By: Alex Phuong (Two Beers) –
Anonymous (2011) Bonus Drinking Game
Take a Drink: for every reference to plays (supposedly) written by William Shakespeare
Have a Fancy Drink: for the beautiful sets and the Oscar-nominated costume design
Have Some Golden Booze: every time the Globe theater provides the setting with its golden majesty
But Don’t Join Alcoholics Anonymous: just because the title of this film is Anonymous (pun intended, and of course, this is just a witty joke)
Movie Review
William Shakespeare is supposedly the greatest playwright of all time. Did he really write his plays, though? Historical documents prove that Shakespeare had trouble writing his own last name! Ironically, he produced at least thirty-seven of the most timeless plays ever written for the stage, and authored some of the greatest poems and sonnets ever composed. That paradox formed the basis of the 2011 film Anonymous.
A Toast!
First of all, this film is a visually stunning spectacle. The craftsmanship that went into recreating Elizabethan England is one of the key pleasures of this film. Lisy Christl earned her first (and so far only) Academy Award nomination for designing the costumes (as of 2020). Anonymous overall is a more dramatic version of Shakespeare in Love (1998) given the subject matter, except that the real passion within this film is the love for writing and theatrical productions.
Beer Two
Even though Anonymous plays out like a Shakespearean drama, the plot is incredibly confusing, and Rafe Spall’s performance as William Shakespeare appears to insult who is supposedly the greatest writer who has ever lived.
Verdict
Did William Shakespeare really write his plays? We may never know…
