The film itself is anything but tragic. Director John Madden gives us a zestily comic look behind the scenes of the 16th century theatre world, frenetically tackling issues of the day such as the audience's sensationalism, the watchful eyes of the censors and Queen Elizabeth I's (Dame Judi Dench) august interest.

William Shakespeare

Even though he wrote some of the world's most celebrated and most frequently presented plays, the life of Will Shakespeare remains a mystery. We know so little and the specialists are still not able to come to a consensus on many a point.

Yet, his private life seems evident from his work, which seemed to reveal human nature and sentimental lovers. His 38 plays, poems and numerous sonnets express very intense human emotions, a very complete portrait of man, drawn from very contradictory dimensions.

William Shakespeare was born at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1554, son of a prosperous glove maker. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway with whom he had three children, although one son died at the age of 11.

Between 1585 - 1592, very little is known about the bard. As of 1592, Will began to spend his summers in London and winters in Stratford when the theatre was closed in an attempt to arrest the bubonic plague.

We know very little about his love affairs and never will. We can only conjure up ideas based on his works. His death is also a mystery, which supposedly occurred on his birthday in April 1616 due to a terrible fever. His body was buried in his hometown and has been a tourist attraction for many an admiring writer.

Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard, screenplay
(Silver Bear at Berlin 99)

Norman : It is with Romeo and Juliet that Shakespeare truly found his calling. The most surprising thing in this play is its blending of genres. It begins as a love story and a comedy and then drifts towards the tragedy, which was rather audacious for the period. Therefore, I asked myself what had actually triggered off the imagination of the young writer and that's how the idea for Shakespeare in Love came about.

Tom Stoppard joined the project shortly after and added his magic touch to the screenplay. The final version of Shakespeare in Love is both "modern" and playful, incorporating a quantity of reference to Shakespeare's actual works.

John Madden, director

"I was seduced by the light-heartedness of the text, the delightful humor, the give and take expressed in the dialogues, the accumulation of surprises and the turnaround situations."

"The point about Shakespeare's life is that nobody knows anything." Shakespeare in Love weaves historical facts, fictitious characters and allusions to Shakespeare's later classics into a tapestry that corresponds rather well with the great bard's most famous romantic drama.

Martin Childs, production design

"It involved not only reconstructing the Rose Theatre, but also the neighboring areas. Very little remains standing from the period and the rare Elizabethan architecture intermingles with the more recent Georgian or Victorian buildings. We had to start from scratch and rebuild the London of the period."

Sandy Powell , costumes

"I was delighted to delve into the period clothing, marked by sculptural exuberance and flavorful fantasy. I did not seek historical realism for the costumes. Resting very close to the reality nonetheless, I added a bit of freshness or lightness when the scenario permitted. "

Lisa Westcott, makeup

" The film takes place at the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign. She was in her sixties and surely had a very weathered skin needing abundant makeup. Blading forced her to wear wigs and it is said that she had more than 80 in different colors. As they were set on a bald forehead, she appeared quite severe. "