Queen Elizabeth to Lord Wessex, informing him of his future bride: "You're a lordly fool; she's been plucked since I saw her last, and not by you. It takes a woman to know it." Judi Dench was awesome in this movie. I know some people find it ludicrous to award an eight-minute performance with an Oscar but I happen to think Dame Judi earned it.
shareI didn't know she'd gotten an Oscar for this, but I'm glad. Normally, I don't comment on how the acting is, but I think Judi Dench was amazing in this movie.
One of my favorite parts would have to be when she's in the theater at the end, telling him to take care with her name. Brilliant!
I virtually poke you.
I thought it was Tilney (Simon Callow) who was told to take care of her name, when he barged into Romeo and Juliet.
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Mine is "Musicians don't eat" during the dance that Will goes to, pretending to be in a band.
Having played wedding gigs where the band doesn't eat, this is particularly funny.
Well, let's say, for the sake of argument, cocky-doody.
"The consumptors plot against me. 'Will Shakespeare has a play. Let's go and cough through it."
"Ah, ya's fancy pants, alla ya's"
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
Nice one. Did you know that's a reference to Harold Pinter, who used to complain about the same thing?
sharewhoa, didn't know that. Love all the lines mentioned. Some other excellent deliveries that haven't been mentioned:
-My tailor wants to be an actor...
-or I'll end my life" "as a nurse?...
-What light is light, if Sylvia be not seen...(its a treasure seeing Judi Dench playing Queen Elizabeth being so immersed and affected watching the play during these lines.)
-(Am I the only one who thinks the climax sinking scene and the walk down the beach is seriously underrated. Its one of my all time favourite scenes!!)
-...i'll come again...(;))
-You've been waiting...I'm aware of it, but it's beauty's previlege
-Arise, fair sun and kill the moon...Yes, some of it is speakable
-for God's sake, cease your prattling and get out! Get out!..A thousand apologies
-Speak up girl, I know who I am...They're not acted for you, they're acted for me..."I'll wager my fortune".."I thought you were here because you had none"
Wessex: How is this to end?
Queen Elizabeth: As all stories must when love's denied -- with tears and a journey.
do you remember when we used to sing: sha la la la la la la la la la de da?
Yes!
and,
Tilney: "That women is a women!"
Ben Affleck: "A women? you mean that goat?"
my favorite is by FAR when Viola says "It is not life Will...it is a stolen season." idk, I just love how poetic it is.
share"It is not life Will...it is a stolen season." ... I love that line too - it breaks my heart.
shareI will have poetry in my life, and adventure, and love [...]
like a riot in the heart, unbiddable, ungovernable, like a riot in the heart and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture
It's stuck with me since I first saw the film.
Will you desist, Madam!
I love this one, plus all the others already mentioned here!
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I *love* that line--I printed it out for my refrigerator, I loved it so much!
shareYes, that was my favourite line too.
"...but love that overthrows life. Unbeatable, ungovernable, like a riot in the heart and nothin to be done. Come ruin or rapture."
~Viola de Lesseps~
A delightful film. When was the last time we were given a film that provoked a serious discussion of what was the best line in the movie? I just watched it again last week, and once again I was amazed at the level of the writing. Stoppard and Norman are in top form here. Why was there such a mean-spirited backlach against this so literate film? I think we've arrived at the stage where dialogue of such polish and aplomb sails over the heads of the majority of American movie-goers. They want car crashes, fiery explosions, and lots and lots of CGI. The best special effect is still a good script.
shareI can't understant why so many people dislike this film. It's surely one of the best-written comedies in a very long time. The acting is exemplary, the costumes sumptuous, the cinematography rich and lustrous, the musical score sweepingly romantic. What more could you ask? I think the Privat Ryan fans slam it out of pique.
shareProbably because about half of the jokes, allusions are geared towards to people who have at least a cursory familiarity with Shakespeare. Ok, it's more than that. You have to have a cursory knowledge of all sorts of things. This was a movie full of inside jokes, if you want to call them that. The scene with the analyst, in order to get jokes like, "the proud tower of my genius has collapsed" you at least had to have a pop culture understanding of Freud and the idea that artistic creation is linked to sex in certain psychological theories. And the idea that artistic sterility might be tied to impotence.
