Movie #1958 ........................."All is True" (dvd)

 Movie #1958 "All is True"*  (dvd)  Even though this film starts slowly, the twists and turns in it work to show the very end years of Shakespeare's life.  This was after the fire decimated his theatre and his business , and he goes back home to re-connect with Anne (Judi Dench) and his 2 daughters.  This is also after 25 years of shelving his grief for the death of his only son, Hamnet.    When he is back home in Stratford-on-Avon, he keeps seeing and talking-to his  son and dealing with the  lingering grief.  He is upset that he never showed that grief earlier.  This is a slow simmer because Will is dealing with coming from fame and fortune in London to some critics in his own home town, and scandals to boot with his daughters and their lovers.   The film really shows the times quite well, and it is well acted!  It is the time of Shakespeare's life that hasn't been shown in film before, I don't think, so I found it quite intriguing. But it's stuffy and not for everyone.  And Kenneth Branagh is simmering through most of this, but Judi and his daughters keep the film energized by their independent and feisty characters.  I'd give this a 4 out of 5.  *"All is True" is the original title of Shakespeare's "Henry the VIII."

"ALL IS TRUE"     PG-13      1 HOUR AND 41 mins          2018

A look at the final days in the life of renowned playwright William Shakespeare.

Director:

 Kenneth Branagh

Writer:

 Ben Elton

Stars:

 Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen