Stage Beauty (2004)

Ned Kynaston is the most beautiful "woman" of the London stage. This is the kind of role that I've always admired Billy Crudup for. He plays an actor in a time period (1600s) when only men were allowed to act on stage, even if the character portrayed is female. Kynaston is an actor so dedicated to his work that he has taught himself the graces of mime and can alter his masculine voice to sound like the most elegant and refined woman in the world. In his private life, he has a lover in the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Chaplin) who insists Kynaston don his wig when they "make a beast with 2 backs" in bed on the stage. On the sly, Kynaston's dressing assistant, Maria (Claire Danes) has been watching Kynaston's acting career and wishing she herself could not only be legally allowed to perform, but could do it with the same natural grace as Kynaston. She practices his mime, steals his beautiful frocks and wigs, and begins performing the very same role of Desdemona from Othello in a small nightspot in town. Things begin to go awry when it is discovered that Maria is acting illegally, but the King (Rupert Everett) is so moved by Maria's acting that he decides to reverse the ban on females acting on the stage. Kynaston, both jealous and angry that she has been stealing his thunder, screams in rage at Maria in front of the King's mistress, and suddenly is a disgraced man out of work. He gets beaten up by what I believe are 17th century bigots (I might be mistaken though.) After he recovers from his injuries, he tries to audition for a "male" role, but is unable to shake the habit of moving and speaking in feminine mannerisms. He flees in tears, and ends up being looked after in a boarding house by Maria. I really loved the "almost" love scene and the discussion that lead up to it. That's all I'll say for now. The movie never stops being entertaining, nor interesting to look upon, with its lavish costumes and production design. There is a scary moment towards the end that almost made me throw my laptop on the floor because I'd thought the movie was ruined, but luckily, I loved the film from beginning to end. Bravo!

Stage Beauty (2004): Dir: Richard Eyre / Cast: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin: Ravishing look into both the physical and artistic appeal of theatre. In London 1661 Billy Crudup plays a famous stage actor who fills auditoriums with his flawless portrayals of women but his dresser has been secretly performing even though women are forbidden to play female roles. Charles II appeals the ruling and allows women the right to perform thus leaving Crudup's talent to deteriorate as his audience abandons him. Beautifully written period piece directed by Richard Eyre who previously made Iris. Here is yet another great example of his work and it maintains strong focus on theatre. Crudup is fantastic as an actor playing woman so flawlessly that he is unable to portray a male. Claire Danes is flawless as a dresser turn overnight sensation. Excellent supporting work by Rupert Everett gives a superb supporting performance as Charles II who enjoys theatre to the point where adapting can only open opportunity. Tom Wilkinson also appears as the company head. Ben Chaplin plays George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham. Exquisite art direction showcases the time period as well as image the theatre and stage business from that time. Film addresses the rise of women through theatre but the real stage beauty is within one's talent. Score: 9 / 10

a love story. picture of revolution. exploration of levels of acting. a great cast. a charming story. a long gallery of interesting portraits and definition - subtle - of an entire world. slices of competition, testimony about death of old world, measure, shadows and fragile balance between feelings and art. a movie like a magnificent labyrinth, a form of Shakespeare in love but with more precise nuances and science of atmosphere details.a declaration of love, hate and vulnerability. all in womb of birth for new England. nothing moralistic, far from any lesson , meditation about heart of beauty, struggle to discover truth out of many masks. Shakespeare as occasion, guide and axis. lovely, nice and arena for drops of little lights. this is all. like an autumn evening.

I bought this movie because of Billy Crudup. I always enjoy his performances. But, once the movie started, I was mesmerized. The entire mood and theme of the movie; its looks, its pacing and its story, take us to a time that most of us knew little about.Theatre people, and theatre students knew about this and tittered over love scenes between two men. But, nobody thought about the moment when all that was over and women took to the stage. I venture to say most of us didn't know it wasn't more than socially incorrect for women to be in theatre at one time, but illegal.The story is beautifully written and transcends the issue of women versus men on stage and instead focuses on the acting ability of two such people. King Charles II, in the movie, states that the leading lady (Clare Danes) is the first and Crudup is the last (male to play a female, legally...at least in HIS time.) If you want a lovely view of post-Reformation England, theatre in general, you can see it all here. All this movie leaves out is the horrid smells theatre treated you to. It is that real.