Synopsis:
Romantic comedy set in London in the late 16th century: Young playwright William Shakespeare struggles with his latest work "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter". A great fan of Shakespeare's plays is young, wealthy Viola who is about to be married to the cold-hearted Lord Wessex, but constantly dreams of becoming an actress. Women were not allowed to act on stage at that time (female roles were played by men, too), but dressed up as a boy, Viola successfully auditions for the part of Romeo. Soon she and William are caught in a forbidden romance that provides rich inspiration for his play.

Pictures:

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS:

Geoffrey Rush ............ Philip Henslowe
Tom Wilkinson ............ Hugh Fennyman
Joseph Fiennes ........... William Shakespeare
Antony Sher .............. Dr. Moth
Martin Clunes ............ Richard Burbage
Simon Callow ............. Mr. Tilney, Master of the Revels
Judi Dench ............... Queen Elizabeth
Gwyneth Paltrow .......... Viola De Lesseps
Imelda Staunton .......... Nurse
Colin Firth .............. Lord Wessex
Mark Williams ............ Wabash
Ben Affleck .............. Ned Alleyn
Rupert Everett ........... Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe (uncredited)

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Written by................  Marc Norman
..........................  Tom Stoppard
Directed by...............  John Madden
Executive Producer........  Julie Goldstein
..........................  Bob Weinstein
Producer..................  Donna Gigliotti
..........................  Marc Norman
..........................  David Parfitt
..........................  Harvey Weinstein
..........................  Edward Zwick
Original Music............  Stephen Warbeck
Cinematography............  Richard Greatrex
Film Editing..............  David Gamble
Casting...................  Michelle Guish
Production Design.........  Martin Childs
Costume Design............  Humberto Cornejo
..........................  Sandy Powell

Other Information:

UK Release................  29 January 1999
US Release................  3 December 1998 (New York City, New York) (premiere)
..........................  8 December 1998 (Los Angeles, California) (premiere)
..........................  11 December 1998 (limited)
..........................  25 December 1998
DVD Release (Region1).....  10 August 1999
DVD Release (Region2).....  1 October 1999
Classification............  

© 2004 by ElleJay, Fat Cat Productions
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laura.barnsley@ntlworld.com