The great bard, William Shakespeare (Fiennes), has writer's block. He can't get started on his new play, 'Romeo and Ethyl the Pirate's Daughter', which he's supposed to have nearly finished. That is, until he meets Viola de Lessups (Paltrow) and his love for her inspires him to write. However, Viola is engaged to Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), and they risk his wrath as well as that of Queen Elizabeth (Dench) by having Viola play Romeo in Will's new play. Of course, women aren't allowed on the stage in Shakespeare's day (women's parts were played by boys).

The word 'Shakespeare' in the title is not something to be feared. The language is all modern (except, of course, in scenes where they are rehearsing the play), and the movie isn't aimed at a strictly Shakespearean fan based audience. In fact, the more you know about Shakespeare, the more holes you can pick in the historical facts presented. Of course, the movie doesn't set out to be historically accurate and the excessive inaccuracies are probably to make it concrete in the audience's mind that they're watching a fictional piece.

Shakespeare in Love won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Paltrow) and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench). Probably not deserving of the Best Picture Oscar though.....

This is the classic tragedy of two star-crossed lovers, set in old Verona with the costumes and swordplay to match. This film keeps to the original period and sets the scene and atmosphere quite well. Romeo (Whiting) and Juliet (Hussey) look made for each other and Mercutio (McEnery) is almost perfect. Zeffirelli has succeeded in making a film that is reflective of the original play. This film is not as action packed as Luhrmann's, having a more reflective quality, which is mostly due to it being set 400 years pre-Luhrmann.

I enjoyed this classic film, though at some points it did seem a bit dull. The film is a good depiction of the past and the problematic love that these two had, the photography and costumes are wonderful. The musical score adds a great deal to the entire film. However, the film falls down somewhat because it mostly relies on the past and the director's interpretation seems to be lacking. That said, I still believe that this is a movie that is worth watching simply for the well conceived classical interpretation.