SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998)

WINNER OF THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST PICTURE

Directed by John Madden

Romantic comedy set in London in the late 16th century, young playwright William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) struggles with his latest work "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter". A great fan of Shakespeare's plays is young, wealthy Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) who is about to be married to the cold-hearted Lord Wessex, (Colin Firth) 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.

Nominated for 13 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Art/Set Decoration, Best Makeup and Best Sound

Won 7, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Musical or Comedy Score, Best Costume Design and Best Art/Set Decoration

Shakespeare in Love famously beat Saving Private Ryan which had been the year-long favourite to the Best Picture Academy Award

It was the first Comedy to win Best Picture since Annie Hall in 1977

Dvd Special Features:

Feature Length Commentary by Director, John Madden

Another Feature Length Commentary by Cast and Crew

Making of Documentary: "Shakespeare in Love on film"