Shakespeare in Love - 1998

©Miramax

Review by DB 2003

This movie features Shakespeare as the central character using his plays and characters in the creation of an Elizabethan period piece. Obviously many years before the phonograph so there are no phonograph scenes to influence my selection of this as a favorite movie. Despite being a Friend of the Phonograph this movie is in my top five.

Gwenyth Paltrow was well cast and was rewarded for her performance with an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Great story (Academy Award for Best Picture), very clever use of historical Shakespeare and the device of writer's block (Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay) and the right mix of comedy and romance, all culminating in the performance of one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, Romeo and Juliet.

 

Roger Ebert's review of this movie is excellent giving the film four stars out of four, and I especially agree with this portion of his review when he wrote:

"The contemporary feel of the humor (like Shakespeare's coffee mug, inscribed "Souvenir of Stratford-Upon-Avon") makes the movie play like a contest between "Masterpiece Theatre" and Mel Brooks. Then the movie stirs in a sweet love story, juicy court intrigue, backstage politics and some lovely moments from Romeo and Juliet... Is this a movie or an anthology? I didn't care. I was carried along by the wit, the energy and a surprising sweetness."

 

For me the music is also very haunting and when I listen to the soundtrack certain scenes still vividly return.

Philip Henslowe, Shakespeare in Love, © Miramax

Watch this scene about another mystery of life.

 

I'll close with one of my favorite scenes from the movie Shakespeare in Love. The subject is "mystery" and it turns out well for Henslowe, but I don't think it's the answer today for humans on planet Earth.

The scene: Philip Henslowe is explaining the theatre business to his investors:

Henslowe: "Allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster. Strangely enough it all turns out well. It's a mystery."

Fennyman: "So what do we do?"

Henslow: "Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well."

Fennyman: "How?"

Henslowe: "I don't know. It's a mystery."

 

It's a great scene -- but what's ahead is not a mystery in my opinion if the human experiment is going to be successful in caring for planet Earth.

Prioritize.

Preserve.

Conserve.

 

 

 

Phonographia