Movies

Tom Stoppard, who penned Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, knows a thing or two about the modern deconstruction and reconstruction of Shakespeare's work -- and it shows in the bright and vivid Shakespeare in Love, which Stoppard co-wrote with Marc Norman. Applying many of the same conventions favored by Shakespeare in his own work (including primarily the confusion over mistaken identity and gender) the screenwriters begin with the "what if" premise and run with it, speculating with wicked delight on the Bard's rivalry with Christopher Marlowe, his use of overheard phrases finding their way into his plays, and best of all, the possible sources of his inspiration. Will's muse is Violet, played wonderfully by Gwyneth Paltrow, who shows off in this film her finest acting to date and credibly pulls off the tricky task of being both an object of poetic inspiration and a genuine, down-to-earth human being.

"Shakespeare in Love" was an interesting movie, but in a year when we had "Beloved" and "The Truman Show" ("Saving Private Ryan" was also good, but there were more things that it could have shown), did this one really deserve Best Picture? Well, I guess that there were worse movies. Still, a portrayal of history's greatest playwright getting some unusual inspiration for his masterpiece didn't really seem to deserve Oscar's highest honor. No matter; I did like the original name that they suggested for "Romeo and Juliet".It's still weird to think that this came out around the same time as "Elizabeth", and also portrayed Queen Elizabeth - not to mention that both movies starred Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush.

In the times when Women were not allowed to act on the stage. A time when a young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) was troubled with Writers block. Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow) wanted nothing more than to perform on stage.The Lovely Viola, is set to marry Lord Wessex, but her desire to become an actress, leads her to dress as a man and she successfully auditions for a part in Shakespeare's Romeo and Ethel the pirate's daughter. Inspired by a forbidden love for Viola, Shakespeare's writers block is lifted and his play blossoms into Romeo and Juliet.This is a heart warming tale of forbidden love between an unlikely couple, and is delivered in a charming way, with subtle comedy undertones throughout.A Beautiful Film 8/10