Lovely Story With a Lot of Thought Put Into It

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2012)

."Shakespeare in Love" is well-documented movie that was literally taken by the heart by those who contributed in making the movie. The story focuses on the legendary playwright and legendary stage director William Shakespeare on his quest in search for inspiration to find a potential muse that would eventually lead to one of his best written plays of all time, "Romeo and Juliet". It takes you the events and tragedies that inspired him to write this endearing tragedy that has to this very day being one of the greatest plays ever written. Legenday playwright Mark Norman and Tom Stoppard mentioned in the DVD features that they were always curious of what kind of a person William Shakespeare was like before he reached the iconic level.
Although nobody really has an accurate portrayal of the man, we are led to assume that he was no different than anybody else who was entering in the field of writing. "Shakespeare in Love" gives its audience the assumption that he was poorer than dirt, hungry for sex and most of all struggling to fit that final sentence into proper grammar. The historical account was very well in terms of accuracy as we get the feeling that we have stepped into the metaphoric time machine during the Elizabethan time period in England. We get the feel of the customs, the laws, the clothes and the mannerisms that the civilians of that generation lived. The DVD extras provide you with a lot of depth on what to expect in this provocative period piece.
The one thing that short changed me a little bit was the lack of mentioning of the name Christopher Marlowe. For those who don't know who Mr. Marlowe, he was Shakespeare's apprentice who many also went as far to believe that he was Shakespeare's ghost writer. His life ended tragically when a tavern brawl ensued and he was beaten to death at the young age of 29. But the execution delivered here was handled so convincingly, it puts our skepticism to rest. Sure the lustful scenes at the beginning will surely fog up your lenses, but then again there are steamy romantic interludes in "Romeo and Juliet" so this should come as no surprise.
The cast features an elaborate ensemble of talented performers to make this film more real and very captivating. The leads and supports all turned in sublime performances I'm not really sure which one stood out the most. Joseph Fiennes was excellent in the titular character He is the definitive Lothario who's light on his triumphs and failures. Gwyneth Paltrow was the right ingredient for the perfect muse for what would lead to the greatest and saddest tragedies to ever hit the center stage. Paltrow herself was probably the inspiration that Norman and Stoppard needed to create their modern day masterpiece. Colin Firth shines as the manipulative, conniving villain Lord Wessex and Ben Affleck was at the top of his game as the suave thespian Ned Alleyn.
Alleyn doesn't come up on the acting spectrum on his own. He has a slew of other fine thespians all vying for their big break. In the beginning of the movie, the film has a soft and gentle feeling to it. In the second half, we see a more tragic and a more involving storyline as the film goes into progression. Dame Judy Dench feels right at home in the period piece genre as her majesty Queen Elizabeth I. Her costumes are so punctual to the period it feels like they should be exhibited at the Smithsonian itself. The costumes were just one of seven Oscar nominations this movie received. Other notables include Best Screenplay (Norman and Stoppard), Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), Best Supporting Actress (Dench) and three others. If you never seen it before I advise you to watch this movie. You will not be disappointed.