Shakespeare's play, Henry VIII (or, as it was advertised to audiences of the day, All is True), is premiered at the Globe Theatre in London. Sadly, a prop cannon misfired during the performance and set the theatre alight, burning the entire structure to the ground.
As a result, William Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh) returns to his home in Stratford, vowing to never write another play.
There, he finds his family, wife Anne Hathaway (Judi Dench), and daughters Susannah (Lydia Wilson) and Judith (Kathryn Wilder). Susannah is married with a young daughter, but Judith still lives at home.
Shakespeare continues to mourn the premature death of his young son who passed away at the age of eleven twenty years earlier, and was a twin to Judith, who has always blamed herself for his death.
Without any plays to write, Shakespeare turns his hand to other things: planting a garden in his late son's honour, and trying to encourage Judith - in the strongest possible terms - to settle down and find a husband (and hopefully provide him with a grandson and heir). All the while, his relationship with his wife becomes ever more strained, as they have spent the majority of their married life living apart as he pursues his London career.
I won't go into any more detail on the plot, because I don't want to spoil it for you. I will say, however, that this film will make you realise that Shakespeare's greatest tragedy was not one of his many plays but his own life.
The script for this film, written by Ben Elton, is absolutely superb. All the characters are very well defined, and full of conflicts both internal and external. If you are expecting Elton's script to be in any way similar to his comedy series Upstart Crow (which also deals with the career of William Shakespeare), you are going to be disappointed; this film - while having some comedic moments - is predominantly a tragedy, as it tells the true story of Shakespeare's life, which was anything but humorous.
Patrick Doyle's score is - in a word - sublime. There is very little music throughout, but when it is used, it is used incredibly sparingly. Most of the score features nothing but a solo piano, and very occasionally a string quartet and, once or twice, a solo cello played beautifully. There are only a small handful of different musical themes throughout, and these are all deceptive in their simplicity.
James Merifield's production design and Michael O'Connor's costume design are both perfect, transporting the viewer back to the seventeenth century with apparent ease. All the sets and locations are absolutely gorgeous, particularly the long, lingering shots of the English countryside, but also the interiors of the Shakespeare home. An amazing attention to detail throughout creates the perfect atmosphere for the audience, and there was not a single moment in which the reality of the time and place was broken.
The performances of the entire cast are perfect, in particular Branagh and Dench as the married couple. I don't think it comes as any surprise to anyone who has seen either of these performers before, naturally, but their dedication to their roles is amazing, and their chemistry on screen is positively electric.
A special mention must also go to Kathryn Wilder as Judith, however. I didn't recognise her from anything else, which is probably a good thing, as it made her character and performance all the more real for me. She absolutely holds her own against the incredible on-screen presence of both Branagh and Dench, matching their intensity and resolve at every turn.
There is also an appearance by the great Ian McKellen - another classically-trained Shakespearean actor along with Branagh and Dench - as the Earl of Southampton who, as true devotees of William Shakespeare will be aware, was the inspiration for the majority of Shakespeare's love sonnets. Even though his part is only small, and he is only on screen for a fraction of the total running time, he brings his absolute all to the role, and conveys emotions so beautiful and moving, he feels as much the star of this film as any other.
But where this film really shines - no pun intended - is in the cinematography. Zac Nicholson is an absolute genius, lighting the entire film with nothing but natural light. Even the interior scenes that take place at night inside the Shakespeare home are lit only by candlelight and the fireplace, creating an incredibly intimate feel throughout. There are so many shadows, and such gentle use of light, that one doesn't feel one is watching a traditional film at all.
While on the subject of cinematography, I must also mention some of the shot lengths of the more intense scenes of the film. These are shot from a single stationary camera, positioned at quite a distance from the actors, in takes that in some cases last for several minutes at a time without a cut. This has a two-pronged effect: firstly, it makes the film feel much more like a performance of a play, which of course works given the subject matter; secondly, it allows the actors' peformances to shine through, and demonstrates the incredible abilities of the entire cast.
Director Kenneth Branagh has made an absolutely amazing film here, easily one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it yet, you absolutely must make the effort; it is such an emotional ride, and a wonderful insight into the life of one of history's most accomplished geniuses.
A resounding 10 out of 10.
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