Thursday, February 20, 2014

Flick Pick: Shakespeare In Love

Shakespeare In Love
(Miramax, 1998)

Utterly sparkling romantic dramedy fiction based around the life and times of Shakespeare, and one of the most enjoyable and original bits of filmmaking in decades. The single best thing that happened on the way to this movie was Julia Roberts pulling out of the project when Daniel Day-Lewis showed no interest. It was subsequently reworked into the masterpiece it became, spattered throughout with actors worthy of the title, and enough 16th century inside baseball sideways glances at modern Hollywood to entertain anyone. Not least of the delights is Gwyneth Paltrow, who radiates in every scene, a pre-Barbossa Geoffrey Rush who demonstrates the absolute mastery of his craft, and Judi Dench, who dominated her three scenes and less than 15 minutes of screentime so thoroughly that she took top honors for the part. The attention to detail shows in every bit of every frame, it oozes period references throughout, and if William Shakespeare himself were alive today to write more, he could do little better than coming up with 36 sequels to this film on par with the original.
Best Picture, Best Actress (Paltrow) Best Supporting Actress (Dench), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Musical/Comedy Score

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