Shakespeare in Love
Short description
In 1590s London, a young William Shakespeare is struggling to write. He owes money, his theatre manager is demanding a new play, and inspiration has deserted him. Then he meets Viola de Lesseps, a noblewoman who idolises his poetry and longs to act on the stage, which is forbidden to women. Disguised as a young man, she wins the role of Romeo in the comedy he has promised but not yet written. The two fall in love, and the affair, along with Viola's engagement to a wealthy nobleman, pushes the play from comedy towards tragedy.
John Madden directed the film, the fifth of the fourteen features he made, following Mrs Brown and preceding Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard wrote the screenplay, and Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick and Norman produced. Joseph Fiennes plays Shakespeare, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola, Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe, Tom Wilkinson as Hugh Fennyman, Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth and Imelda Staunton as the Nurse. Its 25 million dollar budget returned roughly 289 million dollars worldwide.
On IMDb it holds 7.1 out of 10 from around 242,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 out of 10 from a few thousand. A critics' rating of 8.8 out of 10 from 147 reviews places it well above those audience scores. Among Madden's fourteen films, this romantic period comedy remains the most widely seen.
What's left behind the scenes
- The idea for the film came to screenwriter Mark Norman when his son Zachary called him from Boston University and suggested he write something about Shakespeare's early years in the Elizabethan theatre. It took the author another two years to develop this idea.
- Ben Affleck was not considered a potential candidate for the role until the very last moment, receiving it only after Gwyneth Paltrow sent the producers a tape of their joint audition material.
- Kate Winslet, after the colossal success of "Titanic," turned down the role offered to her, preferring Jane Campion's drama "The Portrait of a Lady" (1999).
- The play performed for the Queen at the beginning of the film is titled "Two Gentlemen of Verona".
- Judi Dench received an Academy Award for her role as Queen Elizabeth, which appears on screen for approximately eight minutes in four scenes. This is one of the shortest roles among Oscar winners, second only to Beatrice Straight's role in 'Network' (1976), which had only 6 minutes of screen time.
- After the final scene of the film received a mixed reaction at test screenings, it was decided to reshoot it just weeks before the scheduled premiere in early December 1998. In November 1998, a new version of the final scene with Will and Viola was filmed, forcing Joseph Fiennes to interrupt his work on a play in a British theater, and Gwyneth Paltrow was specially flown in for a few days from the set of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999).
- During the numerous delays in the film's production, Kevin Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh were contenders for the director's position.
- With seven Academy Awards, "Shakespeare in Love" holds the record for the most Oscars won by a film not awarded Best Director.
- Although "Shakespeare in Love" contains numerous phrases and fragments from "Romeo and Juliet" along with quotes from other Shakespearean plays, the famous playwright and writer himself was not credited among the screenwriters.
- The unattractive street urchin John Webster, shown in one scene playing with mice, was a real historical figure. He later became a famous writer, whose plays were distinguished by a large number of bloody scenes and violence.
- In one scene, Viola asks Will, "Are you the author of William Shakespeare's plays?" This is a reference to numerous modern theories and speculations that question the authorship of William Shakespeare.
- Six years before work on the film finally began, Universal Studios signed Julia Roberts for the lead female role. Daniel Day-Lewis was approached for the lead male role, but he declined, preferring "In the Name of the Father" (1993). Ultimately, after failing to find a suitable alternative, the studio decided to abandon plans to make the project.
- Julie Andrews could have played the role of Queen Elizabeth.
- Producer Edward Zwick was originally intended to direct the film when it was being prepared by Universal. Later, when the project gained momentum, he was occupied filming the thriller "The Siege" (1998), and the Miramax studio, which took over the film, was forced to look for other candidates for the director's position. At the same time, Edward Zwick's production company, Bedford Falls, still participated in the project.
- Besides Gwyneth Paltrow, Meg Ryan, Jodie Foster, Winona Ryder, and Kate Winslet were also considered for the lead female role.
- Judi Dench was so impressed with the full-scale replica of the historic London Rose Theatre, built for the film's shooting, that after filming wrapped, Miramax Studios gave it to her entirely and allowed her to take the disassembled structure home.
- For the first and only time in the history of the American Film Academy, two actresses were nominated in the same year for the role of the same character, British Queen Elizabeth. Judi Dench was nominated for and received an award for Best Supporting Actress for "Shakespeare in Love," while Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress for the historical drama "Elizabeth."
- The role of Philip Henslowe was originally intended for Simon Callow, but after the film's production was resumed after a long break, it went to Geoffrey Rush. In return, Simon Callow received a smaller, but very significant role as Tilney. Mel Gibson was also considered for the role of Philip Henslowe.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
