Anonymous

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Anonymous

PG-13

2011

2h 10m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

174 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

As royal troops set fire to the Globe Theatre, Elizabethan-era playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) is tortured by Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg), who demands to know if Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), is the true author of the writings attributed to William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall). Flashbacks reveal Oxford's passionate affair with Queen Elizabeth I and how -- in his younger days -- Oxford charmed her with plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream.

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Critics Consensus

Roland Emmerich delivers his trademark visual and emotional bombast, but the more Anonymous stops and tries to convince the audience of its half-baked theory, the less convincing it becomes.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/31/2018

This is a stupid person's idea of what a clever film might be and, although I adore Ifans, not even he can save it.

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Judith Newmark

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

11/04/2011

1/4

Will Shakespeare, whose words shine on, bright and brave, Is turning o'er with laughter in his grave.

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David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

11/03/2011

3.5/5

The film presents an interesting argument, but didn't entirely convince me.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/06/2023

3/4

Few will walk away from Anonymous convinced of its historical legitimacy, yet interests will be piqued, perhaps inspiring some to read up on the subject from more credible sources.

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Jane Freebury

The Canberra Times (Australia)

08/18/2022

This is a clever concoction for those who enjoy an enduring mystery.

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Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

03/13/2022

4/5

"Anonymous," while not coming close to being convincing that "Willy the Shake" was a fake, gives one pause regarding the subject matter, in addition to being quite a fun movie.

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Robert T

Nov 15

Since when did we start writing movie reviews based on historical accuracy? What is a movie but an imaginative recreation of thought. Remove yourself from the history books and watch this wondrous movie that doesn't require any accuracy to be amazing. O for a Muse of fire...

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Oct 28

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Dead L

Jul 7

This has to be one of the most underrated movies ever. Bought my first copy of it at the dollar store 😂. Watched it so many times it wouldn't play anymore. Took me a minute to find another one. Makes one think. Mark Rylance is fantastic.

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Bulgantamir B

08/06/2024

The director is a good person with experience

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Бавуу Э

08/05/2024

As royal troops set fire to the Globe Theatre, Elizabethan-era playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) is tortured by Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg), who demands to know if Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), is the true author of the writings attributed to William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall). Flashbacks reveal Oxford's passionate affair with Queen Elizabeth I and how -- in his younger days -- Oxford charmed her with plays like "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

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Bahad j

08/05/2024

In my opinion, I felt that the movie was very good, behind all this, the filmmaker was able to come up with the right festive details to congratulate the members of the behind-the-scenes team.

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Roland Emmerich

Director

Rhys Ifans

Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford

Vanessa Redgrave

Queen Elizabeth I

Joely Richardson

Young Queen Elizabeth I

David Thewlis

William Cecil

Xavier Samuel

Earl of Southampton

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56%

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Synopsis

As royal troops set fire to the Globe Theatre, Elizabethan-era playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) is tortured by Robert Cecil (Edward Hogg), who demands to know if Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), is the true author of the writings attributed to William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall). Flashbacks reveal Oxford's passionate affair with Queen Elizabeth I and how -- in his younger days -- Oxford charmed her with plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Director: Roland Emmerich
Producer: Roland Emmerich, Larry J. Franco, Robert Leger
Screenwriter: John Orloff
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Centropolis Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Sexual Content)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 4, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 7, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.5M
Runtime: 2h 10m

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