John Fischer's Philadelphia
Vol. 1 - Number 33 - 08/11/99
As I was sitting at lunch yesterday, my friend Stacey asked me what had happened, since I did not write a column for Wednesday. I attempted to explain that writing is not something that always comes easily and there are days when we just have nothing to say, or at least nothing that is best said.
The last couple of days have been personally interesting to say the least. There are times when we need to really look closer at our lives and our relationships and re-evaluate them. Often what we see is not what we either want to see or what we would have expected to see only a few days before. The last few days have been such a time for me.
I sat watching the news on Wednesday evening and I saw an ad for a video chain discussing the release of last year's Oscar recipient for Best Picture, Shakespeare in Love. Having seen the movie earlier in the year I decided that perhaps another viewing might allow me some time to rest my mind and allow it time to refocus.
Shakespeare in Love won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, as well as awards for screenplay, costumes, art direction and score - and the score is so wonderful.
The film is a story within a story. It is, on the surface level, the story of how William Shakespeare, a man involved in a loveless marriage, finds true love and understanding with the daughter of a rich land owner, whose father has promised her into in marriage with a man with whom she has no true love. It is the story of how day to day events in their lives and their love inspire Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet, perhaps the most romantic love story of all time.
Gwyneth Paltrow, plays the role of Viola, the woman who so much wants to participate in Elizabethan theater that she impersonates a male in order to assume the role of Romeo in Shakespeare's play. Paltrow is an amazing beauty whose tall and thin figure allows her to transform into the role of a boy into order to impersonate a male. In Shakespeare's time only men could appear on stage under penalty of law.
In one scene in the film Viola appears before Queen Elizabeth I, who senses her love for someone other than her betrothed. The queen oversees a bet between Viola's fiancee and someone in court as to whether any play can show the very truth and nature of love. This film as well as Shakespeare's original Romeo and Juliet do indeed indeed show that.
Well, that's my spin on things. What's yours? Keep cool and have fun. You can join me in our chat room almost every evening - Philly Chat - or drop me a note at philadelphia.guide@about.com. Also, be sure to check out our new Philadelphia Forum where you can share your comments and feelings, ask questions, post classifieds and much more
If you missed any of our recent columns you can still catch them:
John Fischer's
Philadelphia 07/30/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/02/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/04/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/06/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 08/09/99