I'm sure that plenty of people might have been puzzled at the suggestion this movie had jokes coming about 1 a second. Bascially, everybody gets WWII drama. For a lot of people, I'm sure Shakespeare in Love just flew right by their head.
I never saw this movie in a theater. But if I had, there would have been plenty of stuff that I laughed my ass off at, that just earned me strange looks from fellow audience members.
Little stuff like Shakespeare dipping his quill into a Globe theatre mug, while the plot warns of the danger of commercialism corrupting artistic purity would have just been missed by a whole swath of the audience.
I think the Privat Ryan fans slam it out of pique.They burn with the injustice of a comedy pipping their favourite war film to the Oscar.]
Mine was right before William finds out that Viola is playing Kent. He is describing her to herself and when the boat operator tries to chime in Will snaps to him, "Row your boat!" I don't know that line just kills me.
shareno the best one is " I dont know its a mystery"
shareI love those cheesy lines between Will and his friend:
"The show must..."
"Go on?
The most romantic line:
WILL (before the good-bye): You will never age for me...
I wanted to cry!
And the funniest lines:
APOTHECARY: Tell me, are you... humbled in the act of love?
NED (after hearing of Mercutio's death): ...He dies?
"Cop or criminal... When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?"--The Departed
The Nures: the house is stirring. It is a new day.
Viola De Lesseps: It is a new WORLD. ...
If only all first experiences were this life changing!
I totally agree
it has been almost 10 years and I still cry my eyes out with this movie, and that line seals the deal... she will never age for him... to die for
it's quite hard to choose a favorite since there are too many to choose from...but i guess my favorite would be when Will and Viola were saying their goodbye...
WILL: You will not age for me, nor fade, nor die...
VIOLA: Nor will you...
it always breaks my heart whenever i watch it....
WILL: You will not age for me, nor fade, nor die...
VIOLA: Nor will you...
the entire SCREENPLAY is my favorite
but i agree with all the lines so far--another funny one was:
WILL: You did not like the speech?
ALLEYN: The speech is excellent. "Oh, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you!" Excellent and a good length. But then he disappears for the length of a bible.
OOH and:
WESSEX: Are you bringing your laundry woman?
XD
Addisexer #16
I am a Walsh-A-Holic.
BOATMAN
Thank you, my lady!
WILL
(stunned)
Lady?
BOATMAN
Viola De Lesseps. Known her since she was this high. Wouldn't deceive a child.
I've read so many great lines here, and love all of them. I don't know if it's the best, or even my favorite, but I always lose it when Queen Elizabeth says, "As all such stories must - with heartache and a journey." If you're not crying by the time Viola takes that long walk up the shore, you are made of stone.
shareBut then he disappears for the length of a bible.
And thank God he does! I've played Mercutio, it's an *exhausting* role. He has only four scenes but he absolutely dominates every one he's in.
Ha ha. I once knocked Tybalt unconscious in rehearsal while playing Mercutio. Well, he slipped and fell off the stage a bit like Will does in the Essex fight. He was fine after a minute and asked me how far I'd got with the script.
shareDefinately the 'are you a lady Mr. Kent?'
and for some reason: 'This is supposed to be a comedy..wheres the dog?'
'I was a pirate king now im a nurse, thats funny'
it makes me laugh everytime
I can't remember the exact line, but it's when Will disguises himself as a woman, and he and Wessex and Viola are traipsing off to Greenwich, and Will is mammering on and on about how handsome Wessex is and he says something like "..not by yer britches!" I nearly fell out of the chair I was sitting in, giggling.
shareI love that whole scene!! AHAHAHAHAHAHHA! I almost died laughing.
WILL: Oooooh! Here we come at last, my lord.
WESSEX: Are you bringing your laundry woman?
WILL: Ohohohohoho! Her chaperon, my lady's country cousin! My, but you be a handsome gallant, just as she said! You may call me 'Miss Wilhelmina.'
WESSEX: On a more fortuitous occasion, perhaps.
WILL: Ooooh! Oh my lord, you will not shake me off! She never needed me more, I swear by your britches!
That's one of my favorites too!!