"Of course you have a voice, you are an artist."
To write or not to write, that is the question in question in this recent release by Roland Emmerich. Did William Shakespeare really pen all of his sonnets, poems and plays? Or was he simply an eccentric, spurious individual that was driven solely by fame and glamour? I had heard of several theories on the authenticity of Shakespeare over the years, and the theory revolving around the Earl of Oxford being the main author is explored in this movie. Details such as Shakespeare being illiterate, and how nothing of his work was mentioned in his will, provide the groundwork for this theory.
While it is a truly complicated story and really hard to follow, I enjoyed this film based on sheer content. It is fascinating to be thrown back to a time where writing and acting was seen as such threatening devices and how scrupulous the leaders within the kingdom of England could be towards each other. Mistresses and scandal. Beheadings and whispers of arcane pregnancies. All of which add up to be a dramatic theatrical performance in itself. The acting was grand, the costumes magnificent and the scope of England during the Essex Revolution was brilliant. If anything, the editor of this movie could have done a better job helping the viewer connect the characters with the events. The story jumps back and forth over different stages in Queen Elizabeth's life, sometimes muddling the flow of the events. Overall though, I would recommend this picture as the idea that greatest play write the world has ever seen, is not in fact who he claims to be. Decide for yourself......is it better to be a witty fool or someone with a foolish wit?
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