ReelBob: ‘All Is True’ ★★★★

By Bob Bloom

As an actor and director, Kenneth Branagh has been associated with the works of William Shakespeare on film for more than three decades.

So, it seems apropos that he should portray the Bard of Avon in “All Is True,” a movie that looks at the life of the poet-playwright after the final curtain has rung down on his career.

In 1613, during a performance of “Henry VIII,” a mishap involving a cannon sets Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on fire, completely destroying it.

The event spurs Shakespeare to return to his home in Stratford-on-Avon and the family he virtually had abandoned for years, while he was writing, producing and staging his plays in London.

If Shakespeare believed he would be welcomed with open arms, he was sorely mistaken. Instead, he is greeted with coldness, bitterness and resentment.

His wife, Anne (Judi Dench), consigns him to the guest bedroom, while his younger daughter, Judith (Kathryn Wilder), continually hurls verbal daggers at him because of his neglect.

Branagh uses the story, written by Ben Elton, to touch on a few social issues — most notably, the inequities of a patriarchal society in which women were consigned to a second-class status in which they were expected to produce male heirs and keep house. The vast majority of women were not schooled and could neither read nor write.

Shakespeare’s homecoming is made even more contentious by his continual mourning for his son, Hamnet, Judith’s twin brother, who died of the plague 17 years earlier. Over the years, the playwright had idealized the child — which only adds to the estrangement between him and Judith.

Throughout the movie, Shakespeare denies this accusation, but his actions belie his words.

Anne gently reminds him of the cost of his long career to his family. Dench’s understated performance allows Anne to display a steely spine without raising her voice. She does love her husband and is brutally honest when reminding him of the consequences of his choices.

Eventually, family secrets are revealed, arguments ensue, and a healing process begins.

The strength of “All Is True” lies in Branagh’s depiction of Shakespeare as a flawed man. Though proud of his accomplishments and fame, he is self-conscious about what others think of him, and he continues to fester long-held grudges against those who slurred him and his works.

He also downplays to himself the pain he has caused his family by his long absences, believing the lives he was able to give them through his success compensates for his abandonment.

Branagh, hidden behind a wig and false nose, creates a well-rounded character who, despite all his triumphs, remains unsure of his place in the world.

“All Is True” also delves into the relationship between Shakespeare and Henry Wriotherly, 3rd Earl of Southampton. When the earl calls on Shakespeare at his home, the latter acts like an anxious schoolgirl awaiting her prom date.

As portrayed by Ian McKellen, a palatable sexual tension — as thick as a coastal fog — looms over their meeting. Shakespeare’s two narrative poems, “Venus and Adonis” and “The Rape of Lucrece,” are dedicated to Southampton. Wisely, Branagh keeps the extent of their relationship ambiguous — as it is in history.

Branagh’s Shakespeare finally heeds the words he wrote for Polonius in “Hamlet” — “To thine own self be true. And it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

“All Is True” depicts an individual in the twilight of his life who was genius with words and characters, but a flop as a husband and father.

And while, it may drag and seem repetitious in a few spots, overall it is an interesting depiction of probably the best-known playwright in history.

Smartly, Branagh and Elton do offer some redemption. After all, it is Shakespeare, and it’s only right that a film about his later life express the sentiment that all’s well that ends well.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

ALL IS TRUE 4 stars out of 5 (PG-13), suggestive material, thematic elements, language

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lfJ76Dza9w