ANONYMOUS, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 10 min )

where:  CINE ARTS @ PLEASANT HILL in Pleasant Hill, CA
when:  Saturday, October 29th, 2011
show:  7:20 p.m.
costs:  $10.75 Ticket + $4.50 medium Diet Coke + $1.00 3.1 oz Cookies 'N Cream Bites ( bought at a dollar store and smuggled-in ) = $16.25
auditorium:  5
seat:  4th row, Center section, 5th column


synopsis/overview:  Fornication Under Consent of Queen and Court Intrigues

To educate the masses about the cruel tyranny of Kings, a closeted nobleman playwright  finds a literary outlet in a semi-literate stage actor.

noteworthy scene:  1.) "Darker story of Quills and Swords"; 2.) Arrest; 3.) Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford ( Rhys Ifans ); 4.) "Seditious"; 5.) "You know you need not ask"; 6.) "Gift"; 7.) "Matters both of War and State"; 8.) "Powerful friends"; 9.) "Etc., etc., etc."; 10.) "Edward wishes to choose the next king"; 11.) "It would be an affront against the Muses"; 12.) "Keep your noble head from the executioner's block"; 13.) "Imposter"; 14.) "You have no Voice, that's why I chose you"; 15.) "Are you possessed"; 16.) "Writers don't have time to act"; 17.) "I return only upon my father-in-law's insistence"; 18.) Italian women; 19.) "This is why you bedded me"; 20.) Thundering applause; 21.) "Edward must be removed"; 22.) "Am I with child"; 23.) "You're neither the first nor the last of her lovers"; 24.) Illiterate; 25.) Foiled assassination attempt; 26.) Dead body; 27.) "He tried to kill me"; 28.) Bear fight; 29.) "I need more money"; 30.) "She had your child"; 31.) Indiscreet; 32.) "Your whore gave birth last week"; 33.) Three conditions; 34.) The two earls; 35.) Letter; 36.) "Not without right"; 37.) "He is quite sane"; 38.) "Words will prevail with Elizabeth ( Vanessa Redgrave )"; 39.) Brothel; 40.) "Venus and Adonis"; 41.) "No Johnson ( Sebastian Armesto ) plays at the Globe, ever";  42.) Hunchback; 43.) Mob; 44.) Trap; 45.) The scandalous truth; 46.) "Your son is going to be killed by his own mother"; 47.) "The Cecils are dependent on me"; 48.) The Act of Succession; 49.) "You came to me, Ben"; 50.) "Words, my sole legacy"; 51.) "Ruin, dishonor"; 52.) "Burned by your men"; 53.) "Marvelous"; 54.) "Avid theatre man as myself"; 55.) The first "official" Poet Laureate of  England, Ben Johnson"; and 56.) "Monument of  Words."

audience reaction:  The audience was pretty much silent throughout this intriguing movie.

recommendation:  I really liked this fascinating movie as it offers up another side to the Shakespeare Mystery that has long been a source of contention among literary scholars.  Go see this movie if you are a Shakespeare fan or if you are into Historical Drama/Mystery.

spoiler alert!  Wasn't that horse supposed to play dead?

The Ending Credits shows a disclaimer stating that there are no similarities to actual persons, dead or alive.  Hah!  What a joke ....  Did they really have to add this disclaimer?  Couldn't they just have said something along the lines of:  "Creative license was used in the making of this historical film", instead?

fyi:  "Thine eyes flash fire, thy countenance shakes a spear."  Gabriel Harvey's praise to the Earl of Oxford in 1578.  The Atlantic Magazine, Sunday, October 30th, 2011.

The fictional Hamlet and the Earl of Oxford have many similarities, according to a book by J. Thomas Looney, published in 1920. ibid

Although this movie serves-up a very compelling case, there are those who believe that it was actually Lord Francis Bacon, a close friend ( and half-brother? ) of the Earl of Oxford, who authored the Shakespearean Plays.

But, that's not all ....

There are also those who suspect that the legendary "immortal"  alchemist ( who faked his own death at least twice--supposedly ) , Count de Saint Germaine, whose coat of arms is similar to that of Lord Francis Bacon, is actually Lord Bacon himself!  Bring on the Bacon!

We have more words in our English Vocabulary than Shakespeare ever had in his!  Unfortunately, though, with the advent of  Texting, our vocabulary is now heading down an atavistic spiral towards Troglodyte English.  Ha, ha, ha.  'Not funny, actually ....

As an aspiring writer, although I don't have an extensive command of the English language to fully appreciate Shakespearean Plays, I can empathize with one of the characters in this movie:  To get your works published is the only way to give birth to the words that you conceived.   Hmm,  maybe I should put this in my ...  

word of advice:  The Pen is mightier than the Sword.

tidbits:  I had just gotten on the I-80 Freeway from Redwood Street when I found myself tailing an SUV with the personalized license plate, NO STEP, and with a personalized spare tire cover, with the words: "Cicciolini Films."  I brought this up because its driver was "speeding" at 40 mph on a 65 mph freeway.  He must have been just advertising his business.  Don't patronize his movies!  Ha, ha, ha.

Upon arrival at the theatre, and after looking-up at the marquee, I was surprised to find out that this movie was not playing in The Dome but was, instead, relegated to the last auditorium!  How could they do this to Shakespeare?

I wanted to see THE RUM DIARY a mile or so away from this theatre at the Century 16 Downtown Pleasant Hill and XD after the show.  But I changed my mind at the last minute because THE SKIN I LIVE IN is showing here in The Dome and is in limited release.  I can just go and see THE RUM DIARY someplace else.

P.S.  Is it just me or are the English in the habit of putting-out historical period pieces this late in the year just prior to the Oscars?  The ruse is exposed by none other than Cine-Man, himself!  Thank you, thank you and thank you, ladies and gentlemen.