Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” dominated the 18th Tony Awards which took place at the New York Hilton on May 24, 1964. “Hello, Dolly!” entered the ceremony with 11 nominations and walked out with ten awards including best musical, best actress for Carol Channing, original score for Herman and for Gower Champion’s choreography and direction.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
- 5/15/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
“Segregation is a ridiculous institution and it makes decent people do ridiculous things,” playwright, actor-director, and activist Ossie Davis told the New York Times on September 24, 1961, four days before his play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch opened on Broadway, co-starring himself and his wife, Ruby Dee. “Maybe if they can be made to laugh at it they can see how absurd it is.”
Especially on a Great White Way where actors played predominantly to white audiences that had seen few comedies by Black playwrights, let alone satires on segregation, Purlie Victorious must have been a jolting event. Though the play, which ran for nearly eight months on Broadway, begat a film adaptation in 1963 (Gone Are the Days!) and the successful musical Purlie in 1970, Davis’s comedy about an aggrieved “self-made minister” righteously “disembezzling” a racist plantation owner has largely faded from popular memory.
Opening one day...
Especially on a Great White Way where actors played predominantly to white audiences that had seen few comedies by Black playwrights, let alone satires on segregation, Purlie Victorious must have been a jolting event. Though the play, which ran for nearly eight months on Broadway, begat a film adaptation in 1963 (Gone Are the Days!) and the successful musical Purlie in 1970, Davis’s comedy about an aggrieved “self-made minister” righteously “disembezzling” a racist plantation owner has largely faded from popular memory.
Opening one day...
- 9/28/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
The story of the hotly disputed discovery and sales of a purported new Leonardo da Vinci work doesn’t paint the art market in a flattering light
Here is the bizarre story of the Salvator Mundi, or Saviour of the World; a tale of cynicism, power worship and greed, like a stage play by Ben Jonson. It is a mysterious painting from about 1500, showing Jesus with his right hand raised in blessing and the left holding a glass globe, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, or partly to him, or maybe to a near-contemporary student or copyist – but in any case declared to be the original work of the master by a group of experts and dealers in 2012. And as with all documentaries about art, we are left uneasily wondering if the galleries of the world are full of “wrong attributions” or straight-up fakes.
This rackety piece, much damaged and overpainted,...
Here is the bizarre story of the Salvator Mundi, or Saviour of the World; a tale of cynicism, power worship and greed, like a stage play by Ben Jonson. It is a mysterious painting from about 1500, showing Jesus with his right hand raised in blessing and the left holding a glass globe, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, or partly to him, or maybe to a near-contemporary student or copyist – but in any case declared to be the original work of the master by a group of experts and dealers in 2012. And as with all documentaries about art, we are left uneasily wondering if the galleries of the world are full of “wrong attributions” or straight-up fakes.
This rackety piece, much damaged and overpainted,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Pike’s black-hearted Marla drains the bank accounts of well-off elderly patients, until she picks the wrong prey
A sulphur-whiff of evil rises from this exquisitely nasty and horribly watchable thriller from writer-director J Blakeson, whose debut movie The Disappearance of Alice Creed 12 years ago gave us all grounds for predicting great things. And Rosamund Pike is tremendous, giving us her most outrageous Hitchcock-blonde turn since Gone Girl.
Pike offers a window display of pure predatory wickedness, lighting up the screen with her sociopath haircut, shades and fashion-plate outfits, like Nurse Ratched’s aspirational granddaughter. She is also vaping – always the sign of a screen villain. Although I can’t help wishing Blakeson could have given Pike’s co-star Dianne Wiest more to do in the final act, it is grisly and gleefully cynical entertainment. If Ben Jonson directed films, they would be like this.
Pike plays Marla Grayson, a ruthless woman who,...
A sulphur-whiff of evil rises from this exquisitely nasty and horribly watchable thriller from writer-director J Blakeson, whose debut movie The Disappearance of Alice Creed 12 years ago gave us all grounds for predicting great things. And Rosamund Pike is tremendous, giving us her most outrageous Hitchcock-blonde turn since Gone Girl.
Pike offers a window display of pure predatory wickedness, lighting up the screen with her sociopath haircut, shades and fashion-plate outfits, like Nurse Ratched’s aspirational granddaughter. She is also vaping – always the sign of a screen villain. Although I can’t help wishing Blakeson could have given Pike’s co-star Dianne Wiest more to do in the final act, it is grisly and gleefully cynical entertainment. If Ben Jonson directed films, they would be like this.
