A review of the 2018 film “All Is True”

It was a brave man who thought that a commercially successful film – as opposed to a reasonably appealing play – could be made about the last three years of the life of English playwright William Shakespeare during which time he retired to his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, wrote nothing, and further ruminated on the death of his young son Hamnet.

That man was Kenneth Branagh who both produced and directed and plays the Bard himself. It is beautifully shot and wonderfully acted (Judi Dench and Ian McKellen make up a trio of thespian royalty) but, as cinema, it is slow and ponderous and verging on the dull. Viewed at home – especially if you’re a Shakespeare fan – it might be regarded as a gentle treat.


 




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