9 years later & can still watch over and over

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2007)

This is one of the few movies that I have given a 10 of 10, maybe the only one. There is tremendous skill at work in every aspect of the film. And the passion... yes, the passion.
The script is simply amazing. The fabulous humour - written and visual - exists throughout. The depth of meaning and presentation of the various references means three things for me. First, that the writing was done for the pleasure of the writers as well as the audience. Second, the writers know what they're writing about (certainly I recognize Tom Stoppard's talent). Thirdly, my impression is that the screenwriters wrote the cleverness not to be seen to be clever but because it was such fun. Every multi-level reference that I could catch or, more to the point, those I didn't, left me feeling not that I was clever or daft myself (correspondingly) but that there was a richness to the material that could be appreciated at a variety of levels.
The devices used in the script, many more than I know but can nonetheless appreciate, such as intermixing a dialogue sequence between real-life and stage is used very effectively to show that there are parallel fictional stories being told. There is no suggestion from the writers that we are watching a true-to-life story. We know at the outset that it is a fiction loosely based at a certain point in the lives of real people. Perhaps in similar way that Shakespeare's works themselves are historical fiction in some cases (though I know little of Shakespeare).
There are particular moments of script brilliance where I found myself suspended in time and unable to breathe as if a river was suddenly dammed and subsequently released with tremendous emotion. For example, the stuttering start of the prologue to the play - absolutely fantastic. Foreshadowing is also used effectively if unsubtly at times as are the Shakespearean notions of mistaken identity and gender-bending.
Even such contrivances as Lord Wessex getting a paper flyer in the face just after his marriage to Viola are pulled off easily and believably.
The acting is brilliant, cohesive and consistent - a magical combination of script, direction, casting and, oh yes, the actors abilities. The characters all gel into a single, 2 hour dance. How does a movie achieve this level of inspired acting and vivid characterization? I don't know, it's a mystery.
The direction of John Madden needs singling out for particular praise. I don't know what to say except that it is the director who must, in the end, not only bring the varied abilities of all those assembled into a single gem but to inspire and allow each facet to shine brilliantly. This he certainly does.
The music sets wonderful moods and captures (inspires) a real sense of situation.
Visual sets and costumes are fabulous.
The editing provides a piece that flows so smoothly.
One of the main reasons I see movies is to feel an emotional response and this movie certainly provides that. It all works beautifully - I think one can tell when a company is firing on all cylinders - and I will return to this movie from time to time as no other I have seen.