Pike plays Marla Grayson, a ruthless woman who,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
As graduation ceremonies begin to take place throughout the nation — albeit under strikingly different circumstances than last year’s — we look back at one of country music’s most acclaimed graduates, J.R. Cash, who 70 years ago on this date earned his Dyess High School diploma in the tiny town of Dyess, Arkansas. Less than a decade later, after graduation and military service, he would begin his recording career, on the way to becoming Johnny Cash.
A popular student, Cash was elected class vice president in his senior year, and...
A popular student, Cash was elected class vice president in his senior year, and...
- 5/19/2020
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
The Black Crook Conceived and Directed by Joshua William Gelb Abrons Arts Center, NYC September 17-October 7, 2016
The Black Crook, subtitled An Original, Magical and Spectacular Musical Drama, begins with playwright Charles M. Barras (Steven Rattazzi) stutteringly pitching the play The Black Crook to William Wheatley (Merlin Whitehawk), producing manager of Niblo's Garden, a theater that stood, in several incarnations, on Broadway near Prince Street from 1823-1895. This current production of The Black Crook adapts Barras's 1866 original and weaves throughout the adaptation a frame narrative that tracks the origins and success of what was a hugely influential piece of theater. Wheatley and his business partners combined Barras's melodrama with performances by a Parisian ballet troupe and other spectacular interludes, and the result, because of its single unifying plot, is often credited as the first book musical in American theatrical history (the program notes that the song "I Said to My Love,...
The Black Crook, subtitled An Original, Magical and Spectacular Musical Drama, begins with playwright Charles M. Barras (Steven Rattazzi) stutteringly pitching the play The Black Crook to William Wheatley (Merlin Whitehawk), producing manager of Niblo's Garden, a theater that stood, in several incarnations, on Broadway near Prince Street from 1823-1895. This current production of The Black Crook adapts Barras's 1866 original and weaves throughout the adaptation a frame narrative that tracks the origins and success of what was a hugely influential piece of theater. Wheatley and his business partners combined Barras's melodrama with performances by a Parisian ballet troupe and other spectacular interludes, and the result, because of its single unifying plot, is often credited as the first book musical in American theatrical history (the program notes that the song "I Said to My Love,...
- 9/26/2016
- by Leah Richards
- www.culturecatch.com
1602: Witch Hunter Angela #1
Written by Marguerite Bennett and Kieron Gillen
Art by Stephanie Hans and Marguerite Sauvage
Published by Marvel Comics
The latest Secret Wars tie-in is set in the Marvel 1602 universe. This universe was created by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert and transplanted the major Marvel superheroes created in the 1960s to height of the English Renaissance during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James and just before the settling of Jamestown. Writers Marguerite Bennett and Kieron Gillen and artists Stephanie Hans and Marguerite Sauvage make this universe their own by transposing the angelic bounty hunter (and daughter of Odin) Angela and her friend Sera to the Marvel 1602 world where they hunt mutants or “Witchbreed”.
Witch Hunter Angela #1 is filled to the brim with jokes, Shakespearean-style wordplay, and fun, mainly ironic takes on both Marvel heroes and historical figures. Gillen and Sauvage tell a short lead story...
Written by Marguerite Bennett and Kieron Gillen
Art by Stephanie Hans and Marguerite Sauvage
Published by Marvel Comics
The latest Secret Wars tie-in is set in the Marvel 1602 universe. This universe was created by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert and transplanted the major Marvel superheroes created in the 1960s to height of the English Renaissance during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James and just before the settling of Jamestown. Writers Marguerite Bennett and Kieron Gillen and artists Stephanie Hans and Marguerite Sauvage make this universe their own by transposing the angelic bounty hunter (and daughter of Odin) Angela and her friend Sera to the Marvel 1602 world where they hunt mutants or “Witchbreed”.
Witch Hunter Angela #1 is filled to the brim with jokes, Shakespearean-style wordplay, and fun, mainly ironic takes on both Marvel heroes and historical figures. Gillen and Sauvage tell a short lead story...
- 6/11/2015
- by Logan Dalton
- SoundOnSight
The late career of Joseph L. Mankiewicz—who is getting a sidebar retrospective, The Essential Iconoclast, at the New York Film Festival—is fascinating. While many of his contemporaries floundered as the rules of filmmaking changed, formally and in every other aspect, he found ways, for a while at least, to carry on telling the kind of stories he liked, with the kind of people he liked, in the way he liked. Sleuth (1972) could probably have been made earlier—the amorality and venality of the characters might well have passed the censor, since vice can be said to be punished. The filmmaking is a little less sure-footed than we expect from Mankiewicz, though: he should have been the perfect director for a two-hander full of arch talk in elegant surroundings, but his attempts to keep the visuals lively sometimes seem forced.
There Was a Crooked Man (1970), is more problematic, illustrating...
There Was a Crooked Man (1970), is more problematic, illustrating...
- 10/2/2014
- by David Cairns
- MUBI
A father-and-son editing team has compiled a new anthology in which 100 prominent male figures reveal the lines that make them cry
The cover of a new collection of poetry should probably carry a sticker bearing Shakespeare's warning: "If you have tears, prepare to shed them now."
Poems That Make Grown Men Cry is an anthology of some of the most emotive lines in literature chosen by 100 famous and admired men, ranging from Daniel Radcliffe to Nick Cave, John le Carré and Jonathan Franzen. Published next month and edited by the journalist and biographer Anthony Holden and his film-producer son, Ben, the book is winning praise for introducing male readers to unfamiliar works – and emotions.
Contributor Simon Schama has tweeted enthusing about his choice, Wh Auden's Lullaby, the poem that opens with the words "Lay your sleeping head, my love, Human on my faithless arm." Auden turns out to be the...
The cover of a new collection of poetry should probably carry a sticker bearing Shakespeare's warning: "If you have tears, prepare to shed them now."
Poems That Make Grown Men Cry is an anthology of some of the most emotive lines in literature chosen by 100 famous and admired men, ranging from Daniel Radcliffe to Nick Cave, John le Carré and Jonathan Franzen. Published next month and edited by the journalist and biographer Anthony Holden and his film-producer son, Ben, the book is winning praise for introducing male readers to unfamiliar works – and emotions.
Contributor Simon Schama has tweeted enthusing about his choice, Wh Auden's Lullaby, the poem that opens with the words "Lay your sleeping head, my love, Human on my faithless arm." Auden turns out to be the...
- 3/23/2014
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is seeking talent for its production of “The Alchemist.” “The Alchemist” is considered one of the best comedies of the 17th century. Written by playwright Ben Jonson, it tells the story of Lovewit, who is forced to temporarily flee the country when a plague breaks out in London, and leaves his butler, Jeremy, to care for his house. All roles are being cast in this production, and are paid. Auditions will be held on Feb. 28 in NYC. For more details, check out the casting notice for “The Alchemist” here, and be sure to check out the rest of our audition listings!
- 2/27/2014
- backstage.com
Have you ever wondered what's in those gift bags celebrities get at major awards shows?toofab got its hands on the one of the gift bags from Kari Feinstein's Emmy's Style Lounge presented by Kari Feinstein PR.Kari Feinstein PR has curated some amazing beauty and fashion items from the following companies, and all of these products (and the clothes listed below) can be yours.1. Bang & Olufsen BeoplayH6 headphones2. Caribbean Life Magazine travel gift certificate for 4 night/5 day all-inclusive stay at Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort3. Nalukai Collection Dog Tag Necklace4. Carrano shoes, bracelet and wristlet5. Gk Hair Dry Shampoo6. Tibolli Moisture Must Cream7. Crystal Light Liquid Drink Mix8. Sharper Image Alarm Clock Radio Sound Soother9. Melissa Divine Lace Blush Pink Ballet Pumps and Virtue Special Shoe10. L.A. Colors cosmetics11. Schick Hydro Silk Disposables12. Pack It Freeze + Go Bag13. Vaperev eRoll Starter Kit with Ben Jonson's Awesome Saw,...
- 9/17/2013
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
When asked my influences, I invariably add William Shakespeare which may seem a bit pompous. Shakespeare? Really? (Aside: this column is not going to deal with the whole “Who Really Was Shakespeare?” debate. If you want to believe someone other than Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s play, you go ahead. It’s not germane and, frankly, I’ve read as much on the subject as I care to and so far as I’m concerned, Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s plays. End of discussion.) Please note I am not comparing myself to Shakespeare; simply that I’ve learned some things about writing from him.
