Shakespeare in Love (1998) Part 1 of 3

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William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is a known but struggling poet, playwright, and actor, who not only has sold his next play to both Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) and Richard Burbage (Martin Clunes), but now faces a far more difficult problem: he is bereft of ideas and has yet to begin writing. He is in search of his muse, the woman who will inspire him but all attempts fail him until he meets the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow). She loves the theatre and would like nothing more than to take to the stage, but is forbidden from doing so as only men can be actors. She is also a great admirer of Shakespeare's works. Dressing as a man, and going by the name of "Thomas Kent", she auditions and is ideal for a part in his next play. Shakespeare soon sees through her disguise and they begin a love affair, one they know cannot end happily for them as he is already married and she has been promised to the dour Lord Wessex (Colin Firth). As the company rehearses his new play, William and Viola's love i.s transferred to the written page leading to the masterpiece that is Romeo and Juliet.

From IMDB:

10/10
Brilliant! Absolute perfection!

Shakespeare in Love was a fantastic film in all departments. You cannot go wrong with the splendid locations and the wondrous costumes. The screenplay was superlative, very witty and moving, and one of the few screenplays out there that completely blew me away. The direction from John Madden was spot on, and I believe it is the same John Madden who directed some of the greatest Inspector Morse episodes, and Inspector Morse in my opinion is the best British detective drama out there. And what a talented cast, with Joseph Fiennes utterly charming and handsome as William Shakespeare, and Gwyneth Paltrow in possibly her best performance was by every means captivating as Lady Viola. Geoffrey Rush, who actually looks like the Barbossa character he created in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, was hilarious, and Colin Firth makes Lord Wessex intentionally insufferable. Simon Callow, Martin Clunes and Ben Affleck are solid in their roles, not to mention the wonderful performance of Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I. Her end monologue was beautifully written and Dench's interpretation was flawless. I am 17, and I do hope I am not the only person who doesn't think this movie is overrated- I thought it was a brilliant film, that wholly deserved the accolades it received. 10/10 Bethany Cox