Film & TV

British Film Festival Review: Bill

From the creators of the magnificent BBC series Horrible Histories comes this comical, fictional account of the rise to fame of William ‘Bill’ Shakespeare.

The group responsible for the magnificent BBC series Horrible Histories have successfully made the transition to the big screen with this fictional account of the rise in fame of a certain playwright known as William ‘Bill’ Shakespeare.

While historians quarrel about exactly how much this fellow actually wrote, or even if he indeed existed at all, the comedic troupe have gone about having a grand old time making fun of medieval England and the constant wars between countries.

The story begins with Bill as a lute player in a band called “Mortal Coil”. After being dismissed, the 30 year old Bill, against the advice of his wife, Anne, goes to London to seek his fortune and fame. There he chances upon Christopher Marlowe – an out of work writer- and the two unwittingly become embroiled in a convoluted plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I by King Phillip II of Spain. It is highly doubtful that any of these events are factual but that matters not as the cast has enormous fun recreating the era and then playing in it.

The six main actors play around 40 of the film’s roles and, like the Monty Python troupe in their own movies, imbue each one with a distinctiveness of their own. As Shakespeare, Mathew Baynton shows remarkable depth of characterisation, giving what could have been a parody part some depth and life that a lesser comic may not be able to achieve. Ben Willbond as King Phillip II is wonderfully scene-chewing, Jim Howick gives a surprisingly sympathetic performance as Christopher Marlowe, whilst Martha Howe-Douglas is a standout as dominant Anne Hathaway.

Simon Farnaby gives the best overall performance not only giving his main character, the Earl of Croyden, some fantastic moments, but also commanding attention in his lesser roles (such as the Spanish assassin Juan Domingo). Laurence Rickard (who co-wrote the screenplay with Willbond) also provides some solid comedy as investigator Sir Francis Walsingham. The supporting cast boasts two wonderful performances from Helen McRory as Elizabeth I and an all-too-brief cameo by Damien Lewis as Sir Richard Hawking.

Director Richard Bracewell has successfully captured the vibe of the original series and kept the film rolling along at a pace that never seems too hurried or too slow. The comedic beats are mostly spot on and at no point does the look of the film suffer. Special mention must go to Charlotte Morris for her impeccable costume design.

If you know little of Shakespeare’s works (or his life), you will still find much to enjoy about this film. The enjoyment factor increases the more you know about the subject with many sly references to his plays and the times.

This is a great family film and one to check out at the British Film Festival.

Reviewed by Rodney Hrvatin
Twitter: @wagnerfan74

Rating out of 10:  8

Bill will screen again on 13 November 2015 for the BBC First British Film Festival, which runs 28 October – 18 November 2015 exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas.

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