Anonymous (www.the-usher.com)

"I am William Shakespeare"

Celebrated throughout the world as the greatest playwright of all time, William Shakespeare (Spall) wrote some of the most memorable stories ever put to parchment. History written, or so you might think. What if Shakespeare did not write those plays? What if the person who wrote them had to keep his identity secret because of his status and his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I? This is a story that will make you question everything you know.

What every drama or English Literature student will tell you, the Bard is the staple diet for their studies but what if William Shakespeare did not actually write any of those plays or sonets but their were written by some else?

The question that director Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff pose is one that scholars and historians have debated for decades. The theory that William Shakespeare was just face and a name for writers who did not want the public attention, is one that has been posed since his death in 1616. Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe have been mentioned as the possible real life authors of some of the most famous plays and sonnets ever written but it is the name of Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford who Roland Emmerich and his creative team that pose the question of for ‘Anonymous’. This Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship has been speculated upon since the 1920s, with Oxford’s connections to the court of Queen Elizabeth I stopping him from publishing the work himself but is there enough evidence and drama to make ‘Anonymous’ question all those years of high school study into a man who could have possibly been a fake?

For director Roland Emmerich, ‘Anonymous’ is a real change of director for a filmmaker who has made a career of destroying the world. Films like ‘Independence Day’, ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, ‘Godzilla’ and ‘2012’ have given the German director a reputation for the grandiose but this is not the first time he has dropped into historical tale. While ’10,000 B.C.’ was more of a visual effects fest than a serious historical drama, the Mel Gibson starrer ‘The Patriot’ allowed the director to show what he could do with a more character driven historical tale. ‘Anonymous’ is a film built on the performances of the actors and the questions posed by the controversial storyline but, as with all films that are supposed to be based on true events, Emmerich and his team have taken a few liberties with the truth, even while posing a contentious question in the first place.

Even with all the historical time and date errors that run throughout the film, the question has to be asked as to whether this is a good watch or not and the answer is, if you take it as a piece of fiction that panders to the truth, then this is an interesting drama. What makes the film more watchable than it should have been are the performances from a very good cast. Casting Vanessa Redgrave and her daughter Joely Richardson as the older and younger versions of Queen Elizabeth I adds to the drama, David Thewlis is excellent as William Cecil and Edward Hogg is just as good as his son Robert. Xavier Samuel and Sam Reid are good as the Earls of Southampton and Essex and Rafe Spall has fun as the actor playing William Shakespeare. The film is all about the performance of Rhys Ifans as Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford however. It is his performance that makes ‘Anonymous’ so watchable and without it, it would be a film that no one would be talking about.

‘Anonymous’ might have far too many historical holes to be taken as the gospel truth but if you take it as an interesting piece of fiction, then you have a film that is worth your time. Capturing the time expertly with some very good performances, this is film that tries to pose a question when it should have just consentrated on been a Tudor set drama.

Blu-ray™ and DVD Bonus Material
Commentary with Director Roland Emmerich and Writer John Orloff
Who Is The Real William Shakespeare?
Deleted Scenes

Blu-ray™ Exclusive Bonus Material
More Than Special Effects
Speak The Speech…
Extended Scenes
Anonymous PS3 Wallpaper/Theme

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2011