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IMDbPro

Shakespeare in Love

  • 1998
  • R
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
229K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,529
172
Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Trailer for Shakespeare In Love: Blu-Ray
Play trailer1:42
14 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaHistory

The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.

  • Director
    • John Madden
  • Writers
    • Marc Norman
    • Tom Stoppard
  • Stars
    • Gwyneth Paltrow
    • Joseph Fiennes
    • Geoffrey Rush
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    229K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,529
    172
    • Director
      • John Madden
    • Writers
      • Marc Norman
      • Tom Stoppard
    • Stars
      • Gwyneth Paltrow
      • Joseph Fiennes
      • Geoffrey Rush
    • 825User reviews
    • 124Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 7 Oscars
      • 65 wins & 87 nominations total

    Videos14

    Shakespeare in Love
    Trailer 1:42
    Watch Shakespeare in Love
    Shakespeare in Love
    Trailer 0:26
    Watch Shakespeare in Love
    Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Clip 0:31
    Watch Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Clip 0:51
    Watch Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:10
    Watch Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Shakespeare In Love: The Foundation Of Shakespeare In Love (Bonus Clip)
    Clip 1:08
    Watch Shakespeare In Love: The Foundation Of Shakespeare In Love (Bonus Clip)
    Shakespeare In Love: Ned The Great (Bonus Clip)
    Clip 0:53
    Watch Shakespeare In Love: Ned The Great (Bonus Clip)
    Shakespeare In Love: Kiss
    Clip 0:50
    Watch Shakespeare In Love: Kiss
    Shakespeare In Love: His Next Masterpiece (Deleted Scene Bonus Clip)
    Clip 1:37
    Watch Shakespeare In Love: His Next Masterpiece (Deleted Scene Bonus Clip)
    Shakespeare In Love: Dance
    Clip 1:09
    Watch Shakespeare In Love: Dance
    Shakespeare In Love: Ned's Return To Rose Playhouse
    Clip 0:31
    Watch Shakespeare In Love: Ned's Return To Rose Playhouse
    What Roles Was Ben Affleck Considered For?
    Video 4:10
    Watch What Roles Was Ben Affleck Considered For?

    Photos193

    Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Geoffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Ben Affleck in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gwyneth Paltrow
    Gwyneth Paltrow
    • Viola De Lesseps
    Joseph Fiennes
    Joseph Fiennes
    • Will Shakespeare
    Geoffrey Rush
    Geoffrey Rush
    • Philip Henslowe
    Tom Wilkinson
    Tom Wilkinson
    • Hugh Fennyman
    Steven O'Donnell
    Steven O'Donnell
    • Lambert
    Tim McMullan
    Tim McMullan
    • Frees
    • (as Tim McMullen)
    Steven Beard
    • Makepeace, the Preacher
    Antony Sher
    Antony Sher
    • Dr Moth
    Patrick Barlow
    • Will Kempe
    Martin Clunes
    Martin Clunes
    • Richard Burbage
    Sandra Reinton
    • Rosaline
    Simon Callow
    Simon Callow
    • Tilney, Master of the Revels
    Judi Dench
    Judi Dench
    • Queen Elizabeth
    Bridget McConnell
    • Lady in Waiting
    • (as Bridget McConnel)
    Georgie Glen
    Georgie Glen
    • Lady in Waiting
    Nicholas Boulton
    Nicholas Boulton
    • Henry Condell
    Imelda Staunton
    Imelda Staunton
    • Nurse
    Colin Firth
    Colin Firth
    • Lord Wessex
    • Director
      • John Madden
    • Writers
      • Marc Norman
      • Tom Stoppard
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter are married in real life, and in this movie, they played the same role. Staunton played the Nurse off-stage, and Carter played the nurse on-stage.
    • Goofs
      William Shakespeare/Romeo tends to Ned/Mercutio by kneeling to Mercutio's right, and, in doing so, violates the first "rule" of stage acting, which is to never hinder the audience's view of the stage or the actors.
    • Quotes

      William Shakespeare: You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.

      Viola De Lesseps: Nor you, for me.

      William Shakespeare: Goodbye, my love. A thousand times goodbye.

      Viola De Lesseps: Write me well.

    • Alternate versions
      The Region 2 DVD contains some deleted scenes:
      • 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."
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Star Trek: Insurrection/Jack Frost/Shakespeare in Love/Psycho/The General (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      The Play & the Marriage
      (uncredited)

      Written by Stephen Warbeck

      Performed by Catherine Bott

      Conducted by Nick Ingman

    User reviews825

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    An excellent film in all aspects.
    I had high hopes for this film from the first time I saw the trailer. I am happy to say that the film lives up to the previews. Although it is an art house flick of sorts, it manages to be profound and accessible at the same time. So many art house films manage to be merely pretentious, as if aimed at those that want to believe that they are having an intellectual experience rather than those who are really open to one. This film shows that you can make a film of substance that is at the same time very entertaining.

    One thing that stood out was the way they showed enough of the performance of Romeo and Juliet so that you could understand what the play is about, without making it a film of the play per se. There are many parallels between the fictional play and the events of the film, and this goes to underscore the relevance of great literature to the human condition. The actual performance of the play was acted so well that there were times when a character in the play was in a fight and I said to myself "they're really fighting, that guy really got stabbed!" So often a play within a movie is acted in a very staged manner, so this was a welcome surprise. And for anyone who is a fan of Shakespeare, it is easy to find little tidbits to reflect upon - such as the fact that Shakespeare himself was fond of the "play within a play" theme that we see in this film.

    The performances are excellent throughout, including minor characters. In the midst of tragedy there is genuine comic relief, just as in Shakespeare. The historical details that surround the conjectural main plot are accurate down to the names of the actual people with whom Shakespeare crossed paths. In the end "Shakespeare in Love" causes us to feel as well as think, to think as well as to be entertained.
    helpful•101
    45
    • vspa87
    • Dec 29, 1998

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    FAQ1

    • was shakespeare's blue leather jacket actually historically accurate or from a different time period

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 1999 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Facebook
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Shakespeare Đang Yêu
    • Filming locations
      • Broughton Castle, Broughton, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, UK(Great Hall, Middle Temple)
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Miramax
      • The Bedford Falls Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $100,317,794
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $224,012
      • Dec 13, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $289,317,794
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1
      • 2.35 : 1

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