Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 2005 Home Video 3/08/05 MPAA Rating Rated R for sexual content and language Running Time 1 hour 49 minutes Directed by Richard Eyre Cast Claire Danes, Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin, Hugh Bonneville, Richard Griffiths, Rupert Everett, Edward Fox, Claire Higgins Studio Lions Gate Films |
STAGE BEAUTY
Merry Old England in the 1660's boasts some
of the stage's most beautiful leading ladies.
True prima donnas grace the stage in
spectacular, elaborate costumes with a
gaggle of fans waiting at the stage doors
each evening. Beauties, yes. Ladies, no. All
female roles are being acted by men, but few
can deny their beauty or their grace.
Perhaps the most notable of the "ladies" is
Edward Kynaston (Billy Krudup), a legend in
his own time, possessing beauty and charm
way beyond his true gender. But his time on
the top of the playbill is running short, as the
women interested in the theater wish to take
over the female roles for themselves.
Foremost among these rebels is Maria (Claire
Danes), former dresser to Kynaston, and
underground actress. Her only impediment to
fame is persuading King Charles II to let her
perform. See just how convincing a good
actress can be, as she attempts to persuade
royalty.
A director's dream, this one is a feather in the
cap of Richard Eyre. Good plot, fine cast and
lovely, period props, are all treats.
of the stage's most beautiful leading ladies.
True prima donnas grace the stage in
spectacular, elaborate costumes with a
gaggle of fans waiting at the stage doors
each evening. Beauties, yes. Ladies, no. All
female roles are being acted by men, but few
can deny their beauty or their grace.
Perhaps the most notable of the "ladies" is
Edward Kynaston (Billy Krudup), a legend in
his own time, possessing beauty and charm
way beyond his true gender. But his time on
the top of the playbill is running short, as the
women interested in the theater wish to take
over the female roles for themselves.
Foremost among these rebels is Maria (Claire
Danes), former dresser to Kynaston, and
underground actress. Her only impediment to
fame is persuading King Charles II to let her
perform. See just how convincing a good
actress can be, as she attempts to persuade
royalty.
A director's dream, this one is a feather in the
cap of Richard Eyre. Good plot, fine cast and
lovely, period props, are all treats.
Mary's Comments
A fan of period dramas, I marvel at the
ability of the director, cast and all of the
costumes, props, etc., to whisk me back in
time. A good period drama is a short trip to
another era, and this one is quite brief. It
clocks in at less than an hour and a half,
but it's filled with quality entertainment.
Worth seeing.
A fan of period dramas, I marvel at the
ability of the director, cast and all of the
costumes, props, etc., to whisk me back in
time. A good period drama is a short trip to
another era, and this one is quite brief. It
clocks in at less than an hour and a half,
but it's filled with quality entertainment.
Worth seeing.
Brenda's Comments
The stage is a flurry of activity as Kynaston
(Crudup) performs his famous death scene
for us. Little does he know how close to the
truth it is. In no time at all, he looses his
fame and fortune to the very form he
emulated for so many years, ironically, a
woman. A very good period drama
complete with all the historical bells and
whistles. Short, but long enough to tell the
story. To lengthen would have stretched it
too thin.
The stage is a flurry of activity as Kynaston
(Crudup) performs his famous death scene
for us. Little does he know how close to the
truth it is. In no time at all, he looses his
fame and fortune to the very form he
emulated for so many years, ironically, a
woman. A very good period drama
complete with all the historical bells and
whistles. Short, but long enough to tell the
story. To lengthen would have stretched it
too thin.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY
Brenda S. Ladd & Mary K. Morgan
Brenda S. Ladd & Mary K. Morgan
