All Is True

**_A strangely formless and insubstantial love-letter to Shakespeare_** > _There is an vpstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his_ Tygers hart wrapt in a Players hyde_, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you: and being an absolute_ Iohannes fac totum_, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey._ - Robert Greene; _Greenes Groats-VVorth of witte, bought with a million of Repentance_ (1592) "We know very little about the life of William Shakespeare." If you're ever reading something that says this, or any variation thereof,…

I must admit, this movie sneaked up on me. It starts out slow, and in fact establishes a fairly low key pace through the film. But there are passionate outbursts and exciting reveals. I almost feel sorry for those impatient viewers who are done in by movies that present complex, finely drawn plots. I can only assume they would also nod off while watching an actual Shakespeare play (as in, "Why don't they speak real English?"). I suppose the details of All is True aren't all completely true, but even the Bard himself took liberty with his source materials, which, let us remember, was often…