Authors:                  PAULA NECHAK SPECIAL TO THE P-I 
 

MOVIE REVIEW: Shakespeare in Love. Directed by John Madden.  
Written by Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard. Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, 
Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench. Miramax Films. 113 minutes. 

Crossroads, East Valley, Guild 45th, Redmond Town Center, Uptown. 
Rated R for nudity, sexual content. Grade: A  

Madden's "Shakespeare In Love" is a bawdy, raucous, clever "skirmish of words" that has been co-written by the brilliant playwright Tom Stoppard. Not only is it lovingly, even lavishly, scribed and staged, it's  a great romp of a romance with real heart in its soul. 
 

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MOVIE REVIEW: Shakespeare in Love. Directed by John Madden. 
Written by  Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard.  
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench.  
Miramax Films. 113 minutes. 
Crossroads, East Valley, Guild 45th, Redmond Town Center, Uptown. 
Rated R for nudity, sexual content. Grade: A  

Director John Madden had such good fortune with his previous English period piece, "Mrs. Brown," that he decided to give historical costume dramas another go. Lucky for him - and us. Madden's "Shakespeare In Love" is a bawdy, raucous, clever "skirmish of words" that has been co-written by the brilliant playwright Tom Stoppard. Not only is it lovingly, even lavishly, scribed and staged, it's a great romp of a romance with real heart in its soul. It's 1593 and who could have predicted that young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) would have writer's block? While his arch rival, Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everett), ascends to new heights in the public's eye with his theatrical hit, "Dr. Faustus," poor Will suffers from lack of imagination, motivation and most of all, an appropriate muse. Will's newest play, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter," is yet a pipe dream, but his producer, the penniless Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), insists on beginning auditions.  

It's the Elizabethan Age and women aren't allowed to perform onstage, so Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), a beauty with a huge bank account, must dress as a man to fulfill her heart's desire. She calls herself Thomas Kent in a rash move determined to postpone destiny. Soon she won't have time to pursue her first love, the theater, for her father has just agreed to marry her off to the priggish and pompous Lord Wessex (Colin Firth). Wessex needs her fortune to fuel his business interests in Virginia, and he cares little for Viola as a woman. Sparks fly in this roundelay of gender-bending and mistaken identity and Will finds himself smitten with the courageous Viola, who will defy law in order to utter his words. 

Will's heart and pen ignite with passion and the Bard writes what will be his best-known tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet," but just as art imitates life, the meeting of Will and Viola is not without its own tragic - and triumphant - consequences. You'd think "Romeo and Juliet" would have worn out its big-screen welcome with its recent revivals: Baz Luhrmann's post-modern version set in Miami with Leonardo diCaprio and Claire Danes and schlock distributor Troma's twisted, trashy "Tromeo and Juliet." But Madden, who enfolds the play (and Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night") into his love story in a high-spirited, wholly unique way, has made a film that pulses with energy, humor and style.  

Of course, he's helped immensely by the screenplay by Marc Norman and Stoppard, whose first major success was his equally quick-witted drama, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," based on two supporting characters in "Hamlet." They give the story a contemporary twist by tossing in 20th-century show-biz slang. While it seems like an iffy idea, it works well. Fiennes, younger brother to Ralph, finally gets a role in which he can prove his brooding good looks and theatrical roots aren't a liability. He's so likable and self-effacing as Will that he's hard to resist. His temperament is matched by Paltrow's patrician beauty. Though the actress essentially reworks her performance in "Emma," she tackles the English accent as well as the cadence and pentameter of Shakespeare's lines with ease and dignity. Judi Dench, who received an Oscar nomination last year for playing Queen Victoria in "Mrs. Brown," has fun tweaking another staid icon, Elizabeth I, giving the film an even stronger post-modern slant. 

But ultimately the film belongs to the Bard himself. No matter how you edit, revise or incorporate Shakespeare into a fiction, the beauty of the words remains universal and adaptable. Madden has seamlessly melded two worlds that run along parallel tracks, proving that everything old is new again. The play is indeed the thing in "Shakespeare In Love," and his bold invention is a most glorious, effervescent and transcendant love story. 

Photo; Caption: The young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) falls for the Viola De Lessers (Gwyneth Paltrow), and his "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter" becomes "Romeo and Juliet." 

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© Copyright of  SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER Dec 25, 1998