Such as:
Theme is tied to plot. There are famous speeches and soliloquies in Shakespeare, where the character stops to speak his or her mind, none more famous than the “to Be Or Not Be” speech in Hamlet. The action, however, doesn’t just come to a stop...
Such as:
Theme is tied to plot. There are famous speeches and soliloquies in Shakespeare, where the character stops to speak his or her mind, none more famous than the “to Be Or Not Be” speech in Hamlet. The action, however, doesn’t just come to a stop...
- 5/12/2013
- by John Ostrander
- Comicmix.com
Jim Shapiro – The Kings Man 46
On April 16, Athena Learning are set to release the BBC documentary Shakespeare: The King’s Man on DVD in the U.S. This fascinating three part series chronicles the work of Britain’s greatest writer during the reign of King James I. Columbia University professor James Shapiro researched, wrote and presented the show. I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about this groundbreaking documentary.
What was the inspiration behind Shakespeare: The King’s Man?
“The executive producer Phil George approached me about making the documentary because he knew I was working on a follow-up to my book 1599 which won the Samuel Johnson award. I was starting to research Jacobean Shakespeare, which I had all but ignored up until that point. People think of Shakespeare as an Elizabethan writer when in fact the Tudor line ended in 1603 when the Stuart’s rose to power.
On April 16, Athena Learning are set to release the BBC documentary Shakespeare: The King’s Man on DVD in the U.S. This fascinating three part series chronicles the work of Britain’s greatest writer during the reign of King James I. Columbia University professor James Shapiro researched, wrote and presented the show. I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about this groundbreaking documentary.
What was the inspiration behind Shakespeare: The King’s Man?
“The executive producer Phil George approached me about making the documentary because he knew I was working on a follow-up to my book 1599 which won the Samuel Johnson award. I was starting to research Jacobean Shakespeare, which I had all but ignored up until that point. People think of Shakespeare as an Elizabethan writer when in fact the Tudor line ended in 1603 when the Stuart’s rose to power.
- 3/31/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
A couple of Italian gems along with a more sugary offering are screened at the London film festival, which this year has been reorganised by themes
For a working critic based in the capital, the London film festival is an enticing prospect — and yet a frustrating experience. The regular round of UK releases must be attended to; those films have to be reviewed (including the inevitable sprinkling of duds) and so Lff films have to be squeezed in wherever possible.
What makes it all more agonising is the fact that the Lff programme is somehow always the most mouthwatering document produced by any festival: a juicily thick brochure, packed with great stuff, and an unmissable-looking film on every page. The Lff may not have as many premieres as Toronto, Venice and Cannes, but so what? That's the sort of thing that preoccupies industry types. Regular filmgoers in London are surely...
For a working critic based in the capital, the London film festival is an enticing prospect — and yet a frustrating experience. The regular round of UK releases must be attended to; those films have to be reviewed (including the inevitable sprinkling of duds) and so Lff films have to be squeezed in wherever possible.
What makes it all more agonising is the fact that the Lff programme is somehow always the most mouthwatering document produced by any festival: a juicily thick brochure, packed with great stuff, and an unmissable-looking film on every page. The Lff may not have as many premieres as Toronto, Venice and Cannes, but so what? That's the sort of thing that preoccupies industry types. Regular filmgoers in London are surely...
- 10/19/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Actor George Katt is set to make his directorial debut in the indie feature, Dinner with the Alchemist. Previous works of talented individual include Red Sheep, Valley of Angels, In the Gray and, most recently, House of Bodies. The latter is in post-production and is set for a 2013 release. This thriller sounds just as exciting as Alchemist, and both should prove interesting. While Dinner may not bear a similar design with Ben Jonson’s play “The Alchemist,” where it satirizes the vices of mankind, this movie’s historical setting is worth noting. Principal photography is set to begin in October and it will use the backdrop of both Virginia and New Orleans to give this film an authentic feel. Set in the 1900s, a kismet meeting between famous alchemist Jacques St. Germaine (Christian Martin) and a young orphan named Mary (Stef Dawson) will set in motion a string of grisly...
- 9/21/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Ed Sum)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Actor who made his name at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and appeared in the Beatles films, making firm friends with the Fab Four
Victor Spinetti, who has died of cancer aged 82, was an outrageously talented Welsh actor and raconteur who made his name with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and found fame and fortune as a friend and colleague of the Beatles, appearing in three of their five films, and with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Franco Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967).
