Anonymous

"Was Shakespeare a Fraud?"

2011 2h 10m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 816

DramaHistoryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Was Shakespeare a Fraud?”

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Cast

Jamie Campbell Bower
Young Earl of Oxford
Rhys Ifans
Edward de Vere
David Thewlis
William Cecil
Joely Richardson
Princess Elizabeth Tudor
Vanessa Redgrave
Queen Elizabeth I
Sebastian Armesto
Ben Jonson
Rafe Spall
William Shakespeare
Edward Hogg
Robert Cecil

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roland Emmerich
Writers: John Orloff
Languages: English
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 51% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roland Emmerich, shot by Anna Foerster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harald Kloser. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter R. Adam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jamie Campbell Bower and Rhys Ifans and David Thewlis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Was Shakespeare a Fraud?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roland Emmerich directs. Anna Foerster behind the camera. Harald Kloser scores. Peter R. Adam cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 51% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 15 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Roland Emmerich, shot by Anna Foerster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Harald Kloser. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter R. Adam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jamie Campbell Bower and Rhys Ifans and David Thewlis carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Was Shakespeare a Fraud?".
9IMDB entry: tt1521197 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Anna Foerster
Original score: Harald Kloser
Editing: Peter R. Adam
Production design: Sebastian T. Krawinkel
Costume design: Lisy Christl
Makeup / hair: Heike Merker
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $15,395,087
Return: 51% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Anonymous (2011)

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Roland Emmerich

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2013-10-06
★ 8/10
Good entertaining fictional historic movie. Just don't try to chew on whether the history is true or not but enjoy the plot.
Filipe Manuel Neto2023-02-16
★ 7/10
A film that would be much better with less sudden flashbacks, fewer anachronisms and a more careful explanation of the theory it comes to present. I've already written a lot here, and I've said it a few times, but it's worth saying again that, although I'm a historian and I like Shakespeare's work, I'm not a native English speaker (I'm Portuguese and I speak the language of my country) nor am I an intensive or specialized connoisseur of the playwright's life and work. Therefore, I certainly won't offend anyone if I say that, until I saw this film and documented myself a little to write about it, I didn't know that there were controversies surrounding the identity of Shakespeare. It is perfectly normal that there are doubts about the authorship of some of the works of an ancient author, there are many examples. Less normal is that there are doubts surrounding the totality of his work. The film advocates the following theory: the real Shakespeare neither wrote a line nor knew how to write. Who really wrote the works, dramatic and poetic, to which he lent his name was someone who, for social and political reasons, could not do so: the Earl of Oxford, a nobleman and courtier. I'm not going to question whether this is true or false, there are people better qualified to talk about it. What I can say is that I wasn't convinced. If Oxford, for some reason, could not exhibit his literary work, how did he acquire fame as a playwright and poet? It does not make sense. Furthermore, for me, until this moment, Shakespeare was an author who did not deserve discussion. Trying to turn him into someone else's figurehead seems to me something that can only be asserted with overwhelming evidence, and not only do we not have that evidence, but the amount of historical inaccuracies and anachronistic errors that the film carries as well do not make us comfortable about the theory it presents. However, the most complicated thing about this film are not the anachronisms or the far-fetched theory that it brings us, but the flashbacks and flash forwards that occur almost without warning and make it very difficult to follow the story. I also didn't like the way the film assumes from the outset that the audience is familiar with Shakespeare's life and the Tudor period. I happen to know, but people don't have to read an English history textbook before seeing a movie. When I saw Roland Emmerich's name in the director's seat, I also feared the worst. I feared that we had something brutally destroyed or that we were witnessing some kind of disaster. Luckily, or maybe not, we only have to mourn the loss of the Globe Theatre, completely consumed by a fire. Anyone who thought he was going to be able to make a film without destroying something didn't know him. The film has excellent actors, and most of them do an impeccable job. I particularly liked Rhys Ifans and Sebastian Armesto, but Rafe Spall, David Thewlis and Joeli Richardson were also excellent in their roles. Vanessa Redgrave also does a well done job, but she had already played this role before, in another film, if I'm not mistaken. On a technical level, the film relies heavily on high-quality, well-crafted CGI, and on a selection of filming locations made with great care and discretion. On all levels, the film appears to be a major production, with some effort and investment.