IMDb > Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Shakespeare in Love
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Shakespeare in Love (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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Shakespeare in Love (1998) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   73,822 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Marc Norman (written by) and
Tom Stoppard (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Shakespeare in Love on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 January 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
...A Comedy About the Greatest Love Story Almost Never Told... more
Plot:
A young Shakespeare, out of ideas and short of cash, meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 43 wins & 60 nominations more
User Comments:
An Abundance of Riches more (706 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Geoffrey Rush ... Philip Henslowe

Tom Wilkinson ... Hugh Fennyman
Steven O'Donnell ... Lambert
Tim McMullan ... Frees (as Tim McMullen)

Joseph Fiennes ... Will Shakespeare
Steven Beard ... Makepeace - the Preacher
Antony Sher ... Dr. Moth
Patrick Barlow ... Will Kempe
Martin Clunes ... Richard Burbage
Sandra Reinton ... Rosaline
Simon Callow ... Tilney - Master of the Revels

Judi Dench ... Queen Elizabeth
Bridget McConnell ... Lady in Waiting (as Bridget McConnel)
Georgie Glen ... Lady in Waiting

Nicholas Boulton ... Henry Condell
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for sexuality.
Runtime:
123 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Kenneth Branagh, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jodie Foster, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and Winona Ryder, were all considered for the lead roles. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The film takes place in the 1590s; yet, there are several references to a character's "tobacco plantations in America". There were neither tobacco plantations nor English colonies in America in the 1590s. The Roanoke colony failed in 1587, and tobacco monoculture did not begin in Virginia until the 1610s. more
Quotes:
William Shakespeare: Follow that boat!
First Boatman: Right you are, guv'nor!... I know your face. Are you an actor?
William Shakespeare: [oh God, here we go again] Yes.
First Boatman: Yes, I've seen you in something. That one about a king.
William Shakespeare: Really?
First Boatman: I had that Christopher Marlowe in my boat once.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Shakespeare in Love and on Film (1999) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
The Play & the Marriage more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
37 out of 49 people found the following comment useful.
An Abundance of Riches, 20 June 1999
Author: BB-15 from California

A romantic comedy does not get much better than Shakespeare in Love. Here is a movie that captures the feel of England 400 years ago. It is romantic yet light. It is funny but is complex enough to provide enjoyment for fans of literature.

The sets of England 400 years ago, the costumes and the character's makeup including their bad dental work were just right. You could almost smell those streets. The hero, Shakespeare, is excellently played by Joseph Fiennes. He is sympathetic but never pathetic. As for Gwyneth Paltrow, she shows her range from boyishness to radiance. This is the first film I have seen her in where I believed she could become a great actress. There is also a great supporting cast, especially Judi Dench, who all have good melodramatic and comic instincts.

The film never plods. The screenplay is rich with romance, emotion and action. The plot weaves several stories and themes. You can enjoy it as a simple love story with some action and basic suspense about producing a play or you can get much deeper into movie's complex tapestry of ideas and in jokes. But most importantly the film's mood is always light and is never overblown (unlike another recent movie about unfulfilled love, Great Expectations).

Deserving of its Oscar, this is simply a great film.

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Don't many historians believe that... OldHollywood_Glamour
How did this beat Saving Private Ryan for the Oscar? patchdyer
MY FAVORITE LINE IN THE FILM. Edwardslcn
the first time silentbizzob
I loved this the first time I saw it Esmacious
shakespeare's handwriting isabella07
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