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The premise of this charming film is that William Shakespeare (Joseph
Fiennes) as a young man is a bit of a scoundrel who needs a lover
to be his muse. Without her inspiration, words elude him, his creative
energies evaporate like morning dew. This causes no small distress
for the Rose Theater's owner, Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), dangerously
in debt to moneylenders. Shakespeare's competition is Christopher
Marlowe, whose plays are being produced at the Curtain Theater.
It is at the Curtain that we first encounter the beautiful Viola
De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) during a performance before Queen Elizabeth
I (Judi Dench). Viola is a rich man's daughter who seems to prefer
Shakespeare's work to Marlowe's.
Viola is so in love with the theater that she wishes to become
a performer. But a woman on stage in Elizabethan England is considered
immoral and is highly illegal. So she contrives to wear men's
clothes to audition for Shakespeare's new play, Romeo and Ethel,
The Pirate's Daughter. She expects to appear before the director
or the theater owner. When an impressed Shakespeare appears in
the balcony, she becomes rattled and runs off. He follows her
all the way to the De Lesseps estate. At the door, he's told that
the young man is Viola's nurse's nephew; Shakespeare leaves a
note asking him to return to the theater to be considered for
a part. As he's about to depart, a band of musicians arrive to
play at a party. Shakespeare decides to sneak in with them to
find the budding actor. Before he's bodily thrown from the party,
he sees Viola and even manages a brief dance. He's smitten and
later sneaks to her balcony to exchange a few words, only to be
driven off by Viola's nurse.
Viola returns to The Rose the next day, disguised as a young
man complete with false moustache and short goatee. She wins the
role of Romeo, but finds herself becoming deeply drawn to the
handsome author. When she reveals herself to him, their tempestuous
love affair becomes the inspiration for what will become Romeo
and Juliet, passion ending in tragedy, for all is not well. The
delightful Viola has been promised to Lord Wessex (Colin Firth),
a title in exchange for a five thousand pound dowry. Worse yet,
the Queen's approval is equivalent to a royal command. Viola and
Wessex are to be married in two week's time, and then sail off
to his tobacco plantation in Virginia. So as the lovers frolic
in her boudoir, they know that duty and the power of the monarchy
will soon drive them apart. This clever tale of art imitating
life climaxes on Viola's wedding day, when she assumes a most
unpredictable role that makes their story all the more bittersweet.
Writers Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard produced a witty, touching,
and sentimental screenplay, enchanting but highly speculative,
and with one glaring historical glitch. Elizabeth I died in 1603.
King James I granted a charter for the Virginia Company (named
for the virgin queen) to establish an English settlement in the
Chesapeake region of North America in 1606. This settlement would
expand to become Virginia.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes are great together, believably
passionate and romantic. Judi Dench makes some brief but impressive
appearances as the shrewd Queen Elizabeth, garnering a Best Supporting
Oscar for less screen time than any previous winner. Geoffrey
Rush as Philip Henslowe, the optimistic producer, is very funny.
Also amusing is Tom Wilkinson as the dangerous financier whose
priorities shift when he becomes obsessed with a small part in
the play. Very highly recommended.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
When it was leaked that Buena Vista Home Video was about to release
its first anamorphic video DVD, a great cheer echoed across the
Internet. At last, we wrote to one another, Buena Vista has come
to its senses. But BVHV made little of this seemingly important
development. Instead on capitalizing on the potential good will
of the DVD community, BV public relations chose to allow the enhancement
of the title to remain a well-informed rumor. Why? When I spun
up the release and the studio logo appeared on the screen, it
became clearer. I had forgotten that this was a co-production
by Miramax and Universal, a strong proponent of quality DVDs.
So even though BV has home video distribution rights, I can't
help but speculate that Universal was ultimately responsible for
the superb transfer of director John Madden's award winning film,
Shakespeare in Love.
The film's 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio is presented in anamorphic
video. The quality is absolutely terrific. I was impressed with
the level of detail visible in the clothing textures and in Queen
Elizabeth's elaborate costumes. There is excellent color balance,
very natural skin tones, deep rich blacks, and no visible digital
artifacts. Edge enhancement is minimal. I was unsuccessful in
trying to find a credit for the transfer, compression, and authoring,
but kudos to the companies involved.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is first rate. Dialog, so critical
to understanding the Shakespearean scenes, is crystal clear. Stephen
Warbeck's Oscar-winning score is presented splendidly across a
large soundstage. Sound effects and surround effects are secondary
to the drama; they're subtle and don't intrude. There is no impressive
bottom end, nor is it needed.
Also included are English Closed Captions and subtitles.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? We read that this was to be a special edition, with lots of supplemental
material that would do justice to the film. Alas, the released
DVD is a rather scant of extras. (This is particularly frustrating
when you consider that Region 2 seems to be scheduled to receive
the special edition previously announced for Region 1.) A 1.85:1
theatrical trailer is presented in anamorphic video and in Dolby
Surround. There are a number of interesting pages that describe
the historical truth behind some of the characters. (Editor's
Note: Buena Vista and Miramax evetually released a special edition,
and you can see our full review here.)
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop
the disc in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
Shakespeare in Love walked away with seven Oscars. Best Picture,
Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), Best Original Music (Stephen Warbeck),
Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Screenplay (Marc Norman
and Tom Stoppard), Best Art Direction (Martin Childs), and best
costume design (Sandy Powell). John Madden's direction and Geoffrey
Rush's Philip Henslowe were nominated. My recommendation is moot.
This is a fine transfer of an exceptional film that's worthy of
your most serious attention.
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