Review of Shakespeare in Love (1998) by Jonathan B — 11 Apr 2016

The "Souvenir of Stratford-upon-Avon" mug seen in the opening minutes sets the comedic tone of this delightful movie. As the film opens, Shakespeare is in debt, the theatres are in disarray and the playwright has lost his muse.

Enter Viola, a young noblewoman who has a romantic heart and love of the theatre. She encounters the young Shakespeare and the two fall in love but she has been betrothed to another by her cash-strapped father and it seems she will soon set sail for the far off Virginia.

The skill of this movie is its witty, intelligent script that manages to deliver enough literary in-jokes without them becoming a distraction. Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman also manage to tread a delicate line between Shakespearian tragedy and comedy.

Gwyneth Paltrow is breathily fresh as Viola and Joseph Fiennes plays a rascally bard. There are great comic turns from Geoffrey Rush, Imelda Staunton and Tom Wilkinson while Judi Dench makes for a wickedly waspish Elizabeth I.

The movie looks sumptuous and elegant and the skills of director John Madden really shine through. This movie won a clutch of awards on its release ensuring it reached a wider audience than the subject would probably have commanded otherwise.

Nearly 20 years on, it still works on every level and is a real treat for the movie fan.