All is True by Ben Elton - 8.5 out of 10

All is True by Ben Elton
8.5 out of 10


When you look at the cast, director and subject matter, you expect a triumphant, extraordinary motion picture, if not as good as Henry V, Hamlet or Much Ado About Nothing, to name just a few gems directed by Kenneth Branagh, at least very good.

The chronicler of The Guardian thinks this film up there, Dancing with the Stars, as a 'sentimental, theatrical, likable' feature.
And he or she may be right.

Variety at the other end has been rather devastating in its criticism of a 'revisionist fiasco...a sloppy soap opera'

This viewer is tempted to apply the Aristotelian Golden Mean, between these extremes and judge this drama as neither a disaster, nor a Magnus opus.

The atmosphere of the movie is rather gloomy, given that we look at the last years of the greatest writer of mankind, when, following the catastrophe of the fire that burned his theater in London, he retires, does not write anymore and does...gradening instead.
This period is not without drama and scandal, for the genius has to defend the honor of the family when his daughter is slandered and he has to face the frequent attacks and insults of a local member of parliament.

This fool is dismissed in an amusing scene, wherein Henry Wriothesley aka the iconic sir Ian McKellen is visiting William Shakespeare and the MP wants to ingratiate and comes to the fore, only to have the noble visitor tell him he has to disappear, being insignificant and in the way...
Later, the genius himself replies to the constant pestering and states that he has been the manager of a phenomenal enterprise, with thousands working to please the audiences, has written extremely successful shows for the pleasure of her majesty and the public and hence he has nothing to discuss with a man so low...

'Anne's daily shit is more valuable than your brain' it was not with these words, but Shakespeare did say somethings similar to the awful man.
There have been speculations, one surrounding the sonnet 'A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted hath thou, the master mistress of my passion...'

In the dialogue between the genius and Henry Wriothesley, we seem to find that Shakespeare loved him.
Perhaps with what we call today gay passion.

It is only imagination, without evidence, except the interpretable, aforementioned sonnet and other details.
As a matter of fact, Variety was dissatisfied with the Liberty taken in creating a version of the last years of the greatest writer of all time that looks like soap opera.

Again, the Golden Mean may be closer to the truth.
All is True is not exactly a soap opera, but it will not make history either.