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Anonymous

Anonymous

Drama · History · Thriller · 2011

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.

Movie details

Anonymous

“Was Shakespeare a Fraud?”

2011 Drama · History · Thriller 2h 10m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Anonymous?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roland Emmerich

Written by

John Orloff

Jamie Campbell Bower

Jamie Campbell Bower

Young Earl of Oxford

Rhys Ifans

Rhys Ifans

Edward de Vere

David Thewlis

David Thewlis

William Cecil

Joely Richardson

Joely Richardson

Princess Elizabeth Tudor

Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave

Queen Elizabeth I

Sebastian Armesto

Sebastian Armesto

Ben Jonson

Rafe Spall

Rafe Spall

William Shakespeare

Court is in session

Put Anonymous on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.