Anonymous (2011)

Movie Info :

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Sigmund Freud, namely: who actually created the body of work credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when scandalous political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles lusting for the power of the throne were brought to light in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

Critics Rating and Audience Score :

Tomatometer

46%

Flixter Score

53%

IMDB

6.9

My Review :

Interesting theory on the legacy of Shakespeare, and I highly enjoyed the way his plays were used for political statements. Rhys Ifans is great as the puppeteer behind the grand illusion of the playwright, and Vanessa Redgrave is equally effective as the floozy, Queen Elizabeth. The film's shortcomings are in it's simplicity and I wish it had delved more into why the Earl of Oxford was such a brilliant writer, instead of him just doing it in his spare time. It also plays out as a greatest hits of Shakespeare for a large section, as if to remind viewers of his work; which we all know. Not terrible, and Roland Emmerich has certainly made worse films but this has an intriguing idea and there are some crazy turns in the final act.