Anonymous (2011)
Anonymous (2011), a period drama directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, tells a fictionalized tale of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. The film suggests that de Vere was actually the true author of William Shakespeare’s plays. In modern-day New York, Derek Jacobi delivers a monologue at a theatre questioning the lack of written manuscripts from Shakespeare, despite his unparalleled success as a playwright. Meanwhile, Ben Jonson prepares to take the stage. The narrator offers to lead the audience on a journey through an alternative story about the origins of Shakespeare’s plays; one filled with quills and swords, power struggles and betrayals, and a stage conquered and a throne lost.
Making his way through the bustling streets of Elizabethan London, Ben Jonson frantically clutches a parcel while being pursued by soldiers. He seeks refuge in The Rose theatre and quickly conceals the manuscripts he carries as the soldiers set fire to the building. Later, as he is detained at the Tower of London, the puritanical Robert Cecil interrogates him. However, upon searching Ben, they do not find the writings by Edward de Vere that Cecil thought he possessed. In a flashback five years prior, we see an adult Edward living in exile after being disgraced and banished from court during Queen Elizabeth I’s final years. As she has remained unmarried and has no heir, the aging queen relies heavily on her primary advisor Lord William Cecil and his son Robert to manage affairs of the kingdom.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Rhys IfansEarl of Oxford  Jamie Campbell BowerYoung Earl of Oxford  Edward HoggRobert Cecil  Vanessa RedgraveQueen Elizabeth I  Joely RichardsonYoung Queen Elizabeth I  Sebastian ArmestoBen Jonson  Rafe SpallWilliam Shakespeare  David ThewlisWilliam Cecil  Xavier SamuelEarl of Southampton  Sam ReidEarl of Essex  Trystan GravelleChristopher Marlowe  Paolo De VitaFrancesco  Robert EmmsThomas Dekker  Derek JacobiNarrator |
Anonymous (2011), a period drama directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, tells a fictionalized tale of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. The film suggests that de Vere was actually the true author of William Shakespeare’s plays. In modern-day New York, Derek Jacobi delivers a monologue at a theatre questioning the lack of written manuscripts from Shakespeare, despite his unparalleled success as a playwright. Meanwhile, Ben Jonson prepares to take the stage. The narrator offers to lead the audience on a journey through an alternative story about the origins of Shakespeare’s plays; one filled with quills and swords, power struggles and betrayals, and a stage conquered and a throne lost.
Making his way through the bustling streets of Elizabethan London, Ben Jonson frantically clutches a parcel while being pursued by soldiers. He seeks refuge in The Rose theatre and quickly conceals the manuscripts he carries as the soldiers set fire to the building. Later, as he is detained at the Tower of London, the puritanical Robert Cecil interrogates him. However, upon searching Ben, they do not find the writings by Edward de Vere that Cecil thought he possessed. In a flashback five years prior, we see an adult Edward living in exile after being disgraced and banished from court during Queen Elizabeth I’s final years. As she has remained unmarried and has no heir, the aging queen relies heavily on her primary advisor Lord William Cecil and his son Robert to manage affairs of the kingdom.