It was while he was giving his brilliantly articulated and hilarious "turn" as the gobbledegook-shouting drill sergeant in Oh, What a Lovely War! in the West End in 1963 – he won a Tony for the performance when the show went to Broadway – that the Beatles visited him backstage and invited him to appear in A Hard Day's Night (1964).
George Harrison later said that his mother would...
Victor Spinetti, who has died of cancer aged 82, was an outrageously talented Welsh actor and raconteur who made his name with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and found fame and fortune as a friend and colleague of the Beatles, appearing in three of their five films, and with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Franco Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967).
It was while he was giving his brilliantly articulated and hilarious "turn" as the gobbledegook-shouting drill sergeant in Oh, What a Lovely War! in the West End in 1963 – he won a Tony for the performance when the show went to Broadway – that the Beatles visited him backstage and invited him to appear in A Hard Day's Night (1964).
George Harrison later said that his mother would...
- 6/20/2012
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
After directing Edward Bond's Bingo at the Young Vic, with Patrick Stewart in the lead, I decided to make a short film inspired by the play
Edward Bond's play Bingo, which focuses on the last months of Shakespeare's life, captures many of the beauties and horrors of the poet's age. At one point, Shakespeare's character describes "women with shopping bags stepping over puddles of blood" on the streets of London. At another, he stands under the body of a beggar woman who has been hung from a gibbet, and remembers watching bear-baiting. "The baited bear … tied to the stake," he says, as if reliving the scene. "Its dirty coat needs brushing. Dried mud and spume. Pale dust."
Paris Gardens, where bears were baited, is in Southwark – just around the corner from the Young Vic, where I've recently been directing Bond's play. Now one of the few visible remnants...
Edward Bond's play Bingo, which focuses on the last months of Shakespeare's life, captures many of the beauties and horrors of the poet's age. At one point, Shakespeare's character describes "women with shopping bags stepping over puddles of blood" on the streets of London. At another, he stands under the body of a beggar woman who has been hung from a gibbet, and remembers watching bear-baiting. "The baited bear … tied to the stake," he says, as if reliving the scene. "Its dirty coat needs brushing. Dried mud and spume. Pale dust."
Paris Gardens, where bears were baited, is in Southwark – just around the corner from the Young Vic, where I've recently been directing Bond's play. Now one of the few visible remnants...
- 4/19/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Curator at the end of the world Roland Emmerich turns his global catastrophes aside for his latest film which marries the much-argued notion that William Shakespeare was not the author of the works attributed to him with the political intrigue surrounding the succession of the dying Queen Elizabeth; Anonymous is as much about the struggle to control one’s legacy as it is to do with who really wrote Hamlet and Macbeth.
Emmerich delivers a visually rich Tudor London with perhaps his most adept handling of CG thus far and the story of Rhys Ifans’ Earl of Oxford accosting of playwright Ben Jonson to be the public (and socially acceptable) face of his works is quickly engaging as the world discovery of the works of ‘Shakespeare’ is well told. Despite the throwaway and cartoonish portrayal of Jonson’s fellow playwrights (Christopher Marlowe is a pantomime dame for example which is...
Emmerich delivers a visually rich Tudor London with perhaps his most adept handling of CG thus far and the story of Rhys Ifans’ Earl of Oxford accosting of playwright Ben Jonson to be the public (and socially acceptable) face of his works is quickly engaging as the world discovery of the works of ‘Shakespeare’ is well told. Despite the throwaway and cartoonish portrayal of Jonson’s fellow playwrights (Christopher Marlowe is a pantomime dame for example which is...
- 3/5/2012
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
★★☆☆☆ The idea that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were written by somebody else is an interesting historical conspiracy. The likes of Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Francis Bacon have all been suggested by various scholars and crackpots as being the real author of the great plays and poems, but it is the so-called 'Oxfordian theory' which proves the inspiration behind Roland Emmerich's period drama Anonymous (2011).
