The film supports the theory that Shakespearean works were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan aristocrat. de Vere, unable to reveal he penned famous plays such as “King Lear” and “Henry V,” needs a writer to pose as the author. That's where William Shakespeare came in. This character certainly does not reflect the Shakespeare I first learned of in high school, and grew to appreciate. He is an actor, not a scribe, who was villainous. The film is like a Shakespearean play, with shocking elements you can find in “Hamlet.” The screen is filled with the politics and scandals of that era. I thought the acting was great, especially Rhys Ifans as de Vere.
I am not a Shakespearean scholar, and cannot tell you whether or not the allegations in the film are far-fetched. What I can tell you, is it illustrates the power of the pen. We are in the year 2011, yet a film is made discussing the relevance of writings from the 17th century, and is causing a heated debate. I enjoyed it for that very reason.
The film illustrates the importance and power of the written word, which I believe is starting to diminish. We write in sound bites for social media status updates, and send text messages with sentences like, "How r u?" Nowadays, the art of writing seems to be at risk. Do many teens understand the power of writing as a creative force? Will reality TV eventually overcome scripted TV?
The passion portrayed by the writers in "Anonymous," especially through Ifans’ portrayal of de Vere, made me think of why I started keeping a journal as a teen, why I enjoy writing poetry, why I write blog entries -- because writing can incite and inspire.
