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

Director

Kenneth Branagh

Cinematographer

Zac Nicholson

Writer

Ben Elton

Music

Patrick Doyle

Production Design

James Merifield

Cast

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.

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British Universities Film & Video Council