Is the (fake) pen still stronger than the sword?

Indeed, Anonymous, exclusively showing at Ayala Malls, is proof positive that all the world loves a fake, especially well-made fakes. And all the world loves grand tales of palace intrigues, beddings and beheadings, murder and incest especially among the moneyed. This makes us ordinary people sound like better folk.

We take a break from the small screen and head for the cinema to watch a fictional account of how a noble man stayed home in his palace writing plays and sonnets under the nom de plume of William Shakespeare, a hypothesis that has kept the literary world entertained for centuries. The genius of Shakespeare is such that a good many when mistaken for him never corrected the misconception. The most famous candidates for would-be Shakespeares are Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe.

De Vere, Earl of Oxford, a nobleman in Queen Elizabeth I’s court, is the lead male character in Anonymous. Bacon, philosopher, writer, undisputed man of letters, has a style too far removed from that of Shakespeare’s, plus he was so preoccupied with his own writings to find time to dip into faking Shakespeare. We remember from high school the name Christopher Marlowe as a likely faker but having died early, stabbed in a brawl, he couldn’t have produced all those works.

Then again, there are those who conceive of Bacon collaborating with Sir Walter Raleigh; Ben Jonson, a rather accomplished writer who dreamt of fame; William Stanley, Earl of Derby; Thomas Middleton; Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke; and even Queen Elizabeth I herself; and the list goes on becoming more ridiculous.

Anonymous, billed as a political thriller that would expose William as a fake, sounded like fun. And fun, it was, indeed for the two hours at Greenbelt 3 we shared with a mix of nerdy students, foreigners, youngish girls in mini-skirts and bloody red Anne Curtis lipsticks on the prowl, a couple arguing on the pros and cons of a fake William.    

Writer John Orloff and director Roland Emmerich zero in on the life of De Vere for this fictionalized thriller set within the political atmosphere of the Elizabethan court. The film dramatizes events leading to the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, the failed Essex Rebellion against her, her death, De Vere’s giving his voluminous writings to Jonson who buries them in the ground only to be destroyed by fire. Jonson rushes to the site, recovers the manuscripts and the myth of Shakespeare continues.

But a film on the Shakespeare fakery alone is no fun. There is the Queen herself with such a sexual appetite she would drop her massive skirts at the prospect of a bedroom romp. Said appetite is almost inconceivable, having Elizabeth give birth to several children out of wedlock, one being Henry, Earl of Southhampton (her son by De Vere), who conspires with Robert, Earl of Essex (another illegitimate son) for the succession of Queen Elizabeth’s throne, their rebellion ending in imprisonment of Henry, and beheading of Robert. And as if those are not enough, De Vere discovers that he is himself a product of an incestuous affair of Elizabeth. De Vere then requests that their son Henry’s life be spared. The Queen agrees on condition that he will never gain authorship of his works. Of course, the film had early on declared itself as fictional, otherwise it could be open to libel suits.

Rhys Ifans as the hidden Shakespeare in the film

The film utilizing modern VFX CG technology recreating believable period backgrounds circa 1500 in London is amazing enough. We would quarrel, however, with several aspects in the script. What is it that makes De Vere agree to a condition not to surface as the real author? When the nitwit of a William Shakespeare begins claiming to be the writer of his plays and proceeds to blackmail him, why does he agree? How could anyone as dumb as Shakespeare, the son of an unlettered provincial glove maker, manages to hoodwink an entire kingdom? How can Shakespeare’s play Richard III, have been understood by illiterate masses in the public theater to the point of being incited as a mob to march against the palace?

Stars are Rhys Ifans as De Vere and Vanessa as Queen Elizabeth I, with Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare, Sebastian Armesto as Ben Jonson, Trystan Gravelle as Christopher Marlowe, Edward Hogg as Robert, Earl of Essex and Xavier Samuel as Henry, Earl of Southhampton.

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