Anonymous

One thing I can admire about period films is their ability to tell us a story with superb production values: great costumes, art direction, photography, make-up and music. Certainly "Anonymous" is no exception.

This is a political thriller advancing, if not advocating, the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) who penned Shakespeare's plays, set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave), and the Essex rebellion headed up by the Earl of Essex (Sam Reid) and the Earl of Southampton (Xavier Samuel), but mercilessly manipulated by the Cecils, specifically Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg). Ben Johnson (Sebastian Armesto) is paid by the Earl of Oxford to insure that no knows that he wrote the plays, especially Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) who is an actor.

Others to round out the cast are David Thewlis as William Cecil, Jamie Campbell Bower as Young Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Joely Richardson as Young Queen Elizabeth I.
This was directed with power by veteran Roland Emmerich ("Joey" '85, "Ghost Chase" '87, "Moon 44" '90, "Universal Soldier" '92, "Stargate" '94, "Independence Day" '96, "Godzilla" '98, "The Patriot" 2000, "The Day After Tomorrow" '04, "10,000 BC" '08, "2012" '09). As his resume dictates, he is the king of big budget, huge production films. James Cameron possibly beats him out.

It was written by John Orloff ("Band of Brothers"-TV mini-series, '01, "A Mighty Heart" '07, "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" '10). I understand the need to shift from past to present in a script, however, this screenplay kind of meandered in spots so as to become a bit confused of what was going on. This affected the continuity of the story where it became a strain to keep up. This guy is certainly a talented writer, so I'm not sure what happened.
Trust me, it's not a bad film, just one that you really have to pay close attention to. Truly, if you like a lavish production, great costumes, production design, music, make-up, and visual effects, you'll revel. The acting, especially by Ifans was simply superb, possibly to the point of an Oscar nod. Who knows?

Out of 4 stars: 2.5                   Rated: PG-13                      130min.