Anonymous

2012 • 129 minutes

About this movie

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds ranging from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud, namely: who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage. MPAA Rating: PG-13 Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content. 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Beverly Blvd LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Ratings and reviews

Really wanted to like this movie, but it makes a very poor case for fraud. Take a look at Akala-Shakespeare TEDxTalk on youtube for more. Being the caretaker of knowledge is really in the eye of the beholder.

I guess many would call this movie boring but just the fact of the Virgin Queen legend taking on a whole new aspect then the one told to us .Shakespeare being a beard is also too wonderful .

I like Shakespeare enough to have been re-reading some of the plays. I am not sure if the idea of a nobleman author is as plausible as presented, but the movie did show the way nobles felt about getting their hands dirty with business, and (gasp) writing. The movie gave a good picture of the intrigue and backstabbing of families that fought for power, and is much more believable than modern creations with that theme (such as Game of Thrones). This really brought the stage alive too, showing the mobs of nobles and commoners who visited the playhouses.