A question that occasionally surfaces in literary circles is whether or not a man named William Shakespeare wrote all the plays, sonnets, and other works attributed to him. The most popular candidates on the list as the "real" genius are Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, and even Queen Elizabeth. In this intriguing film directed by Roland Emmerich from a screenplay by John Orloff, the "real" Shakespeare is Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Jamie Campbell Bower as the younger de Vere and Rhys Ifans as the older) . Most of the drama takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave in her last years, Joey Richardson as the younger Queen), a troubled leader who has given a lot of power to Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg), a hunchback Puritan deeply influenced by his father William (David Thewlis), who is convinced that all the arts are the work of the Devil.
Anonymous presents a rich portrait of London with its dirty streets, its packed bars and brothels, its violent entertainment involving bears and dogs, and the outrageous wealth and ornate clothing in the royal court. We are treated to theater scenes of the rich and the powerful seated high above the stage and the peasants and lower class standing side by side in the gallery as Shakespeare unfolds his comedies and tragedies before their eyes. The playwright's language is magnificent and the characters in the stories address the concerns of both classes.
Ben Johnson (Sebastian Armesto) is the go-between Edward de Vere, the secret author, and Will Shakespeare (Rafe Spall), an actor in a theatrical company who presents the plays as his own. In keeping with its historical goals, the film loses some of its focus when it takes on the challenge of depicting the Essex Rebellion of 1601 when Lord Essex (Sam Reid) and Lord Southhampton (Xavier Samuel) led an abortive coup d'etat which resulted in Essex's beheading. This part of the film is overly complicated as it switches time periods so sometimes it's hard to remember who grew up to be whom.
At the heart of Anonymous is Edward de Vere, a poet of great dignity and brilliance who was young Queen Elizabeth's lover, a man involved in the power plays of the day, a proud father who almost loses his son, a lover of words that can stir the soul, and the bard behind dramas and comedies that can bring tears to the eyes or lift the spirit. Rhys Ifans puts in an astonishing performance as the real but secret Shakespeare.
Special features on the DVD include a commentary with director Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff; deleted scenes; and "Who is the Real William Shakespeare?"
