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IMDbPro

Shakespeare in Love

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
227K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,982
262
Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Trailer for Shakespeare In Love: Blu-Ray
Play trailer1:42
7 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaHistory
The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
227K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,982
262
    • John Madden
    • Marc Norman
    • Tom Stoppard
  • Stars
    • Gwyneth Paltrow
    • Joseph Fiennes
    • Geoffrey Rush
    • John Madden
    • Marc Norman
    • Tom Stoppard
  • Stars
    • Gwyneth Paltrow
    • Joseph Fiennes
    • Geoffrey Rush
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 819User reviews
    • 122Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 7 Oscars

    Videos7

    Shakespeare in Love
    Trailer 1:42
    Watch Shakespeare in Love
    Shakespeare in Love
    Trailer 0:26
    Watch Shakespeare in Love
    Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Clip 0:31
    Watch Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Clip 0:51
    Watch Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:10
    Watch Shakespeare in Love: Blu-Ray
    What Roles Was Ben Affleck Considered For?
    Video 4:10
    Watch What Roles Was Ben Affleck Considered For?
    Shakespeare in Love | Anniversary Mashup
    Video 1:06
    Watch Shakespeare in Love | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos115

    Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Geoffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Ben Affleck in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
    Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gwyneth Paltrow
    Gwyneth Paltrow
    • Viola De Lesseps
    Joseph Fiennes
    Joseph Fiennes
    • Will Shakespeare
    Geoffrey Rush
    Geoffrey Rush
    • Philip Henslowe
    Tom Wilkinson
    Tom Wilkinson
    • Hugh Fennyman
    Steven O'Donnell
    Steven O'Donnell
    • Lambert
    Tim McMullan
    Tim McMullan
    • Frees
    • (as Tim McMullen)
    Steven Beard
    • Makepeace, the Preacher
    Antony Sher
    Antony Sher
    • Dr Moth
    Patrick Barlow
    • Will Kempe
    Martin Clunes
    Martin Clunes
    • Richard Burbage
    Sandra Reinton
    • Rosaline
    Simon Callow
    Simon Callow
    • Tilney, Master of the Revels
    Judi Dench
    Judi Dench
    • Queen Elizabeth
    Bridget McConnell
    • Lady in Waiting
    • (as Bridget McConnel)
    Georgie Glen
    Georgie Glen
    • Lady in Waiting
    Nicholas Boulton
    Nicholas Boulton
    • Henry Condell
    Imelda Staunton
    Imelda Staunton
    • Nurse
    Colin Firth
    Colin Firth
    • Lord Wessex
      • John Madden
      • Marc Norman
      • Tom Stoppard
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter are married in real life, and in this movie, they played the same role. Staunton played the Nurse off-stage, and Carter played the nurse on-stage.
    • Goofs
      William Shakespeare/Romeo tends to Ned/Mercutio by kneeling to Mercutio's right, and, in doing so, violates the first "rule" of stage acting, which is to never hinder the audience's view of the stage or the actors.
    • Quotes

      William Shakespeare: You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.

      Viola De Lesseps: Nor you, for me.

      William Shakespeare: Goodbye, my love. A thousand times goodbye.

      Viola De Lesseps: Write me well.

    • Alternate versions
      The Region 2 DVD contains some deleted scenes:
      • A different end sequence. Here the conversation between Will and Viola is shorter than in the final film. After Viola has left Burbage enters and stops Will from running after Viola. He also takes the 50 pounds and says "Welcome to the Chamberlain's Men". The scene where Lord Wessex's ship sinks is also different. Here we see that Viola survives the drowning and is washed ashore an unknown coast. There she asks two people where she is. Their reply is "This is America".
      • A slightly different version of the scene where Burbank and his men fight against Will and his actors in the theatre. The sequence is largely the same as the scene used in the final film but parts are shown from different angles. A small conversation between Fennyman and Henslowe is added where they discuss about business.
      • A small scene which takes place after Henslowe has announced the audition. Here the two actors John and James walk to the court to play witnesses. When they meet the other actors and hear that Will Shakespeare needs actors for his new play they follow them to the audition.
      • A deleted take where Tom Wilkinson announces that he will be playing the apothecary. To Rushs question "How does the comedy end?" Fiennes replys "By God, I wish I knew". Then Rush says "By God, if you do not, who does? Let us have pirates, clowns and a happy ending and you'll make Harvey Weinstein a happy man."
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Star Trek: Insurrection/Jack Frost/Shakespeare in Love/Psycho/The General (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      The Play & the Marriage
      (uncredited)

      Written by Stephen Warbeck

      Performed by Catherine Bott

      Conducted by Nick Ingman

    User reviews819

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    An Abundance of Riches
    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.
    helpful•64
    34
    • BB-15
    • Jun 20, 1999

    FAQ1

    • was shakespeare's blue leather jacket actually historically accurate or from a different time period

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 1999 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Facebook
      • Official Site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Broughton Castle, Broughton, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Miramax
      • The Bedford Falls Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 3 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS

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