At the close of WWII, a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
Director:
Anthony Minghella
Stars:
Ralph Fiennes,
Juliette Binoche,
Willem Dafoe
Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.
Director:
Kevin Costner
Stars:
Kevin Costner,
Mary McDonnell,
Graham Greene
The story of King George VI, his impromptu ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
Director:
Tom Hooper
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Geoffrey Rush,
Helena Bonham Carter
Ted Kramer's wife leaves him, allowing for a lost bond to be rediscovered between Ted and his son, Billy. But a heated custody battle ensues over the divorced couple's son, deepening the wounds left by the separation.
Director:
Robert Benton
Stars:
Dustin Hoffman,
Meryl Streep,
Jane Alexander
Will Shakespeare is a known but struggling poet, playwright and actor who not only has sold his next play to both Philip Henslow and Richard Burbidge but now faces a far more difficult problem: he is bereft of ideas and has yet to begin writing. He is in search of his muse, the woman who will inspire him but all attempts fail him until he meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps. She loves the theatre and would like nothing more than to take to the stage but is forbidden from doing so as only men can be actors. She is also a great admirer of Shakespeare's works. Dressing as a man and going by the name of Thomas Kent, she auditions and is ideal for a part in his next play. Shakespeare soon sees through her disguise and they begin a love affair, one they know cannot end happily for them as he is already married and she has been promised to the dour Lord Wessex. As the company rehearses his new play, Will and Viola's love is transferred to the written page leading to the masterpiece that is ...Written by
garykmcd
During an interview with Howard Stern in January 2015, Gwyneth Paltrow opened up about how she initially turned down the part of Viola de Lesseps, citing emotional distress following her break-up with Brad Pitt. Paltrow told Stern that she was "very sad" and said, "'I'm not going to work' and all that nonsense". Eventually, she was persuaded by Miramax Producer Paul Webster to go out for the role, and the rest is Oscar history. See more »
Goofs
One of the main plots involves William Shakespeare creating the story of Romeo & Juliet, making it up as he goes along. In fact, these characters and their basic story were written about before Shakespeare was born, and he was adapting the older tale for the stage. The filmmakers knew this. See more »
A different end sequence. Here the conversation between Will and Viola is shorter than in the final film. After Viola has left Burbage enters and stops Will from running after Viola. He also takes the 50 pounds and says "Welcome to the Chamberlain's Men". The scene where Lord Wessex's ship sinks is also different. Here we see that Viola survives the drowning and is washed ashore an unknown coast. There she asks two people where she is. Their reply is "This is America".
A slightly different version of the scene where Burbank and his men fight against Will and his actors in the theatre. The sequence is largely the same as the scene used in the final film but parts are shown from different angles. A small conversation between Fennyman and Henslowe is added where they discuss about business.
A small scene which takes place after Henslowe has announced the audition. Here the two actors John and James walk to the court to play witnesses. When they meet the other actors and hear that Will Shakespeare needs actors for his new play they follow them to the audition.
A deleted take where Tom Wilkinson announces that he will be playing the apothecary. To Rushs question "How does the comedy end?" Fiennes replys "By God, I wish I knew". Then Rush says "By God, if you do not, who does? Let us have pirates, clowns and a happy ending and you'll make Harvey Weinstein a happy man."
After "Shakespeare in Love" won almost every nomination, and beat "Saving Private Ryan" for Best Picture, I decided I had to see it. I never got around to seeing it in the theater, and I had to wait for it to come to video. After seeing nearly all of this year's Best Picture nominees, I felt more inclined to see it than ever. I finally rented it on DVD, came home, popped it in, and expected a really great film. As much to my shock as was my disappointment, it wasn't.
"Shakespeare in Love" is not a bad film, and there are some things I liked about it. It was a sumptuous period piece, and I admired Geoffrey Rush's performance, since he never ceases to amaze me with his acting talent. Gwyneth Paltrow was fair, although her performance didn't stun me. However, the whole time I was watching this, my mind couldn't help but drift elsewhere, and I had to wake myself up in order to pay attention. My point is, it simply didn't grab me. Most of the Best Picture nominees and winners are films that grab my attention and have a strong influence on me. This one didn't. It was a cute love story, but not strong enough in my opinion to receive as much as a nomination. It deserved awards for costume and set design, and Geoffrey Rush's performance, otherwise no. This film was not one of the best films of 1998! No way!
Also, in the age of Columbine when theater owners are obsessive about carding children for getting into R-rated films, I can't see how this got an R-rating. So what if we caught a glimpse of Gwyneth Paltrow's boobies. "TITANIC" let us see Kate Winslet in full view, and that got a mild PG-13. There is no explicit violence or sex in "Shakespeare in Love". The MPAA's obsession with sex or nudity in any shape or form onscreen is uncanny.
As for the overall quality of "Shakespeare in Love", it was well done. I never said that it was a bad film, and I sort of liked it. However, the fact that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, proclaiming it as the best film of 1998, does nothing but disappoint and anger me.
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After "Shakespeare in Love" won almost every nomination, and beat "Saving Private Ryan" for Best Picture, I decided I had to see it. I never got around to seeing it in the theater, and I had to wait for it to come to video. After seeing nearly all of this year's Best Picture nominees, I felt more inclined to see it than ever. I finally rented it on DVD, came home, popped it in, and expected a really great film. As much to my shock as was my disappointment, it wasn't.
"Shakespeare in Love" is not a bad film, and there are some things I liked about it. It was a sumptuous period piece, and I admired Geoffrey Rush's performance, since he never ceases to amaze me with his acting talent. Gwyneth Paltrow was fair, although her performance didn't stun me. However, the whole time I was watching this, my mind couldn't help but drift elsewhere, and I had to wake myself up in order to pay attention. My point is, it simply didn't grab me. Most of the Best Picture nominees and winners are films that grab my attention and have a strong influence on me. This one didn't. It was a cute love story, but not strong enough in my opinion to receive as much as a nomination. It deserved awards for costume and set design, and Geoffrey Rush's performance, otherwise no. This film was not one of the best films of 1998! No way!
Also, in the age of Columbine when theater owners are obsessive about carding children for getting into R-rated films, I can't see how this got an R-rating. So what if we caught a glimpse of Gwyneth Paltrow's boobies. "TITANIC" let us see Kate Winslet in full view, and that got a mild PG-13. There is no explicit violence or sex in "Shakespeare in Love". The MPAA's obsession with sex or nudity in any shape or form onscreen is uncanny.
As for the overall quality of "Shakespeare in Love", it was well done. I never said that it was a bad film, and I sort of liked it. However, the fact that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, proclaiming it as the best film of 1998, does nothing but disappoint and anger me.