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Shakespeare In Love - DVD
Writer: Marc Norman and Tom StoppardDirector: John Madden Producer: Julie Goldstein and Bob Weinstein Studio: Buena Vista Characters: Joseph Fiennes - Will Shakespeare Gwyneth Paltrow - Viola De Lesepps Judi Dench - Queen Elizabeth I Ben Affleck - Ned Alleyn Geoffrey Rush - Philip Henslowe Colin Firth - Lord Wessex Tom Wilkinson - Hugh Fennyman Features: Theatrical Trailer, Chapter Search, Widescreen 2.35:1 (Anamorphic), ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 Review: Shakespeare In Love didn't really deserve the Oscar for Best Picture. That's not to say it's not a great movie, it is, but it's not the same scale of movie as Saving Private Ryan, and as such didn't really deserve the Oscar (though it did deserve the nomination). Having gotten that bit of business out of the way, let's get to the movie itself. Shakespeare In Love tells the story of young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), who is just beginning to embark on a writing career unlike any other in the ages. Of course Will doesn't know this, so he's just a young writer with a severe case of writer's block who's writing his name over and over again on pieces of paper (an inside joke for Shakespeare buffs, as several different spellings of his name are on the papers, and several different spellings have been found through the ages). Will begins on a quest for a muse so he can write his epic comedy, Romeo And Ethel The Pirate's Daughter. In his travels he comes across Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), a young lady with whom he falls in love. Sadly, Viola is already spoken for by Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), and while the two can (and do) consumate the relationship, marriage is out of the question. As such, Will's peril-fraught romance with Viola becomes the spark from which William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is created. To make matters more complicated, Viola wants to be an actor in an era when women were not allowed to be players (it was considered lewd for a woman to perform on a stage), so she dresses in drag as Thomas Kent, and ends up getting the part of Romeo in the play. Before long, word leaks out that the man is a woman and much sophisticated comedy ensues. Shakespeare In Love is an incredibly great movie with an incredibly great premise. Great care has been taken by the writers to maintain not only a level of Shakespearean sophistication and dialogue, but also historical accuracy. None of the events portrayed in the film require history to be any different than it is, and considering Shakespeare In Love is entirely fictional, that's an amazing piece of work. The set pieces, costumes and actors are all up to the task as well, with great performances from our primary players as well as all the supporting characters. An especially huge standout is Dame Judi Dench in the role of Queen Elizabeth I. She not only commands attention with her presence, but lets it be known through her wonderfully sharp dialogue that she knows all the ins and outs of everything that's going on (who would've thought Queen E. I was a gossip?). The DVD itself has easily the best picture of any Disney/Miramax release thus far. I don't know whether this is because of internal pressure at Disney, from Miramax, from director John Madden or co-distributor Universal Studios, but the incredibly crisp and clear 16x9 enhanced picture is very welcome, and the sound mix is wonderful and creates a completely immersive environment. The one area where the disc is lacking is in extras, with very few being present. There are no behind the scenes featurettes or documentaries, there are no audio commentaries, and there are no animated menus or other nifty tricks. Shakespeare In Love is expected to stand or fall on DVD on its own merits at this point, and stands tall and proud. Rumour has it that there will be Shakespeare In Love: Special Edition in the near future, and I suspect these rumours are holding a lot of people back. For me, the movie is strong enough that the threat of a future edition is not enough to make me hold off. I can wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone who's a fan of Shakespeare, great writing and wonderful performances. A true modern classic in every sense of the phrase. Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
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