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Many composers have chosen to perform their own material and commit it to discs, with mixed results. Only with Noel Coward do we feel that a good deal of the charm of his numbers lies in the very way he performs them. For proof, we now have the Naxos Nostalgia <Noel Coward: A Room With a View> (8.120529), which dishes up 16 tracks of the ultra-refined son of W. S.Gilbert, giving us six selections from "This Year of Grace," one from "Bittersweet," a medley of treasures from his "Cavalcade," another from his other works, and a few other trifles that are better than most of what is written today.

Add to all this two classical scenes with Coward and co-star Gertrude Lawrence from his "Private Lives," incredibly valuable for those local drama groups who butcher this work in that this CD can teach them the tone and rhythms that are essential in making this classic succeed.

The subtitle of this set is "The Complete Recordings, Volume 1: 1928-1932." So we can look forward to future offerings featuring this fascinating composer-lyricist-performer. Thank you, Naxos, yet again.

Saving Private Ryan. Don't get me wrong, I generally love anything Shakespeare and this is no exception. I left the theater giddy after seeing this film. Gwyneth Paltrow turned in a very good performance (though not as good as Kate Blanchett's in "Elizabeth")as did Judy Dench and Geoofrey Rush. Ben Affleck's character was slightly out of place, but I think his performance worked for me because his character was meant to reflect the eternality of thespian vanity. To make it clear for the simple-minded, he represents the old maxim, "the more things change, the more things stay the same", with regards to actors. I liked his performance. The only performer in the movie who left me cold was Joseph Fiennes, who could take a few pointers from his brother. Not much of an impact "player", to steal a baseball analogy. The story was excellent and the writing top-notch. Not a boring moment in sight. As a hopeless romantic, this film captured my heart in many ways. All that said, however, this film did NOT deserve the Best Picture Oscar. It contained neither the depth of emotion, nor the level of technical achievement which "Saving Private Ryan" contained, and the writing and acting in SPR was at least equal to that in "Shakespeare in Love".

I am not contending that a serious film, such as SPR, should always beat out a film like SIL. Important films are not always necessarily BETTER films. I will simply say this: as someone who is touched profoundly by films of both genres (war drama and historical fiction/comedy), the film that keeps coming back to me, every single day, in one way or another, is "Saving Private Ryan", not "Shakespeare in Love". THAT is impact, and THAT is the reason SPR should have won.

I loved this movie. I thought going into it that understanding Shakespeares' style and manner of speech would be difficult for me to understand, but not at all. Much credit has to go to the many talented and likeable actors who brought this story to life. On one level, this story describes (with the vital and enthusiastic endorsement of Queen Elizabeth) the very roots of show business and how troups of actors coalesced into an industry. But this movie at its heart is a good old-fashioned bittersweet love story with lots of laughs to lighten it up. Very loosely based of Shakespeare's early years as a writer/actor this story made clever use of at least a half dozen real persons who were a part of his world. That said, for some serious Shakespeare buffs to chaffe over variances with precise historical accuracy is to miss the point. Elizabethian times were not easy, certainly not very sanitary, and this film conveyed convincingly by way of costume and set design how daily life might have played out in 1593. Joseph Fiennes' Will Shakespeare was likeable, handsome, full of youthful energy and possessed of a boundless intellect. Gwyneth Paltrow positively glowed as the fictional Viola. In this role she had to at times act cross gender and in doing so demonstrated a remarkable range and talent, most deserving of the Academy Award she won. Geoffrey Rush, the superb Australian actor was brilliant as Philip Henslowe the fatalistic and comical theatre owner. (In real life, Henslowe married his way out of indentured service and was mentioned in Shakespeare's will). Noteworthy is Judi Dench's famous 8 minutes of screen time so believable as Queen Elizabeth that she won best supporting actress. This movie worked on so many levels that you are bound to find something to like about it. Easily one of the best romantic comedies, certainly one of the most novel ever filmed.

"Shakespeare in Love" is a triumph, pure and simple. With screenwriters Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman at the top of their game and feeding immortal lines to a top-notch cast, "Shakespeare in Love" could not fail to succeed.

The film opens with young Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) struggling with writer's block . . . he is clearly not yet the magnificent WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (insert trumpets here), the world's most famous writer. Indeed, the top playwright of the age is Kit Marlowe (Rupert Everett), as Shakespeare is reminded several times. And young Will is also hopelessly infatuated with Rosaline, a woman completely unworthy of his affections.

After some psychotherapy that anticipates Freud, Will is no better. Still, heavily in debt, Will attempts to stage his next opus, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." Working with Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, who would have stolen a lesser film with his perfect performance), who's also heavily in debt, Will seems headed for disaster.

That is, until he sees his muse, young Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow, never better). Smitten, young Will begins to write the romantic poetry that becomes "Romeo and Juliet." Viola, who recognizes Will's genius, meets Will through some classic Shakespearean disguises and mistaken identities. Of course, Viola is betrothed to a true slug, Lord Wessex (a plump Colin Firth), who plans to take her to Virginia in seek his fortune across the sea -- essentially sending her into exile.

Despite the roadblocks, Will and Viola are soon hopelessly in love. Viola, daring to breach the silly rule that only men can play parts on stage, has taken the role of Romeo by day. By night, Will and Viola write Will's most romantic play together.

"SIL" keeps the wheels turning mighty fast, and one of the joys of watching this movie over and over is catching a quick joke that you didn't get the first time around.

It's also a pleasure to watch this stellar cast go through its paces. While Judi Dench won her Oscar for her surprisingly brief performance as Queen Elizabeth, other actors turn in equally entertaining performances. Tom Wilkinson, Simon Callow, Martin Clunes, and Imelda Staunton each bring amazing proficiency to the supporting cast, and even the much-maligned appearance of Ben Affleck elevates the movie -- he is perfectly cast as a self-absorbed theater star (first line -- "What is the play, and what is my part?"). Affleck's comeuppance, when he realizes that he, as Mercutio, doesn't have the title role, is handled wonderfully well.

This is simply a movie that doesn't miss a trick. The film is shot beautifully, the extravagent costuming gets at the ridiculous conformity that we associate with jolly old England (and makes the torrid romance of Will and Viola that much more intimate), and the music is uplifting.

The film's final shot, as Viola walks along the beach and we realize that we've just seen the birth of arguably Shakespeare's greatest heroine, Viola of "Twelfth Night," is a masterpiece of powerful understatement.

This movie is simply a must for the film library!