Anonymous: Movie Review
Anonymous
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis, Joely
Richardson, Rafe Spall, Sebastian Armesto
Director: Roland Emmerich
A political conspiracy thriller done by the guy who's prone to big FX films
which blow the White House up?
Yep, that's the gist of Anonymous, a tale which tries to assert the theory
that Shakespeare didn't actually write all of that stuff you have to suffer in
English classes and pore over for exams.
Set in Elizabethan times, Rhys Ifans stars as Edward De Vere, the Earl of
Oxford who's actually written a whole heap of plays but can't turn his back on
his way of life and fight the taboo imposed on writers. When Ben Johnson
(Armesto) meets de Vere, the crafty Earl decides that this is the way his work
can be performed.
However, when the play's a success, a drunken actor by the name of William
Shakespeare (Spall) steps up and claims the credit. But events spiral out of
control and along with political machinations, soon seething jealousy and snake
pit politics overtake the arts - and against a backdrop of rebellion, the truth
becomes harder to realize.
Anonymous is an odd sort of film - while there are flashes of brilliance
(such as the visualizations of Elizabethan times and the stunning performances
of some of the plays in the Globe which recapture the vibe and thrust of what
theatre must have been like in its infancy), there's a lot of stiffness in both
the dialogue and characters. Coupled with Emmerich's continual desire to throw
in thunder and lightning effects every time there's a confrontation or trouble,
there's little subtlety on show here.
Rhys Ifans is watchable as the Earl and Redgrave is impressive as Elizabeth
but all in all, Anonymous is as starched as an Elizabethan collar with its over
the top premise. I can't say I left giving much credence to the theory
Shakespeare was a fraud, but I can say I left feeling a little bit like I was
back in school having to get my head around those texts which dogged and
troubled my formative years.
At Darren's World of Entertainment - a movie, DVD and game review blog. The latest movie and DVD reviews - plus game reviews as well. And cool stuff thrown in when I see it.
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