All Is True (2019), directed by Kenneth Branagh

The story of William Shakespeare’s retirement, after his Globe Theatre burned down in London, starts off ponderously slowly. Some very dodgy camera work, with weird angles and out of focus shots, adds to the difficulty of getting in to the film. Fortunately every aspect improves as the film goes on. Ben Elton’s warm, sad and witty script helps the actors to shine, seamlessly weaving Shakespeare’s words into the tale. The beauty of the outdoor setting and the wonderful recreation of 17th century Stratford work their own magic. Kenneth Branagh does a good job of portraying Shakespeare, with little of the self-indulgence often displayed in his performances. Judi Dench is excellent as always, but she is too old for the part of Anne. The bard’s wife was older than him, but not old enough to have been his mother. Likewise Ian McKellen as the Earl of Southampton. The trouble lives of Shakespeare’s daughters, credibly played by Lydia Wilson and Kathryn Wilder, add a truly interesting note to the story of the famed bard.