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 3/5/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
Roland Emmerich's new film, which suggests that William Shakespeare was a fraud, relies on the 90-year-old theories of J Thomas Looney. Do not be taken in
Roland Emmerich's new film Anonymous is keen on showing that Shakespeare was a fraud and Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, the true author of his plays. The film is part of a broader campaign to unseat Shakespeare, one that includes a documentary by First Folio Pictures (of which Emmerich is president), along with instructional guides Sony Pictures has been distributing to teachers in America declaring that Anonymous "presents a compelling portrait of Edward de Vere as the true author of Shakespeare's plays". When Emmerich agrees to make a promotional video (part lecture, part cartoon, it shows him tossing quills that topple a statue of Shakespeare), you get a sense of how committed those behind the film are to rewriting literary history.
Roland Emmerich's new film Anonymous is keen on showing that Shakespeare was a fraud and Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, the true author of his plays. The film is part of a broader campaign to unseat Shakespeare, one that includes a documentary by First Folio Pictures (of which Emmerich is president), along with instructional guides Sony Pictures has been distributing to teachers in America declaring that Anonymous "presents a compelling portrait of Edward de Vere as the true author of Shakespeare's plays". When Emmerich agrees to make a promotional video (part lecture, part cartoon, it shows him tossing quills that topple a statue of Shakespeare), you get a sense of how committed those behind the film are to rewriting literary history.
- 11/5/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Anonymous Directed by Roland Emmerich Written by John Orloff Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Rhys Ifans, Sebastian Armesto, Edward Hogg, Xavier Samuel, Sam Reid Roland Emmerich tackles the contentious issue of who really penned the works of William Shakespeare in Anonymous, a sudsy bodice-ripping soap opera set during Elizabethan era London. The story embraces the Oxford theory of Shakespeare authorship; that the Earl of Oxford actually wrote the works we celebrate. William Shakespeare was but a dim-witted actor who took the credit. It’s an interesting premise, but at the end of the day, who really cares? The works exist, and whoever wrote them will always be William Shakespeare, even if he wasn’t really William Shakespeare. Make sense? Neither does the movie. Anonymous looks good and fulfills all the superficial requirements of a good old period piece. The set pieces and costumes are gorgeous, and the film is well acted,...
- 11/4/2011
- by Shannon
- FilmJunk
There’s a new prestige Oscar-bait film opening this week that at first glance may seem to be familiar territory. Recent cinema offerings have explored the reign of Queen Elizabeth I . Cate Blanchett has taken the throne twice while Helen Mirren lent his skills to a recent HBO TV epic. And there’s Judi Dench’s turn in Shakespeare In Love which netted her a supporting actress Academy Award. The new film Anonymous treads that same ground, but this is not a comedy romance, but a mystery/ conspiracy. Now this isn’t quite in the big revelation conspiracy film league like Oliver Stone’s JFK ( which presented multiple theories ). This new film ‘s main reveal is the idea that William Shakespeare did not write any of his works-he stole the credit. Oddly this historical puzzler is not from a genteel former stage director, but the modern master of disaster ( a...
- 11/4/2011
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The outrageous liberties taken with history in this film about who really wrote Shakespeare's plays would be easier to swallow if it were witty and intelligent – forsooth it is not
Director: Roland Emmerich
Entertainment grade: E
History grade: Fail
This article contains a spoiler in the paragraph headed Family
William Shakespeare's plays were written by William Shakespeare, a well-documented historical figure who lived between 1564 and 1616.
In 1920, a schoolmaster with the apt name of John Thomas Looney invented a conspiracy theory suggesting that Shakespeare's plays were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
Class
Director Roland Emmerich (who made 2012, Godzilla and Independence Day, all more realistic than this movie) is an Oxfordian. This is the designation preferred by supporters of the Looney theory, who think Shakespeare's plays were secretly penned by Oxford. The reason they think that is simple: they're snobs. Their root belief is that Shakespeare was...
Director: Roland Emmerich
Entertainment grade: E
History grade: Fail
This article contains a spoiler in the paragraph headed Family
William Shakespeare's plays were written by William Shakespeare, a well-documented historical figure who lived between 1564 and 1616.
In 1920, a schoolmaster with the apt name of John Thomas Looney invented a conspiracy theory suggesting that Shakespeare's plays were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
Class
Director Roland Emmerich (who made 2012, Godzilla and Independence Day, all more realistic than this movie) is an Oxfordian. This is the designation preferred by supporters of the Looney theory, who think Shakespeare's plays were secretly penned by Oxford. The reason they think that is simple: they're snobs. Their root belief is that Shakespeare was...
