'Shakespeare in Love'

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By Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Published: December 24, 1998


Though set in the Bard's 16th Century, "Shakespeare in Love" is hipper,
smarter and cleverer than any contemporary romantic comedy in recent
memory -- despite having plot lines more than 400 years old.

Ignorance of Shakespeare and his canon will not affect your appreciation
of this film. But if you are even remotely familiar with his work and
legend, you'll have a splendid time picking up on all the references in
the instantly classic script by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. Stoppard
has trod this territory before, in his wonderfully cerebral play about
two minor characters in "Hamlet," "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead."
"Shakespeare in Love" though, is far lighter on its feet, if no less
inventive. It's the "Pulp Fiction" of period comedies.

Herein lies the tale: Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), a part-time
actor, writer of sonnets and would-be playwright, is broke and has
writer's block. To counter the latter, he solicits an advance for a work
in progress, tentatively titled "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter."
Here's the rub: He promises the play to both the deeply-in-debt manager
of the plebian Rose Theater, Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), and his more
respectable chief competitor, Burbage (Martin Clunes), whose Public
Theater hosts private performances for no less than Queen Elizabeth (Judi
Dench) herself.

Nothing is written, of course, because Shakespeare has lost his muse. To
his alchemist-analyst, he admits that his quill cannot be coaxed from its
lethargy. The prescription is a new romance, but the antidote is elusive
until Will becomes spellbound by the beautiful Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow),
who dares to contradict the haughty queen at a royal command performance.
When the queen declares plays are capable only of farce and frolic, Viola,
daughter of an untitled man of wealth, argues that a great play could
fully express the nature of love.

Shakespeare has found his muse, but alas he has no class, and she is
promised to another, a nasty-tempered -- and titled -- trader, Lord
Wessex (Colin Firth). Still, having followed her home ("Follow that
boat!" Will commands the water-taxi driver) for a clandestine balcony
conversation, he is inspired to change his play from a comic adventure
to a romantic tragedy. This, however, seems quite beyond the scope of
the second-rate cast with which he is saddled, and much to the distress
of Henslowe, who thinks any play without clowns and dogs is most
certainly a mutt.

What Will is missing is an actor capable of playing a sensitive hero,
but he finds him in the stranger Tom, with whom he feels an instant
connection. This is because Tom is actually Viola in a man's wig and
mustache, disguised to get around the edict banning women from the
stage. From this deception, our own sensitive hero will take the
makings of another play, "Twelfth Night," and "Shakespeare in Love" is
gifted with the best of both worlds: comedy and tragedy, measure for
measure.

Director John Madden ("Mrs. Brown") was well aware he had a gem of a
script. It has been in development for 11 years, and was once earmarked
for Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Madden's challenge was to prevent it
from folding in on itself, becoming too precious and insular. At that
Madden has succeeded spectacularly, taking his cue from his subject,
whom the movie humanizes in wondrous ways. This is not just Shakespeare
in love, but Shakespeare in show biz. The movie has great fun
illustrating how its hero wrote the dramatic book and then, emulating
his lessons, there's plenty of sex, action (two sword fights!), suspense
and treachery -- and comedy both high and low.

"Shakespeare in Love" also has been impeccably cast, with Fiennes
("Elizabeth") providing evidence that talent runs in the family (he's
Ralph's kid brother), and Paltrow regaining all the romantic sparkle
missing in misconceived projects like "Sliding Doors" and "Great
Expectations."

There also are wonderful turns by Simon Callow as a snippy theater czar
and Ben Affleck as an actor-turned-director who gives Will both support
and ideas. The man may have been been a genius but, as "Shakespeare in
Love" reiterates so stunningly, the stuff of dreams has always been a
collaborative art.