Review of Anonymous (2011) by Ian W — 17 Nov 2011

I have a whole lot of contempt for this movie. It glories in half truths, Elizabethan gossip and innuendo to come to the most unsavory, cynical conclusion possible in each and every case. The final major revelation of the film more or less destroys any good will the film had garnered to that point.

Still, despite all its obvious and subtle flaws, it is not a horrible movie. Vanessa Redgrave is quite good as an aged Elizabeth, Rhys Ifans is winning as the tortured, creative nobleman, and period-piece standard Sebastian Armesto manages to rescue his Ben Jonson from a shaky start to pull together a sympathetic character by the end.

And, surprisingly, Roland Emmerich manages the appearance of restraint with well lit, well dressed and just generally well done scenes. This is even more impressive considering that the project was photographed by Anna Foerster, a woman known for her special effects prowess in Emmerich's other silly movies, but who has never acted as cinematographer for a major motion picture before.

Anyway, this is not great art, but it is a passable and moderately entertaining historical melodrama. I may have contempt for it, but I can't quite bring myself to hate it.