All is True

Synopsis
Starting in 1613, this is a biographical drama written by Ben Elton about the final years in the life of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon after the Globe Theatre burned to the ground. Kenneth Branagh stars as Shakespeare and directs, with Judy Dench playing Anne Hathaway and Ian McKellen as Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton. The film speculates on the cause of the death of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet and the impact it had on his family and on the meaning of the ‘second best bed’ that was bequeathed to Hathaway in Shakespeare’s will.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Film
Technical information
Colour / Sound
Year of release
2018
Duration
101 mins; 9,066 feet

Credits

Director
Kenneth Branagh
Cinematographer
Zac Nicholson
Writer
Ben Elton
Music
Patrick Doyle
Production Design
James Merifield
Cast
Alex MacqueenSir Thomas Lucy
Ian McKellenEarl of Southampton
Jack Colgrave HirstTom Quiney
Judi DenchAnne Hathaway
Kathryn WilderJudith Shakespeare
Kenneth BranaghWilliam Shakespeare
Lolita ChakrabartiStratford Landlady
Lydia WilsonSusanna Shakespeare
Matt JessupFrank
Michael RouseFrancis Collins
Sam EllisHamnet Shakespeare

Additional Details

Production type
Fiction Films
Subjects
Drama; Shakespeare
Keywords
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Notes
Named for the alternative title to Shakespeare’s Henry VIII.
General
There is a brief flashback to a scene from Titus Andronicus; In a crucial exchange in the centre of the film, Shakespeare recites his 29th sonnet to the Earl of Southampton, who then recites it back but changes the emphasis and in so doing the meaning.
History
Released in a small number of cinemas in the US on 21 December 2018 to qualify for the Oscars. The UK theatrical release was 8 February 2019.

Distributor

Name

Sony Pictures Releasing (UK)

Web
http://www.sonypictures.co.uk/ External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7533 1111
Address
Europe House
25 Golden Square
London
W1R 6LU

Distributor (DVD)

Name

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Web
http://www.sonypictures.co.uk/ External site opens in new window

How to cite this record

Shakespeare, "All is True". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av78497 (Accessed 12 Nov 2024)