Anonymous (2011)

The theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her.

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writer:

John Orloff

Stars:

Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rhys Ifans	...	Earl of Oxford
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Sebastian Armesto	...	Ben Jonson
Rafe Spall	...	William Shakespeare
David Thewlis	...	William Cecil
Edward Hogg	...	Robert Cecil
Xavier Samuel	...	Earl of Southampton
Sam Reid	...	Earl of Essex (as Sebastian Reid)
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Young Earl of Oxford
Joely Richardson	...	Young Queen Elizabeth I
Paolo De Vita	...	Francesco
Trystan Gravelle	...	Christopher Marlowe
Robert Emms	...	Thomas Dekker
Tony Way	...	Thomas Nashe
Julian Bleach	...	Captain Richard Pole

Storyline

Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, is presented as the real author of Shakespeare's works. Edward's life is followed through flashbacks from a young child, through to the end of his life. He is portrayed as a child prodigy who writes and performs A Midsummer Night's Dream for a young Elizabeth I. A series of events sees his plays being performed by a frontman, Shakespeare.

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Plot Keywords:

conspiracy theory | william shakespeare character | elizabeth i character | play | earl of oxford | 

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Taglines:

Was Shakespeare a Fraud?

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK Germany USA

Language:

English French Italian Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Release Date:

28 October 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Anónimo

Filming Locations:

Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,012,768, 30 October 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,463,292

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,395,087

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Centropolis Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Derek Jacobi (Prologue) and Mark Rylance (John Condell) are supporters of the Oxfordian theory (on which the film's plot is based) in real life.

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Goofs

The witches from Macbeth are seen performing on stage for a production during Elizabeth's reign. Macbeth was a play written for and when James I was on the English throne.

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Quotes

Earl of Oxford: All art is political, Jonson. Otherwise it would just be decoration.

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Crazy Credits

Apart from the production companies, the only opening credit is the movie's title, displayed on the marquee of the prologue's theater.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.16 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Night of the Long Knives
Written by Byrd & David Hirschfelder (as Hirschfelder)
Performed by David Hirschfelder
Courtesy of The Decca Music Group
Under licence from Universal Music Operations Ltd.

User Reviews

A surprisingly good political thriller that even non-Shakespeare fans like me will enjoy. I really liked this movie. I say B+

"The most performed playwright of all time, the author of 37 plays, 154 sonnets & several narrative poems...and yet not a single manuscript of any kind has ever been found written in Shakespeare's own hand." A movie that explores the theory that Shakespeare didn't write any of the things that he is said to. The theory is that The Earl of Oxford (Ifans) wrote them all as a stab at the new Queen (Redgrave) of England. I have said this before but I am not a Shakespeare fan at all, I just don't get him. There are a few movies of his I like but for the most part I am not a fan. Needless to say before watching this I was not that excited at all. Almost instantly the movie grabbed me and I was hooked. For those like me this is not really about Shakespeare at all, but more of a political thriller about trying to start and control a rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I in the 1600's. Weather this is true or not to me doesn't matter but the idea of writing plays as a way to begin a rebellion is a very interesting theory and makes for a very interesting movie. Overall, (from a non-Shakespeare fan) I really enjoyed this movie and recommend this. I give it a B+.