"We haven't the time to talk in prose"

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2016)

The 1998 Best Picture Winner, Shakespeare in Love has suffered from the "didn't deserve it" curse. Sometimes, a movie is remembered not on its own merits, but on what it beat out for Oscar's top prize. I have been guilty of this before as well; it took me until I was 27 years old to see Forrest Gump because I was so distraught at the fact that it beat out Pulp Fiction and Network for Best Picture. I've tried not to put movies in this purgatory anymore, but it still happens. For instance, I hardly ever meet someone who has seen How Green Was My Valley, yet I meet a lot of people who scoff that John Ford's magical piece beat out Citizen Kane in the eyes of the Academy. John Madden's feature, starring Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, and Gwyneth Paltrow is not immune to this phenomenon. Unfortunately, Shakespeare in Love, the story of the Bard finding his muse and writing his most revered play, is more remembered as the bandit that stole Best Picture from Saving Private Ryan.
A struggling poet and amateur playwright, Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is grappling with a severe case of writer's block. Having already sold a play to theater operator Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), he is racing against the deadline of opening night to have something to give to both the operator of the theater and the audience. He needs the love of a woman to inspire him to write the romance expected of him, but every attempt to find her has proved futile. Meanwhile, Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) a beautiful admirer of theater and fan of Shakespeare's wants nothing more than to act. Since only men are allowed to act in theater, Viola takes on the identity of a fictitious Thomas Kent, dresses as a man, and auditions and is accepted for a part in Shakespeare's next play. Wil sees through her ruse and falls in love with the woman behind the mustache. The two begin a love affair tainted with the knowledge that Wil is married, and Viola has been promised to Lord Wessex. Eventually realizing their union will never endure, the two go on, promising to forever love the other. Viola enters her marriage to Lord Wessex; Wil, finally attaining his muse, goes on to write his next play.
The true treat of this film is its screenplay. This clever, well- written script will have you roped in from the first scene. Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard deserve accolades and were totally deserving for their statuettes for Best Original Screenplay. Aside from how well it was written, the story is very interesting as well. Even though Shakespeare's works are read in high schools throughout the world, very little thought is put into the love life of the man behind the great romances. Costumes were another brilliant treat from this film. Granted, it seems as though period pieces always take home top prize from the Academy, there was the added pressure of also designing costumes to be used as costumes, as much of the scenes comprised of the actors rehearsing the play Shakespeare was writing. Every garment worn by the actors looked uniquely Victorian and produced a well-deserved gold statuette for costume designer Sandy Powell. This film, much like the English Patient, deserves to be viewed on its own merit, and accepted as a fine piece of filmmaking, regardless of the other films that came out the same year.
Shakespeare in Love is a drama and a romance but never gets bogged down by either genre. There are playful moments abound within the film, making it all the more engaging for the audience. My favorite scene of this nature takes place in a bar; Wil is depressed over his writer's block and bumps into revered playwright Christopher Marlowe who gives Shakespeare advice for his play. The authorship of works credited to Shakespeare is heavily debated in some circles with many, myself included believing Marlowe to be the true author. It was a fun nod the film took to recognize this and incorporate it into the film. What was also fun was the repeated allusions throughout the film to other works of Shakespeare's, most notably Twelfth Night. Being a fan of works attributed to Shakespeare it was fun to see these nods within the film; these allusions also made it easier to forgive the historical inaccuracies wrought throughout the film as well.
Shakespeare in Love is a fun look at the inner workings of possibly the most famous playwright to have ever lived. The film is beautiful to watch and captivating due to the exceptional screenplay and costumes. I urge audiences to view Shakespeare in Love, on its own merits; I wager you will be pleasantly surprised. Shakespeare in Love is so much more than "the film that beat Saving Private Ryan". If given the chance, audiences will fall in love with Shakespeare in Love.