As hard to Forget as Romeo and Juliet Itself

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2005)

This 1998 Oscar winning film projects a fictional theory of how legendary writer William Shakespeare came up with his greatest work Romeo and Juliet. It is the late 1500's and William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) a young writer in Elizabethan England has what can only be describe as a bad case of writers block his latest play Romeo and Ethel the pirates daughter is lacking in enthusiasm and energy. Short of cash Will desperately needs to find inspiration to finish his play. And it comes in a very unlikely form. The wealthy daughter a local knight, Lady Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow). At a party hosted by her father, Viola and Will lock eyes and are instantly smitten prompting Will to turn out of one of his most promising plays to date. The pages are soon written, Romeo and Ethel soon becomes Romeo and Juliet and casting and rehearsals begin under the careful eye of Wills patron Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) but what the stars don't know is that the boy cast is Romeo is Viola in disguise fulfilling her dream to be an actress. As the play progress and Will and Violas love deepens, the villainous Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) claims Viola for his bride. Feeling the need to comply with her father's wishes, Viola agrees to marry Wessex forcing Will to write the rest of his story with broken heart but will fate and the will of the Queen (Judi Dench) find Wills favour and can this story have a happy ending that the comedy loving English public love? Amazing Light and hilariously funny this film offers both moments of severity coupled with laughter and is indeed as hard to forget as Romeo and Juliet itself.