Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16375 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-12-07
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

From Amazon.com
One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the '90s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love is filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners, and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Jokey comedy, though, soon takes a backseat to ravishing romance when the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition in the all-male cast, and wins both the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes the beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet, reflecting the agony and ecstasy of Will and Viola's romance--he's married and she's set to marry the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) in the near future.

The way that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard enfold their story within the parameters of Romeo and Juliet (and even Twelfth Night) is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly, Norman and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in addition to riding a Shakespearean roller coaster, with director John Madden (Mrs. Brown) reigning in his huge ensemble with rollicking energy. Along the way there are small gems to be found, including Judi Dench's eight-minute, Oscar-winning turn as a truly regal Queen Elizabeth, but the key element of Shakespeare in Love's success rests on the milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably overlooked at Oscar time, is a dashing, heartfelt Will, and as for Best Actress winner Paltrow, well, nothing she'd done before could have prepared viewers for how amazing she is here. Breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely intelligent, strong-willed, and lovestruck--it's a performance worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By the film's end, you'll be thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare with newfound ardor. --Mark Englehart

Amazon.ca
Lauréat de sept oscars, dont celui du meilleur film et de la meilleure actrice (Gwyneth Paltrow), Shakespeare et Juliette (Shakespeare in Love), de John Madden, possède la fraîcheur et le piquant d’un verre de champagne glacé. Cette comédie romantique, qui joue habilement sur le travestissement, se veut aussi un hommage au théâtre.

Nous sommes en Angleterre, en 1592. Un certain Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) tombe amoureux de la belle Lady Viola (Paltrow). Cela suffit pour lui redonner l’inspiration ; il se met alors à écrire une pièce qui se déroule à Vérone. Déguisée en jeune homme, Lady Viola auditionne pour le rôle masculin et l’obtient. Malheureusement, il est interdit aux femmes de monter sur les planches dans le royaume d’Élizabeth I (Judi Dench)…. Qu’à cela ne tienne ! Roméo se transformera en Juliette et l’amour triomphera de ces mille et uns écueils.

Acclamé à l’unanimité par la critique, Shakespeare et Juliette repose sur un scénario intelligent, plein d’humour et de fantaisie. Certaines répliques ("Qui est-ce ?" "Oh, personne : l’auteur.") réjouiront ceux qui œuvrent dans le milieu du divertissement. Les scènes d’amour flatteront les cœurs tendres. Et puisque nous sommes au théâtre, il y a même un peu de transgression dans cette histoire aux allures de bluette inoffensive. Un film charmant qui séduira tous les publics, à ne rater sous aucun prétexte. --Hélène de Billy

Review
In a decade in which Shakespearean subjects had become increasingly popular, John Madden's Shakespeare In Love ripped the envelope and then some. Madden's treatment of Marc Norman's and Tom Stoppard's screenplay reminded audiences that Shakespeare's plays were works of flesh and blood, and their playwright a living, breathing human being who faced practical problems and used his best creative impulses, sometimes on the spur of the moment, to solve them. Joseph Fiennes's Shakespeare is a realistically human portrayal, the jumping-off point for one of the more robustly believable movie depictions of Elizabethan life, true to history in large measure, yet not afraid to allow some laughter and incorporate a historical conceit or two in telling its story. The movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Gwyneth Paltrow as Best Actress, and Judi Dench in a brief but memorable turn as Queen Elizabeth, revealed to be as quirkily and dimensionally human as Shakespeare himself. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

A GOOFY YET DELICIOUSLY SEDUCTIVE ROMANTIC COMEDY!
The DVD casing claimed in big bold letters "Best Screenplay" Academy Award winner. I can surely see why! Must have been some deviously creative team that crafted this crisp comic period-piece.

The film is really two love stories: one a bawdy romance between two smitten humans, and the other an ode to the art of theatre. The writers'/director's love for showmanship is loud and evident throughout the brilliant screenplay, and if you're a fan of wordplay in any way, well then this is a surefire delight.

Both Paltrow and Fienners turn in lusciously romantic performances in their respective roles -- she pulls off the formidable order of gender-switching without a hitch, and he has just the right pitches and patterns for a young, struggling Shakespeare. Geoffrey Rush is magnetic as usual.

Don't be fooled by the Elizabethan accoutrements, this film and its arsenal of laconic quips could easily shoot several contemporary romances to dust. Buy this one in fact, don't just rent, it quite comfortably stands the test of more than one viewing..

Rush in an unforgettable role
Although Geoffrey Rush is not the star of the film, he delivers a memorable performance, as usual. Fiennes does, also. The costuming is very beautiful, and the humour is delightful. Highly reccommended.

Hollywood Takes On Shakespeare
This won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1998. Stars Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow as the romantic partners William Shakespeare and his Muse, with Dame Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I. This is a lush film to look at in many respects. The authentic period costumes is a nice touch. The film is mostly set in the theatre of Shakespeare's day. At this time, there were no female actresses. Only men were involved in theatre. Men played the role of women. Nowadays, it's twisted to think the first Romeo and Juliet were two men. The movie has no accuracy or truth to actual historic account. William Shakespeare was never romantically linked to the character Gwyneth Paltrow plays.

The whole thing is a fictionalized, dramatic melodrama that never took place. William Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway but there is evidence he was unfaithful and loved the Jewish keyboard player "Dark Lady" of whom he writes about in his sonnets. The movie is merely Hollywood taking on Shakespeare and it has since been used in English courses throughout the US. Shakespeare is enacted by Joseph Fiennes who is doing a terrific job. However, I don't much care for Gwyneth Paltrow's performance, no matter how much Oscar appeal she was said to circulate. She comes off as pretty wooden and the typical romantic heroine straight out of a bodice ripper, romantic novel. All she does is fall in love for Shakespeare and even goes to the lengths of dressing as a man to be near him during production of Romeo and Juliet. Judi Dench, a sublime actress though she is, does not LOOK anything like the real Queen Elizabeth. They could have cast an actress who looked the part more truthfully. Judi Dench did a better job as England's Queen Victoria in the movie "Mrs. Brown". She looked exactly like her and her fastidious, overly refined manners were distinctly Victorian. And one last thing, Ben Affleck had no place in this film. Did he think he would win an Oscar too or some form of recognition ? Ben Affleck is not right for this movie, no matter how small the role. It just seemed out of place and I would have preferred to see a true Shakespearean legend in this movie like Sir Ian McKellen. But it's a movie that has a unique charm. The music is also very beautiful. Be sure and get the soundtrack if you really liked the music for this movie.