Movie Kisses Series 4/10/2024 Shakespeare in Love #prairierosepubs #moviekisses

Here we are at the fourth installment of my year-long look at The Kiss in historically-set movies.

Recap of Kisses so far:

• January Kiss –The Phantom of the Opera 

• February Kiss – The Princess Bride|

• March Kiss – The African Queen

Since William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26 (likely born on April 23), 1556, and he died on April 23, 1616, it is only proper that this month’s movie kiss is from Shakespeare in Love.

Shakespeare in Love is a period romantic comedy-drama (1998). The story is a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps. During this intense, short-lived affair, Shakespeare is inspired to write Romeo and Juliet, which closely mirrors their star-crossed and doomed-from-the-beginning relationship. This movie is a play-within-a-play.

From the beginning, we know Will and Viola will not have their own happy ever after. We know from a few minutes into the movie that Viola’s father has arranged her marriage with Lord Wessex. This event sets off a whirlwind three-week-long love affair between Will and Viola.

Near the end of the movie, Queen Elizabeth sums up what we, the viewer, knew would happen for Will and Viola during every moment of the movie, but we pushed it to the back of our minds, because it’s so darn sad.

As stories must when love’s denied: with tears and a journey.

As such, there are two kisses that matter in this movie (and Will and Viola do a lot of kissing in this movie).

The first kiss comes at the end of the Romeo and Juliet performance when Will and Viola are lost in the moment and they kiss as themselves, but also as Romeo and Juliet. This is their goodbye kiss, but it’s not the kiss that breaks our hearts. That kiss happens in the second clip. Fast forward to 3:38 in this clip to see this kiss.

The second kiss is the heart-wrencher and the tear-bringer. It’s their Last Kiss. It’s the kiss that makes our lips quiver and our eyes misty. This is the ‘Write me well’ kiss that immortalizes Viola for Will as we hear his voice-over and see him writing the play Twelfth Night.

 See you next month for another kiss from the big screen.

Kaye Spencer
www.kayespencer.com