Judi Dench outshines all!

Rating: 8/10 (25 October 1999)

If you want to admire real acting then watch Judi Dench's performance as Queen Elizabeth. Her appearances are brief but immediately we feel we are in the presence of a royal personage. A toss of the head, a withering glance and some cutting remarks immediately establish her character. We hang on her every word, every movement. I found the character of young Will Shakespeare lacking in a certain warmth. After all,Shakespeare was a man who could write on every aspect of human nature. I thought the bustling crowd scenes were well executed down to the last detail and the Rose and Curtain theatres had just the right atmosphere. The dialogue infused with Shakespeare's words from his famous plays was clever script-writing and should appeal to a wide audience. But on the whole, despite some good individual performances, I expected more from an Academy Award winner for best film. It must have been a nightmare for the director handling those energetic crowd scenes which he did so well. But perhaps he should have spent more time on Joseph's interpretation of young Will Shakespeare.