The Soapbox: Rants and Commentary: Old Words, New Tears Composed by David Anderson(oommp@webspan.net) I finally got out of the house yesterday and went to the theater to see Shakespeare In Love. I finally made it a priorty to see this film. I've heard so much about it, I had to see it. Now, I took my son Kyle with me. I know, it's an R rated film. I should take more care in choosing the films I take Kyle to. However, with a few well chosen popcorn and bathroom breaks I was able to soften some of the sex scenes for my five year old. All in all, I think we did very well. About the movie: I was amazed. If it doesn't win the Oscar for best screenplay then there's a fix in somewhere, because it was wonderful. It was wonderfully constructed with humor, romance, action, intrigue, and plot. Just simply amazing. They made references to all sorts of things only the hardcore Shakespeare fantatics would know. Let's move on to the real reason for this rant, though. Toward the end of the movie I was amazed to see there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Women, men, myself, and indeed even Kyle were in tears with the tearing apart of the two lovers in the film. It was so artfully played it touched everyone. There were people who were actually sobbing. The ironic thing about it was; they were all crying to the end of Romeo and Juliet. It wasn't the ending of the film itself that got everyone. Though emotional, it didn't have the same impact as the ending of Shakespeare's orignal work. No, it was the play within the film that effected everyone. It was words written some four hundred years ago that made an entire theater of adults, and one child, cry uncontrollably. It's simply amazing to me that a piece of work, a set of words, an emotional idea concieved four hundred years ago can still touch people like that. There were Romeo's words as he saw his dead Juliet lying on the table. An incredible moment of epiphany when he swallows the poison and begins to die. And, just when you think you've been through your emotional worst, Juliet wakes up. Shakespeare plunges your emotions even deeper into the play. By the time Romeo's daggar finds it's sheath in Juliet's busom, you're exhausted. And sobbing. And touched. Touched by four hundred year old words played anew for new minds and new people and new tears. Everyone, see this movie. Remind yourself what love is. Back To Rants and Commentary

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