Before He Was Shakespeare...

...he was Bill.  That is the premise of a new historical fiction (stress on the latter) movie, less about Hamlet than about its author.  The film was on the big screen courtesy of Fathom Events, and it is available (as of this typing) on cable as an on-demand offering.  Its DVD release is planned for later this spring.

Caution:  Some spoilers lie ahead.

We are taken back in time to Elizabethan England.  The island is under siege from King Phil-lip II, the King of Spain.  His armada having failed due to the vagaries of weather, he is looking for other ways to overtake England and to return it to the Catholics.  The King captures an Elizabethan spy, and soon a conference between the two powers to discuss the spy's return is to take place.  How best to use the meeting to remove the Queen?  Philip decides that a play's the thing.

This is where our hero, Bill, comes in.  Ousted from the band, Mortal Coil, due to his unpopular single-string lute soloing, he tries his hand at writing.  His attempt at musical comedy falls apart, and he turns for guidance to celebrated playwright, Christopher Marlowe.  Through a funny series of misadventures, the play ends up as the venue for Phillip's takeover of England.   Marlowe heads off to his eternal reward, the plot is thwarted, and Bill, I mean, William saves the day and begins a promising career as a playwright.  And everyone forgets about the spy whose capture started this whole thing.

In the vein of Mel Brooks or the Monty Python gang, this is a genuinely funny and enjoyable film.  Certainly one should not trust it too much for historical veracity, but for entertainment, it fits the bill.  (Apologies for the awful pun.)