Synopsis
Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her, the story advances the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays.
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Cast
- Jamie Campbell BowerYoung Earl of Oxford
- Rhys IfansEdward de Vere
- David ThewlisWilliam Cecil
- Joely RichardsonPrincess Elizabeth Tudor
- Vanessa RedgraveQueen Elizabeth I
- Sebastian ArmestoBen Jonson
- Rafe SpallWilliam Shakespeare
- Edward HoggRobert Cecil
- Xavier SamuelEarl of Southampton
- Sam ReidEarl of Essex
Recommendations
- 80
Boxoffice Magazine
Why is Emmerich elbowing his way into the conversation about Shakespearean authorship? Because the debate is explosive - and he can't resist packing on a few more pounds of dynamite on his confident drama of incest, greed and beheadings. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
The film grabs at historical facts, mangles them into a plot worthy of a John le Carré spy novel and takes the viewer on a breathtaking ride through ye olde London. - 70
Variety
The film as a whole isn't quite as interesting, though it is noteworthy that action specialist Emmerich has clearly decided to change course here from anything he's previously made. Although this is primarily a writer's film, with John Orloff's screenplay (and dialogue) placed front and center, Anonymous surprises with how classical, staid and traditional Emmerich's mise-en-scene is, never straying from tried-and-true costumer standards. - 67
Tampa Bay Times
The most succinct evidence that Shakespeare was a fraud is offered by Derek Jacobi in prologue and epilogue, alone on a Broadway stage before a rapt audience. As usual in matters of the Bard, the play's the thing. - 60
Time Out
Other than ludicrously pulpy fun, Anonymous, true to its title, ultimately signifies nothing. - 50
The New Yorker
The Oxford theory is ridiculous, yet the filmmakers go all the way with it, producing endless scenes of indecipherable court intrigue in dark, smoky rooms, and a fashion show of ruffs, farthingales, and halberds. The more far-fetched the idea, it seems, the more strenuous the effort to pass it off as authentic. - 50
Village Voice
Emmerich's movie is sporadically enjoyable trash with better performances than it has any right to: Hogg's verminous villain leaves a trail of cold, oozing hisses. - 42
IndieWire
Emmerich takes the story at face value and delivers a film unlike any of his others. That is to say, a boring one.
