Anonymous (2011)

A man walks onto a stage — an exact replica of William Shakespeare's infamous Globe Theatre — and in front of a packed house reveals a set of facts to the audience. William Shakespeare had nothing more than a grammar school education when he moved from Stratford to London. For his hundreds of original works, not a single manuscript has ever been found in Shakespeare's own handwriting. Then this speaker offers the audience a different history from the one they know, and thus begins Roland Emmerich's newest film, Anonymous.

Anonymous explores the theory that Shakespeare never wrote any of the works credited to him, and that instead he was the public name and face of the works of the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere. The film opens in present day at the start of a play and quickly steps back in time to the 15th century when a young playwright is arrested and interrogated in the Tower of London about the works of one William Shakespeare. From there, time shuffles seamlessly between the early years of de Vere's life to his passionate love affair with Queen Elizabeth to his longing to have his works on stage and his ultimate plan to make a poor actor his public face. Alongside de Vere is fellow playwright Ben Johnson, the illiterate actor Will Shakespeare, the treacherous William and Robert Cecil and her majesty Queen Elizabeth. In the midst of the Shakespeare conspiracy is a brutal power struggle for the crown as the aging queen has yet to name an heir, and deceit, betrayal and death are constant threats.

Not only does Anonymous boast a fantastic story, it also has a strong cast to bring the characters to life. Rhys Ifans steps into the lead role of Edward de Vere. He does an outstanding job of playing the complexities of a man who is married to one woman yet desperately in love with another, and whose artistic passions must be hidden due to society's fundamentalist religious beliefs.

Sebastian Armesto takes on the role of Ben Johnson, a man who so badly wants to be a successful playwright but who will never step out of the shadow of Shakespeare. Rafe Spall plays the famous Will Shakespeare, but in this telling, the man is more of a lackwit than a genius.

David Thewlis and Edward Hogg bring to life the villainous father and son duo William and Robert Cecil, who want nothing but power and will stop at nothing to get it. Jamie Campbell Bower plays, with brilliance, the younger Edward de Vere and Vanessa Redgrave has the high honour of playing history's beloved Queen Elizabeth.

Anonymous is one of those films that, whether or not you believe in conspiracy theories, will have you questioning the accuracy of certain historical facts. If you're looking for a brilliantly told story of intrigue, love and art, then Anonymous will be everything you're looking for.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars