Da'ud Bob's Movie Review

August 2008

There are some 154 sonnets attributed to the prolific pen of William Shakespeare. Published in 1609, they encompass an interesting range. Some 126 are written to a fair youth of the male gender. Another 20 are written to (or about) a "dark lady". At least according to one source, anyway. The identities of these two individuals has been the cause of much research and discussion over the years. The sonnets have even been gone through word by word by those who are trying to prove that someone other than William Shakespeare wrote all of the works attributed to him. And all sorts of theories, speculations, and sometimes downright fictions have been set forth to explain the who, the what, and most especially, the why. Normally, one must delve through library or bookstore shelves to learn of some of these various theories and speculations are. Tomes large and small, dusty and new, are where the bulk of these arguments lie. But then, perusing the upcoming movies on a recent weekend, Anna Sue and I found a movie which, rather like The Da Vinci Code, can be considered as "plausible fiction". That is, it's fiction, but purports to give one possible explanation for certain historical facts; in case, the inspiration for and objects of Shakespeare's sonnets. How real is it? The best that I can say is that it could have happened. Still, it was interesting on both an intellectual and an emotional level. And so it is that this month, Da'ud Bob reviews A Waste of Shame: The Mystery of Shakespeare and His Sonnets.

Starring Rupert Graves as William Shakespeare, Tom Sturridge as William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke, Indira Varma as Lucie, Zoë Wanamaker as William's mother, the Countess of Pembroke, Andrew Tiernan as Ben Jonson, Anna Chancellor as Bill's wife Anne Shakespeare, Clem Tibber as his son Hamnet, Nicholas Rowe as Richard Burbage, and John Voce as William Kemp, this film is a "drama chronicling William Shakespeare's troubled midlife romances which served as inspiration for some of his sonnets." Except that I would change the word "drama" to the words "fictional telling." But, yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Good points: The costumes! (Well, it is a BBC America Playhouse presentation, after all. They tend to do costumes right.) The sets. The horses. And especially, reciting lines from various of the sonnets throughout the film, helping to set the stage for the action which ensues.

Bad points: Beating the prostitute. Did Shakespeare really catch the "French pox"? The chronology is a bit truncated. Not all of the reasons for Shakespeare's remaining in London are even noted, much less discussed. In addition to being a writer with The King's Men, he also took a hand in the troupe's business as well as acting in important roles in both his and other's plays. The story remains a bit confusing. What did Shakespeare feel about Herbert? Did he transfer his feelings for his deceased son Hamnet to Herbert, as a surrogate son figure? Or were his feelings not entirely platonic? Even what should be the more straightforward relationship between himself and Lucie is somewhat confused and murky.

Zero breasts. No blood. Four dead bodies. Mercury fu. Hot mercury bath fu. Death carts roll. Carriages roll. Waves roll. Slop splashes. Gratuitous drinking. Gratuitous bare butt. Academy Award nomination to Andrew Tiernan as Ben Jonson for "Sometimes you have the mind but no means. Sometimes you have the means but no mind." A 57 on the Vomit Meter. Three stars. Da'ud Bob says, "It's fiction, but it could have happened. Check it out!"

Upcoming movies and miniseries to watch for!

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