a passionate, romantic journey of gender-bending self-realisation set in the bawdy world of the British Restoration, circa 1660.

In a time when women are banned from acting on stage, King Charles II is on the throne, accompanied everywhere by his vulgar but merry mistress, Nell Gwnn. Meanwhile Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup) is the most celebrated leading lady of his time. He is adored…by his audiences, by his lover and patron the Duke of Buckingham, and secretly loved by his dresser Maria (Claire Danes). But when aspiring actress Maria's illegal performance as Desdemona in Othello triggers royal permission for women to act on stage, Kynaston's fall from grace is swift.

This is an actors' film, where the talents of Danes and in particular, Crudup, shine. (Their remarkable relationship triggered an off-screen romance.) Crudup is taut as the bisexual Kynaston, trained to be a calamity and actress since early adolescence, and emotes powerfully as he struggles with his sexuality and identity in an unfriendly new political landscape. He is alternately a catty drag queen, angry young man and committed thespian, without ever straying beyond credibility. In contrast, Danes is luminous but unsure as Maria. A talented supporting cast includes Rupert Everett, providing comic relief as the languid King, while Ben Chaplin is sensual as the self-serving Duke.

Stage Beauty has been compared to Shakespeare in Love, but although it's less successful, it's far less contrived. Although Stage Beauty is a love story, you don't know how things will resolve. The pace is less brisk than in a more manufactured film, but it's also more realistic, enhanced by production design and costuming which depicts both the grit and the sumptuousness of the time.

While at first the on stage acting grates, it is deliberate. As Stage Beauty progresses, the acting technique evolves to resemble 19th Century Naturalism – not true to life, but faithful to the emotional journey of the characters. It's a special film that will take you on an emotional journey too.

**** out of ***** stars.


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Recent Posts
'That new ending' hazeleyes422
So....do you think Ned loves Maria in the movie? instyleprincess
The breast is NOT the disturbing part! Mumiemonstret
One liner that made me have a laughing fit rdswords
Crudup is a knockout!!!!!Best Actor Nod for sure lrpulini
problem with the death scene rsh437
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