Anonymous [M]

In the sensitive, anticipatory, political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, there was one place and one power that could rally the masses and bring about controversy, grief, and revolution: the theatre and the words of the play. In a particularly sensitive political climate, where civil war threatens to rear its head, one popular playwright affected the masses so strongly and turned the heads in the Royal Court: William Shakespeare. But, as the tales of nobility and power seem so understanding of the English Nobility’s inner workings, a question must be asked: who was the real author behind the works credited to Shakespeare’s name? 

Admittedly, I was never a Shakespeare fan. I appreciate and admire the words and works that he has written, but they never completely drew me in. I guess you’re either inclined the Shakespearean way or you are not. As it is, I was very intrigued by this film. It seemed like a fantastic tale of conspiracy, betrayal, revolt, fiery passion and dark defiance. This just proves that you cannot tell what a film is about by the trailers, or inflect what type of movie it is by the cover. I don’t want to say that it was a disappointment, because it wasn’t, but there was just something wanting in this movie. For all the great actors that make up the cast, the eye-catching black and white cover, and the enticing by-line: was Shakespeare a fraud?, I ultimately felt that this movie failed to hold my attention; for a dramatic, historical thriller, it was not gripping in the slightest. 

In the sensitive, anticipatory, political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, there was one place and one power that could rally the masses and bring about controversy, grief, and revolution: the theatre and the words of the play. In a particularly sensitive political climate where civil war threatens to rear its head at any moment, one popular playwright affected the masses so strongly and turned the heads of the Royal Court: William Shakespeare. But, as the tales of nobility and power seem so understanding of the English Nobility’s inner workings, a question must be asked: who was the real author behind the works credited to Shakespeare’s name? 

To begin, I found that the whole was-Shakespeare-a-fraud? theme of the film was nothing more than a by-line; a small and meaningless story to grab the attention of the passerby. What I think caused the film to lose its gripping and historical thriller potential was the amount of stories that made up the entire thing. We have the Shakespeare story, which is a debate that has resurfaced time and time again over the years; how he was merely a name that gained the glory of the works written by a nobleman. Then we have the political story of civil war, the aging of Queen Elizabeth, and the struggle and desire to seize power. That is where the conspiracy element of the thriller comes into play. Underneath that we have another story about jealousy and betrayal from the man who was set to gain the glory instead of Shakespeare. And then, finally, we have an abundance of flashbacks and histories that hold a great importance in the present story. What I found with this movie was that all the stories, just tended to pile upon one another, vying for centre stage as it were, and you’re so busy trying to remember who the characters are and what roles they play in what scandals and dramas, and it all becomes too overwhelming and you just lose the energy with which to watch and enjoy the movie. It was more like watching a historical film and taking notes, knowing there’s a test at the end, rather than just a good, gripping, historical thriller. 

The performances from all the cast were exceptional, the script was very lovely and good; lengthy and wordy, a play in itself, and I did like the way the movie began as a stage production and then went into the period piece. 

Starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Jaime Campbell Bower, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, Edward Hogg, and David Thewlis, Anonymous was a fine film with fine cinematic and theatrical elements, but ultimately I felt that there was too much in it for it to really grip the audience. Filled with masterpieces, history, politics, conspiracy, incest, betrayal, murder, jealousy, romance, and power, it’s a film that I am glad I have seen, but not one that I add to the collection.