It’s not long into Anonymous that you realise that it has Oscars written all over it. Being a period piece always helps but the fact that the story and acting seems faultless almost makes it a done deal. In some ways this goes to being close to the perfect film, the filmmakers have been careful to make every little detail perfect and the story has you guessing what will happen throughout.
For the past one hundred years people have been throwing around theories about who the real William Shakespeare was. In Anonymous we see William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall – One Day, Sus) take the credit for the plays actually written by Edward, The Earl Of Oxford (Rhys Ifans – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1, Passion Play) when Edward is actually trying to give the credit to promising writer, Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto – Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Strager Tides, Bright Star). The plays almost become a weapon in the Essex Rebellion as Edward, The Earl Of Southampton (Xavier Samuel – Twilight: Eclipse, Road Train) and The Earl Of Essex (Sam Reid – TV’S Whitechapel & Spooks) try to put stop to a plan by William (David Thewlis – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, London Boulevard) and Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg – Me Or The Dog, Ollie Kepler’s Expanding Purple World) that will see Queen Elizabeth 1 (Vanessa Redgrave – Cars 2, The Whistleblower) give over her thrown to a Scotchman instead of one of her ‘bastard’ children. The film also looks at the illicit relationship between a Young Queen Elizabeth 1 (Joely Richardson – TV’S The Tudors & Nip/Tuck) and Young Edward (Jamie Campbell Bower – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, TV’S Camelot).
Director, Roland Emmerich (2012, 10,000 BC) and screenwriter, John Orloff (Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’hoole, A Mighty Heart) make a brilliant team. Emmerich has re-created Elizabethan England remarkably well (the detail is faultless) while Orloff’s script goes into every detail of the saga at hand. And while the script is informative and interesting as the story unfolds it can also be confusing if someone loses concentration on the film for even a second. There seems to be a flurry of characters and because there are two stories, set forty years apart, being told simultaneously at times it can be confusing. Still, if you keep your wits around you and concentrate really hard on what is happening you’ll be fine, and you’ll actually find yourself being stunned at the brilliance of the film.
It is hard not to see Anonymous picking up at least a couple of Oscar nominations for its acting performances. Vanessa Redgrave and Rhys Ifans put in spectacular performances while Joely Richardson shouldn’t be pushed aside either. With Redgrave’s brilliant acting it’s easy to forget that Richardson plays the younger version of the Queen… and she does it remarkably well. The film also gives some younger actors a chance to shine and Sam Reid, Xavier Samuel and Sebastian Armesto certainly don’t disappoint.
If you love conspiracy theories than you certainly shouldn’t miss Anonymous, this is the kind of theory you’ll be telling your friends . about for a long time to come. With outstanding acting performances and an engrossing storyline this is a film that is going to create a lot of Oscar buzz.
Year: 2011
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis, Edward Hogg, Xavier Samuel, Sam Reid, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joely Richardson
Classification: M
Runtime: 130 mins
Rating: 
Out on DVD/Blu-Ray 2012