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Anonymous

Play trailer Poster for Anonymous PG-13 Released Nov 4, 2011 2h 10m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Anonymous

Anonymous

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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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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 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. Aug 31, 2018 Full Review Judith Newmark St. Louis Post-Dispatch Will Shakespeare, whose words shine on, bright and brave, Is turning o'er with laughter in his grave. Rated: 1/4 Nov 4, 2011 Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) The film presents an interesting argument, but didn't entirely convince me. Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 3, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 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. Rated: 3/4 Mar 6, 2023 Full Review Jane Freebury The Canberra Times (Australia) This is a clever concoction for those who enjoy an enduring mystery. Aug 18, 2022 Full Review Mark Jackson Epoch Times "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. Rated: 4/5 Mar 13, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dead L 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/07/25 Full Review Bulgantamir B The director is a good person with experience Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Бавуу Э 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." Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review Bahad j 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review R C Preposterous - but I kept watching! The good acting, coherent (by it's own lights) storyline and lush production values were deserving of more than this absurd conspiracy theory. Correction: conspiracy theories in the plural. At least it was value for money in presenting us with a quite startling array of daft historical improbabilities. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/07/24 Full Review David J A richly informed presentation of the Oxford theory, executed impeccably. After seeing this I fell into the Oxford vs Shaksper YouTube rabbit hole for a year and climbed out with a 90% certainty that Oxford was...is...the author of the Shakespeare cannon. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/04/22 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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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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Anonymous

Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I in "Anonymous." Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare in "Anonymous." Jamie Campbell Bower as Earl of Oxford in "Anonymous." Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I in "Anonymous." (L-R) Sam Reid as Earl of Essex, Xavier Samuel as Earl of Southampton and Rhys Ifans as Earl of Oxford in "Anonymous." Joely Richardson as Queen Elizabeth I in "Anonymous." Rhys Ifans as Earl of Oxford in "Anonymous." Rhys Ifans as Earl of Oxford in "Anonymous." Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I in "Anonymous." Joely Richardson as Queen Elizabeth I and Jamie Campbell Bower as Earl of Oxford in "Anonymous." View more photos

Movie Info

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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