Shakespeare in Love

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2005)

One of the best romantic comedy films, not written by Richard Curtis, but still brilliant, from Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated director John Madden (Mrs. Brown). It is the late 16th Century, young Globe Theatre play-write William 'Will' Shakespeare (BAFTA nominated Joseph Fiennes) is having writer's block trying to come up with the new play, currently titled "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter" (which later becomes "Romeo and Juliet") with budgeting from Richard Burbage (Martin Clunes), and friends including Philip Henslowe (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Geoffrey Rush), to entertain Queen Elizabeth I (Oscar and BAFTA winning, and Golden Globe nominated Dame Judi Dench, on screen for only 8 minutes in 4 scenes). A fan of Will's, rich Viola (Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Gwyneth Paltrow, with her very convincing British accent), who is to be married to the cold-hearted Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) wants to be an actress, so she dresses as a boy and auditions to become Will's Romeo. Eventually though, Will finds out Viola's true identity, and they have a passionate forbidden romance that gives him inspiration for his successful play, becoming the most famous love story of all time. Also starring BAFTA nominated Tom Wilkinson as Hugh Fennyman, Ben Affleck as Ned Alleyn, Simon Callow as Tilney, Master of the Revels, Jim Carter as Ralph Bashford, Imelda Staunton as Nurse, Rupert Everett as Christopher Marlowe, Antony Sher as Dr. Moth, Mark Williams as Wabash, Simon Day as First Boatman and EastEnders' Lucy Speed as a Whore. It won the Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Music for Stephen Warbeck, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Picture, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography Richard Greatrex, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Best Sound, it won the BAFTAs for Best Film and Best Editing, and it was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Make Up/Hair, Best Production Design, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound and the David Lean Award for Direction, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical and Best Screenplay. Gwyneth Paltrow was number 89 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, Dame Judi Dench was number 1 on The 50 Greatest British Actresses, she was number 1 on Britain's Finest Actreses, and she was number 8 on The World's Greatest Actor, Rupert Everett was number 38, and Colin Firth number 9 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, and Firth was number 29 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, the film was number 27 on The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments, it was number 50 on 100 Years, 100 Passions, and it was number 6 on The 50 Greatest British Films. Outstanding!