- 11/3/2011
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 1.0/5.0
Chicago – Roland Emmerich has been commonly mocked for his larger-than-life blockbusters that include “Godzilla,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” and “2012.” I would rather sit through a marathon of all three of those works back-to-back-to-back than suffer through “Anonymous” one more time. While those movies have undeniable flaws, they do so on a grand scale common with the words guilty pleasure. There’s absolutely nothing pleasurable about this self-serious and remarkably stupid drama.
Don’t get me wrong and assume that because I’m a writer and a former English major that I consider the subject matter of “Anonymous” to be hallowed ground. In fact, the opposite is true. There could have been a raucous, enjoyable period piece borne from the conspiracy theory that suggests that perhaps William Shakespeare didn’t write his famous works of art. I have no significant problem with the plot of “Anonymous” (although it is remarkably...
Chicago – Roland Emmerich has been commonly mocked for his larger-than-life blockbusters that include “Godzilla,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” and “2012.” I would rather sit through a marathon of all three of those works back-to-back-to-back than suffer through “Anonymous” one more time. While those movies have undeniable flaws, they do so on a grand scale common with the words guilty pleasure. There’s absolutely nothing pleasurable about this self-serious and remarkably stupid drama.
Don’t get me wrong and assume that because I’m a writer and a former English major that I consider the subject matter of “Anonymous” to be hallowed ground. In fact, the opposite is true. There could have been a raucous, enjoyable period piece borne from the conspiracy theory that suggests that perhaps William Shakespeare didn’t write his famous works of art. I have no significant problem with the plot of “Anonymous” (although it is remarkably...
- 10/28/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Written by John Orloff (A Mighty Heart), Roland Emmerich's Anonymous is a fascinating look at one of several conspiracies behind the true authorship of the works credited to William Shakespeare. It's smartly presented as a political thriller with an enticing conspiracy at its core. Liberties are taken, but for the most part I think Orloff has done well, attempting to manipulate the story based primarily on the holes in Shakespeare's history in an attempt to craft a solid political thriller surrounding the man who's arguably the greatest writer of all-time.
In the case of Anonymous it's the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship that proves central here, claiming Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) is the actual man behind the Bard. Opening in a curious fashion, the film begins on the busy streets of Manhattan as we enter a theater where a man (Derek Jacobi) on stage...
In the case of Anonymous it's the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship that proves central here, claiming Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) is the actual man behind the Bard. Opening in a curious fashion, the film begins on the busy streets of Manhattan as we enter a theater where a man (Derek Jacobi) on stage...
- 10/27/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Conspiracists ignore a crushing weight of documentary and in-text evidence that the Stratford master authored the plays
In 1593, an actor and theatre manager called William Shakespeare published his first book, a long narrative poem called Venus and Adonis. It is the verbal equivalent of a Titian painting, which recreates the world of mythology in richly human, erotic language. This love poem instantly became a Renaissance bestseller, though today it is far less famous than his plays. But there is something else significant about it. It is one of the many pieces of evidence that add up to an overwhelming sense, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Shakespeare, the actor born in Stratford in 1564, wrote Shakespeare's plays – a quiet proof that conspiracy theories about the authorship of these works, as peddled by the new film Anonymous, are nothing more than destructive absurdities.
The clue is in the date the poem appeared. Shakespeare had never published anything before.
In 1593, an actor and theatre manager called William Shakespeare published his first book, a long narrative poem called Venus and Adonis. It is the verbal equivalent of a Titian painting, which recreates the world of mythology in richly human, erotic language. This love poem instantly became a Renaissance bestseller, though today it is far less famous than his plays. But there is something else significant about it. It is one of the many pieces of evidence that add up to an overwhelming sense, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Shakespeare, the actor born in Stratford in 1564, wrote Shakespeare's plays – a quiet proof that conspiracy theories about the authorship of these works, as peddled by the new film Anonymous, are nothing more than destructive absurdities.
The clue is in the date the poem appeared. Shakespeare had never published anything before.
- 10/27/2011
- by Jonathan Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
The Shakespeare authorship question is a debate that started over one hundred years ago surrounding the identity of the works traditionally attributed to the bearded Bard from Stratford-Upon-Avon, William Shakespeare. Was he really the genius behind Hamlet.s tragic life, Romeo.s burning love, and Lady Macbeth.s plaguing guilt? Could the intellectual behind literature.s most brilliant characters be this very ordinary man from Stratford?
