Fall in love with Shakespeare in Love by Deanna Symoski staff writer I would like to say it was those thir teen Oscar nominations that sent me scrambling to see Shakespeare in Love last weekend, but it was actu ally the extra credit I could earn by bringing my ticket stub to art history class, Hey, whatever gets you through the door. Once inside, however, 1 was treated to an en chanting story oflove laughter and life The setting is six teenth century En gland and our strug gling playwrightfJo seph Fiennes) has set out to pen a comedy tentatively titled “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter” for the Rose Theater. Problem is, he’s been lacking in the love de partment lately and without a beautiful woman to unlock his X passion for life, he is Gwyneth Pi .(row, Joseph Fiennes and a cast of others star in lakespeare in plagued by an in.oier- which has already won three Golden Globe Awards including best comedy and is bidck Ca En,e! wia r s emy Awards inc,udin 9 ** Picture - Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay Played by Gwenyth Paltrow, the Madame De Lesseps is a huge fan of Shakespeare's plays, but when the two lock eyes for the first time at her parents' party, she realizes Will ain’t half bad himself. Although she is betrothed, the two carry on an amorous affair until (oopsl) he discov ers she's been masquerading as Tho mas Ghent, the young aetor who landed the part ot Romeo in his play. Oh well, nobody's perfect. The af fair continues and ends up shaping Will's comedy into a tragic love story. A few minor changes to the title and the rest is history. The dialo gue sounds like a Shakespearean play, but it is 1593 af ter all, and people really did talk that way. Fiennes and Paltrow both de liver wonderful performances, mak ing a difficult string ol words sound like everyday language, while still maintaining the poetry that makes this film so delightful. That is not to say that you do not need to pay close attention —you do. I understood most of it and still managed to lose track of who was feuding with whom. The story, like the play, is rampant with tieked-01l lovers and dueling swordsmen: a welcome at traction so long as you remember who’s who. And the story isn't all a lighthearted jaunt through jolly old England, ei ther. While it is mostly humorous, there are some darker scenes that de mand much more from the actors than a typical romantic comedy. It’s unfortunate that with so many Acad emy nominations, Fiennes is some how overlooked. It seems a poet is no match lor a soldier (Tom Hanks for Saving Private Ryan) or a re formed skin head (Edward Norton for American History X). The supporting actors did not go unnoticed, however. Judi Dench, whose meie-presence on screemlends an air of sophistication to the entire production, played Queen Ldi/abcih I lor a total of nine minutes and still managed to snag a sole for best Sup porting Actress. (icollrc\ Rush, best known lor his work m Shim and a nominee lor Best Supporting Acioi. plays the thealei s ounci. IF stressed out guy indebted up i.. h, cars and desperate for the slu>u p. on despite more than a feu map a 1 Then there's lien Allied, u ho , nominated lor nothine bin ulp, ,i i! looks great in those tights, pi.i, , minor role as the thcatei \ In" , i (and most arrogant t slat lln take ip small role ol Mereuiio in tin- p|,.-, is initially displeased In character's bn pail. Hut abet K.idm" it. he is so impressed lie c.uf t pa , u up and is happy just in be a p,n i , a something so good. Sometimes lit. does imitate art. Considering that luo of the nun K trailers helore l.ove employed the phrase "Genin' Jiggv Wif h 11.,. lilHl i-s ;i wok’iiitß' ftratUß' ■ 11> tin ~11 Features those high school horror melodramas. It seems Hollywood has developed a new formula that doesn't assume all moviegoers under the age ol twenty five are indifferent serial killers or prom queen sluts. Thanks for notic ing. Instead, they are making an ap- Love, the Miramax film nominated for 13 Acad- peal to our intellect, giving us a re freshing opportunity to experience such things as Shakespeare in a way that doesn't condescend. For those of you that aren't happy about this new trend, all I can tell you is to get used to it. Several remakes or alternative representations of Shakespearean plays are in the works, including yet another "Hamlet" and "Othello." At least five are being con sidered for or haw started production and two had trailers before Love. Whether you consider this a great op portunity to expand your horizons, or seven more opportunities for extra credit, it doesn’t really matter be cause, hey, whatever gets you through the d00r... Thursday, February 25, 1999- The Behrend College Beacon -Puy,c ' Now Playing at Tinseltown 17 12:50* 3:05 5:20 7:40 9:50 |*times are for Saturday & Sunday only
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