All Is True

Subtle, beautiful shots. Subtle, fine acting. Lovely integration of Shakespeare words into dialogue.

I thought this was a reasonably good film - there's a good cast and Judi Dench gives a particularly decent performance but I did find Branagh's prosthetics quite distracting - it didn't quite look right, it was a bit overly embellished or some such. Ian McKellen looked more the part as the earl of Southampton, I thought. There are definitely some poignant moments but there are relatively dull moments too. Of course the story of Shakespeare's young son dying and him not being there to witness it, is a sad one - its nothing to trivialise at all, certainly. I believe this film was written by Ben Elton and I could see that it perhaps inspired him to go on to write the BBC TV sitcom 'Upstart Crow' - indeed, Shakespeare is called precisely that during the film. There is some nice scenery, so that's a plus as well but I did think the script could perhaps have been improved, as on ocassion it felt a little slow and without a real structure. I reckon it's worth sticking with, as it becomes most poignant right towards the end but if your not keen on period dramas, or interested in Shakespeare, then its not really worth seeing. Also, I should point out that it is a fictionalised account of what happened during the final years of Shakespeare's life, after the famous Globe theatre was burnt to the ground. The irony of the film being called 'All Is True' has not passed me by(!). It does provide food for thought but I wouldn't say its one of my favourite films of this sort (costume/period dramas), no. If your a fan of Judi Dench, however, I would recommend it and if your interested in a pre-Upstart Crow Shakespeare film written by Ben Elton.

We know so little about the life of the greatest writer of the English language, but that doesn't stop people from speculating and making him into someone who fits their own agenda. Kenneth Branagh has more right than most to do so - he is the era's finest Shakesperean interpreter and evangelist; there are none who do more or who are so good at making the great man's ancient words breathe with contemporary life. With that permission, Branagh's film (written by Ben Elton) takes the acknowledged fact of the death of Shakespeare's young son, and serves up a deft and moving portrayal of a man in the autumn of his life wrestling with grief, regret, and his legacy. Whilst I found the screenplay often too on the nose and episodic, there is much that is of significance here. The nighttime interiors (of which there are many) are beautifully lit, solely by candlelight. The effect of this is startling - Branagh's Shakespeare spends much of the times in the shadows and half-light, barely visible sometimes, even as he delivers impassioned speeches of grief-fuelled anger (or vice versa). This half-light is significant; it reflects what we know about the man himself, as well as being a reflection of what this version of Shakespeare knows about a key event in his own life. This key event is the subject of a significant plot turn, which also deftly mirrors some of the stranger conspiracy theories about the authorship of some of the works attributed to Shakespeare. There's also something significant being said here about how our grief-shaped memories tend toward the hagiography of the deceased, and how this can be unhealthy for those left behind. Branagh's and Dench's performances are, of course, good; especially good is Kathryn WIlder in the key role of Shakespeare's daughter. Fictional speculation this may be, but as befits a film about one. of the world's greatest geniuses, this a film with more going on than its status as a minor film would suggest.

Interesting and well-done enough as would be expected from a production including Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench.

Pretentious rubbish from the title to the worthless conversation to any lover of Shakespeare a cringing experience without poetry or prose

bit of a sad tale , for a Sunday afternoon perhaps ?

I appreciate the acting and production design but this movie is boring.

Kenneth, unrecognizable in Shakespeare, tells us a story based on real events from the available documents. It is a reply of the film which doubts that Shakespeare is the true author of the plays. Kenneth tells here an innocuous story at the start that becomes as dramatic as a play by William.

This was a telling tale about many influences on Shakespeares life and dramatic works that it's worthy of note. Performances, settings and staging are excellent. Script in the human interplay is slightly meh (sorry Ben) although the historic scenes are definitive. The scene with Branagh and McKellen is worth it alone...

An excellent production all round. Wonderful acting and a very fascinating premise--a look at Shakespeare's home life and personal relationships that may have been a part imaginative, but did match the few facts that we have of Shakespeare's life. The only thing that I didn't like was Branagh's prosthetic nose, which looked like it should have been used for Cyrano.