Review of Anonymous (2011) by Alex C — 07 Feb 2012

There are many rumors and stories of whether William Shakespeare actually wrote his plays, and this film makes a movie with it's own take on it. Director Roland Emmerich, who normally does a lot of action and war films, has perhaps made my favorite film of his since "The Patriot".

I love the modern beginning to establish that the rest of the film is indeed a fictionalized story, but even after it's over, the performances of the actors make me want to believe it was true. Rhys Ifans, playing the Earl of Oxford, is the man who has a desire to write plays, but due to his position, has to have somebody else take the credit to see them performed.

Many of the plays are inspired by the events in his life, including an affair with Queen Elizabeth. The film handles the ability of going back and forth in time to understand these parts in the Earl of Oxford's life, and how it strains others in the monarchy.

Finally, the film just looks impressive too.