All Is True

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.

I liked it. It's really difficult to see why anyone would say, "Honey, let's goto the cinema and see a film about Shakespeare... no not about his plays, how he dealt with his torments.. no we probably don't need popcorn"; but I did liked it. It's a film that defies prejudice. You'd think that a film on Shakespeare starring Branagh, Dench, McKellen et al would be luvvie overload, it's not. You'd hope that something written by Ben Elton would be comic, it's not. You'd think that a film on Shakespeare would live in the theater, from the opening sequence of the Globe in flames, it certainly doesn't. You'd think that a Shakespeare piece set in Stratford would celebrate the place, it doesn't - he's kinda reluctantly back there and for all the tourist narrative that that's his place, his genius resides in London. What it is is a multi-point character piece that explores legacy, inheritance and family secrets set at a time of shifting influence - the role of women; the coming influence of Puritanism; increasingly wealthy middle class mercantile versus smug aristocracy; the economic influences unleashed by the colonies. As we know, they are non-exclusive, interlap like a Venn Diagram and explode ultimately during Charles I. You are struck by just how dark life was, from perpetual death at all ages to the dinners set peering through candle-light in unwindowed rooms. Stand out performances by Kathryn Wilder and Branagh, who, like Portachio, "really, really looks like him". One for the sofa.

When Will comes home to his wife and daughter to sort through the past and the loss of his son...he finds them in not the best way. He finds out the truth about his son - but it isn't enough substance to make the movie moving.

Interesting speculation, but almost seemed excessive in its fancy.

It's curious that we have a movie about William Shakespeare bearing a name like All Is True when the largest portion of it may well not be. But of course, how could any of this be known when it all took place so very long ago and, so little survives or had been recorded about the famous Bard. Writer Ben Elton has donned both his creative hats for this concoction – that of total fictional fabrication and ‘what we think to know' presumptions. Director/actor Kenneth Branagh while wanting to accurately transcribe the times may have forgotten that it's also important to entertain his audience and allow them to enjoy the visual treats of sets, costumes, and creating a mood via creative lighting. His sets are so gloomily lit there's a tenancy to lull the viewer to sleep. A particularly slow pace could even leave some reaching for the 2 x times remote. This need not have been - broad subjects such as this, set in dark times, under other great lighting/cameramen have allowed us to be transported back to bygone candle/gaslight days by using deep blacks and well-lit subjects that allowed viewers to feel the era and enjoy the rich moods simultaneously. For an artificial interpretation of reality, a thinking audience will forgive any production that considers their visual appreciation over sombre moods. Modern liberties seem to have been catered for by suggesting that Will's Sonnets may have been written for another bloke – in this case the Earle of Southampton. Not sure where Elton came up with this suggestion as there doesn't appear all that much documentation to build on that assumption. We learn that Mr Shakespeare did not attend University, somewhat proving that a University degree can't always account for intelligence, and that his wife Anne was illiterate. There are other family intrigues to offer personal interest but what promised to be an enlightening experience comes across as a tad too heavy-handed and at times inaccessible. Performances are good but still remains for dedicated Shakespeare followers only, and some won't even last the distance – it's not that its overlong, just takes it's time telling its (largely fabricated) story.

The screenplay feels a little too simplistic and predictable but Branagh is able to find enough emotionally compelling moments (i.e. the scene with Ian McKellen) so that the bittersweet ending is earned.

Excellent storytelling and cinematography. Well done and perfectly executed. Kenneth Branagh ought to be proud of this accomplishment after a long and storied career as a Shakespearean actor. This reviewer is not bothered by any purported historical inaccuracies because it's a movie, after all, and entertainment, for Pete's sake.

So glad this film has an overall great rating, as reading the negative reviews here are galling, some by mean-spirited writers who've never taken a fraction of the chances Branagh has in his career. The film is a little slow, but some of the dialogue is as moving as anything Shakespeare ever wrote. And the issues in his family life rival those in his great plays. While heavily researched, the film is an imaginary and thoughtful take on what Shakespeare's final days might have been like.

Elegiac and beautifully shot. Ian McKellen is a standout in an excellent cast. Clever script. I am a Shakespeare fan and am programmed to like this--your enjoyment will be greater the more you know about the plays and the man.

The individual performances in 'All is Lost' should make for a great movie, but instead the film never connects and turns into a slog. What would have the retirement of William Shakespeare been like? Uninspiring. There are scenes that are riveting, but from one to the next that merge together like a head on collision. It's old fashioned, safe, yet solid and totally not necessary. It's an admirable effort by writer and director Kenneth Branagh, but one that could have been not made and nobody would have minded. Final Score: 5.4/10