X
- 2018
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
- 2018
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
Summary The year is 1613, Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh) is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggle...
Directed By: Kenneth Branagh
Written By: Ben Elton
- 2018
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
- 2018
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
All Is True
59
5.7
Where to Watch
Summary The year is 1613, Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh) is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggle...
Directed By: Kenneth Branagh
Written By: Ben Elton
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
59
50% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
44% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
59
50% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
44% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Given the impossibility of crafting William Shakespeare into a believable human being, the film is an honorable try.
To some extent, the performances elevate the script.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
5.7
33% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
44% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
22% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
5.7
33% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
44% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
22% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
As it seems only the British can do, there are 2 scenes in "All Is True" that are master classes in acting which would be expected from Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen but a much younger actress, Kathryn Wilder, gives no quarter in being their equal in one of the most important scenes of the movie.
In the particular scene I am referring to William Shakespeare (Branagh), his wife Anne (Dench) and one their daughters Judith (Wilder) are exposing family truths as the screenwriter Ben Elton imagines they would speak yet bringing it in to today's world. When I had time to think about it later I could just imagine a theatre audience seeing it on stage in a play written today and stunning them.
The other scene, between Shakespeare and Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, (McKellen) looks into the supposedly love affair between them when both were young men and Shakespeare wrote his sonnets. At one point, without changing a thing, Shakespeare starts talking by reciting one of his sonnets and the Earl recites it back to him. It is as if the two men, not acting, are having a conversation expressing their feelings. Neither sex nor nudity is involved yet you believe you are seeing and hearing both!
While very little is known of Shakespeare's home life, such as the death of his son, Elton presents a plausible story of what may have taken place for the 3 years that Shakespeare returned home to family life after spending most of his life alone in London at the Globe Theatre which had burned down in 1613.
The only fault, which made it slow moving for only a 100 minute film, is the director's holding on to many unnecessary and lingering nature scenes with the director being Kenneth Branagh.
"All Is True" might not all be true but it is certainly worth seeing for the acting alone, which shouldn't be but will probably be forgotten at award time.
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It’s an unfussy, intimate chamber drama that’s fearless in confronting the attitudes of its exalted subject.
Consequently, while it's stocked with moments of heartfelt appreciation for the craft, it plays more like a 17th century soap opera than anything else.
All is True is expertly acted and handsomely filmed but suffers from an excess of sentimentality, a rash of revelations, and a surfeit of subtext, with characters blurting out the hidden motives for their behavior instead of simply behaving them. I imagine Shakespeare himself might be simultaneously tickled and appalled.
All Is True does not work as a film, but as a memorial to a writer whose shadow we are still working in today, and an expression of yearning to know who he really was, it has an odd vitality that cannot be completely dismissed.
The result is a revisionist fiasco, too dense with Shakespeare allusions for casual moviegoers, and too fast and loose with the facts for those who know a thing or two about the man. In short, All Is True takes the English language’s most gifted dramatist and reduces his sunset years to a sloppy soap opera.
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.
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This is the kind of film in which Kenneth Branagh excels best as both a director and an actor.
Certainly the script is not the best and perhaps the director's deep attachment to Shakespeare and his works plays a bit against him because of the sentimental treatment, but it still seemed like a decent film.
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A heavily-made-up Kenneth Branagh stars as Shakespeare, who returns to his home after the Globe Theatre burns down. Once there, attempts to deal with the death of his only son, while trying to mend the relationships with his wife (Judi Dench) and remaining daughters. This film captures the period with beautiful cinematography, a quiet pace and sometimes extended wide shots of dialogue. The sluggish tempo allows plenty of time to absorb the mise en scene, but it also strains interest. The performances are interesting and the story presents a fascinating part of The Bard's life, but the objective approach (thanks partially to director Branagh) keeps the film from ever grabbing hold.
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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 it's overlong, just takes it’s time telling its (largely fabricated) story.
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What an everlasting piece of crap. The writing is HORRIBLE, on the level of a bad Hallmark card. I can't believe Branagh did this. He must need money.
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Production Company
TKBC
Release Date Dec 21, 2018
Duration 1 h 41 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline In 1613 William Shakespeare Retired. He Still Had One Last Story To Tell - His Own.
Awards
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
