Shakespeare in Love (1998)

Director:

John Madden

Writers (WGA):

Marc Norman (written by) and
Tom Stoppard (written by)

Release Date:

8 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

...A Comedy About the Greatest Love Story Almost Never Told...

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.

Plot Keywords:

Queen Of England | Costume Drama | No Opening Credits | Elizabeth I | Period Piece

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 43 wins & 60 nominations

Cast

Geoffrey Rush	...	Philip Henslowe
Tom Wilkinson	...	Hugh Fennyman
Steven O'Donnell	...	Lambert
Tim McMullan	...	Frees
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
Georgie Glen	...	Lady in Waiting
Nicholas Boulton	...	Henry Condell

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Iceland:L | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:R (certificate #36421) | Philippines:PG-13 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | 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:

Barnes, London, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Kate Winslet turned down the role of Viola after the success of Titanic (1997). She went on to film Jane Campion's Holy Smoke (1999) instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Romeo drinks the poison, he first opens the bottle, says what he has to say and in the next shot he opens the bottle again before he drinks the stuff.

Quotes:

Viola de Lesseps: Nurse, as I love you and you love me, you will bind my breast and buy me a boy's wig.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Play & the Marriage

I love this film!

I love this film. It is cleverly written to include characters and events that we've read about in boring theatre history books for eons, but are now presented as living, lusty, real people. It gives us comic, romantic, sad, and hopeful moments all at the same time. The performances by all of the actors are top notch. Geoffrey Rush, Ralph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ben Affleck are superb. The supporting cast is equally excellent. Not to be missed is the performance by Judie Dench as Queen Elizabeth l. Her time on film is short, but her impact on the film is enormous. Bits and pieces of Shakespeare's work are evident throughout, and the tie ins to Christopher Marlowe are inspired! Costumes, makeup, scenery, lighting, and sound - all the technical and design elements are incredibly well researched and well executed. This film gives us a wonderful look at life in the Elizabethan period, not just the life of those involved in the theatre. From the ink stained hands of Shakespeare to the contents of countless toss pots hurled out of upper floor windows, we feel the grime and grit endured by Londoners during the 16th century.