Summary:
Based in the 1660's of London's theatres, this film is about the rules of gender roles in theatre production, and means to change them for everyone's benefit. Ned Kynaston is the homosexual cross-dressing actor who has been playing female parts in plays for years, particularly Desdemona in Othello, he also has a close relationship with a male co-actor. One day however, the rules of only men playing women could change when aspiring actress Maria auditions as Kynaston's praised role, Desdemona, and soon enough, King Charles II decides to make the law that all female roles should be played only by women. Maria becomes a star, while Ned finds himself out of work. But after a while, Ned finds it in his nature to forgive Maria's aspiration, they may even fall in love, and Charles may proclaim women will be played by either gender.
| Runtime: | 106 min |
|---|---|
| Rating: | Rated R for sexual content and language. |
| Production: | BBC Films |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Countries: | USA, Germany, UK |
| Language: | English |
| Home Release Date: | Mar 8, 2005 |
| Director | Credit |
|---|---|
| Richard Eyre | Director |
| Writer | Credit |
|---|---|
| Jeffrey Hatcher | Screenplay |
| Principal Cast | Credit |
|---|---|
| Billy Crudup | Ned Kynaston |
| Claire Danes | Maria |
| Cast | Credit |
|---|---|
| Alice Eve | Miss Frayne |
| Ben Chaplin | George Villiars, Duke Of Buckingham |
| David Westhead | Harry |
| Derek Hutchinson | Stage Manager |
| Fenella Woolgar | Lady Meresvale |
| Hugh Bonneville | Samuel Pepys |
| Jack Kempton | Call Boy |
| Mark Letheren | Male Emilia/Dickie |
| Nick Barber | Nick |
| Richard Griffiths | Sir Charles Sedley |
| Stephen Marcus | Thomas Cockerell |
| Tom Wilkinson | Betterton |
| Zoe Tapper | Nell Gwynn |
| Producer | Credit |
|---|---|
| Amir Jacob Malin | Executive Producer |
| Hardy Justice | Producer |
| James D. Stern | Executive Producer |
| Jane Rosenthal | Producer |
| Jill Tandy | Co-Executive Producer |
| Malcolm Ritchie | Co-Executive Producer |
| Michael Dreyer | Co-Producer |
| Michael Kuhn | Executive Producer |
| Rachel Cohen | Executive Producer |
| Richard Eyre | Executive Producer |
| Robert De Niro | Producer |
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