Movie Review -- Anonymous

VarunaTT

This is the movie that attempts to tackle the question of who was Shakespeare, really.  There's lots of interesting theories about this actually. This movie did a really great job of making an interesting subject, horrible.

This film is BAD. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.  Bad acting, bad storywriting, bad everything possible for this movie to do.

On top of that, there's some glaring historical inaccuracies that aren't just nitpicking (nitpickign: the order of the Shakespeare's plays performed, Christopher Marlowe's murder, where people were seated in Elizabethean theaters), like a revolt inspired by a play, that turned into a massacre that never happened. 

Vanessa Redgrave should be outright ashamed to have taken part in such a portrayal of Elizabeth I.

There is some really great photography.  The movie is bookended by a design that makes it seem like the movie is actually play.  And the CG to recreate old London was really wonderful.  But that stuff is maybe like...10 minutes of the movie?  

Don't recommend.

baconsmom

Boo. I really wanted to see this. 

VarunaTT

Well, I don't want to discourage you, but....it just wasn't good.

The only moments I really liked were when they were in the actual theatre doing some snippets of the plays.  Those parts aren't accurate either, but at least they were fun.  Though I still think I saw real women in some parts of that, which was a huge no-no in that era.

Their "theory" is this nobleman Edward de Vere was the writer, but that he was also Elizabeth's son (unbeknownst to her), has an affair with the queen and they have a child together.  This is all very WTF.  They were trying to use the history to show why the nobleman couldn't have come forward himself as the playwright, but it was just all so bloody wrong I could've spit.  And I'm not one to sit with the book and get nitpicky over details.