Reviews have compared Stage Beauty to 1999's Shakespeare In Love, and because I enjoyed watching the latter so much, I thought that there was no way I would be giving this film a miss.
Helmed by veteran stage director, Richard Eyre, Stage Beauty is set in 17th century England, a time when women were prohibited from acting onstage and male actors were required to play female roles. Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup) was one such actor who had virtually spent his whole life learning the craft of feminizing himself in order to play women's parts -- and he was pretty good at it too. When his personal dresser, Maria (Claire Danes) was discovered acting in a tavern (albeit illegally), the king (Rupert Everett), at the insistence of his plucky mistress (Zoe Tapper), issued a decree allowing women the right to act on stage.I've always been fascinated by Danes eversince her breakthrough role as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet -- I feel that she's insofar, an underrated actress. Nonetheless, she has really proven her mettle in this film; her Brit accent did not sound affected or distracting and her portrayal was both incredibly nuanced and engaging. Crudup too, was just as good but their scenes together lacked a palpable chemistry to be thoroughly convincing. Although not in the grand, epic and sweeping scale as other Hollywood period films, an excellent supporting cast and realistic set-pieces still managed to convey a harmonious feel to the film as a whole.
Unfortunately, Stage Beauty ended up feeling a tad shallow as it barely grazed the surface of certain issues made glaringly obvious in the film, such as how men perceived women onstage (ie. the male gaze), women's reactions toward men's perceptions, and the complex issue of how enforced effeminacy could lead to homosexuality. What we have instead, is a convenient conclusion whereby Kynaston and Maria realised their love for each other and lived happily ever after. Or so it seems.
Suffice to say, those looking for the sheer romanticism of Shakespeare In Love would be sorely disappointed but Stage Beauty is still an intelligent enough film to stand on its own. ---- my ratings ~ 3.8/5 stars~!!!