So little is known about the man from Stratford that many find it impossible to believe that the son of an illiterate tradesman was the author of such literary masterpieces as .The Merchant of Venice,. .King Lear,. and .Henry V.. His education from a village school could never have provided Shakespeare with a vocabulary extensive enough to write the most talked about literature in the world and there is no proof that he travelled to foreign lands let alone learnt to speak their native tongues.
So little is known about the man from Stratford that many find it impossible to believe that the son of an illiterate tradesman was the author of such literary masterpieces as .The Merchant of Venice,. .King Lear,. and .Henry V.. His education from a village school could never have provided Shakespeare with a vocabulary extensive enough to write the most talked about literature in the world and there is no proof that he travelled to foreign lands let alone learnt to speak their native tongues.
- 10/19/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Written by John Orloff (A Mighty Heart), Roland Emmerich's Anonymous is a fascinating look at one of several conspiracies behind the true authorship of the works credited to William Shakespeare. It's smartly presented as a political thriller with an enticing conspiracy at its core. Liberties are taken, but for the most part I think Orloff has done well, attempting to manipulate the story based primarily on the holes in Shakespeare's history in an attempt to craft a solid political thriller surrounding the man who's arguably the greatest writer of all-time.
In the case of Anonymous it's the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship that proves central here, claiming Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) is the actual man behind the Bard. Opening in a curious fashion, the film begins on the busy streets of Manhattan as we enter a theater where a man (Derek Jacobi) on stage...
In the case of Anonymous it's the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship that proves central here, claiming Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) is the actual man behind the Bard. Opening in a curious fashion, the film begins on the busy streets of Manhattan as we enter a theater where a man (Derek Jacobi) on stage...
- 9/17/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The shock in this exposé of the Bard is that it's rather good
The last time Derek Jacobi appeared in a movie with a literary bent it was a year ago in Clint Eastwood's dreadful life-after-death drama Hereafter, where he cameoed as himself, to the delight of Matt Damon's Dickens fan – a man who loved the novels so much he listened only to the audio versions. Jacobi's appearance at the beginning of this stunningly-designed takedown of the Bard – directed by the man behind Independence Day and Godzilla – might therefore be taken by some as a signal to leave the cinema immediately.
But Roland Emmerich's meticulously crafted and often well-acted exposé of the "real" William Shakespeare is shocking only in that it is rather good.
The problem is that Emmerich seems so determined to prove himself as a serious director his film drowns in exposition. There is no...
The last time Derek Jacobi appeared in a movie with a literary bent it was a year ago in Clint Eastwood's dreadful life-after-death drama Hereafter, where he cameoed as himself, to the delight of Matt Damon's Dickens fan – a man who loved the novels so much he listened only to the audio versions. Jacobi's appearance at the beginning of this stunningly-designed takedown of the Bard – directed by the man behind Independence Day and Godzilla – might therefore be taken by some as a signal to leave the cinema immediately.
But Roland Emmerich's meticulously crafted and often well-acted exposé of the "real" William Shakespeare is shocking only in that it is rather good.
The problem is that Emmerich seems so determined to prove himself as a serious director his film drowns in exposition. There is no...
- 9/10/2011
- by Damon Wise
- The Guardian - Film News
Roland Emmerich's Anonymous, screening at the Toronto film festival, is set to re-ignite Shakespearean conspiracy theories
Shakespearians often groan when the Shakespeare authorship conspiracy theory raises its head. But it often does, especially for those of us connected with Shakespeare's birthplace. Or perhaps you've chatted about the issue in taxis, on trains, or during long flights? Sometimes I hear "it doesn't matter, we still have the plays." The fact is it matters utterly, otherwise there would be no conspiracy theories in first place. And there would be no new film called Anonymous (from Roland Emmerich, the director of Godzilla and Independence Day) trying to insinuate itself into the popular imagination. Suddenly, those questions are going to be cropping up more often.
Anonymous will put over the view that the plays and poems should be attributed to the Earl of Oxford, a nominee first suggested by Thomas Looney (pronounced "Loney") in 1920. Let's get this straight.
Shakespearians often groan when the Shakespeare authorship conspiracy theory raises its head. But it often does, especially for those of us connected with Shakespeare's birthplace. Or perhaps you've chatted about the issue in taxis, on trains, or during long flights? Sometimes I hear "it doesn't matter, we still have the plays." The fact is it matters utterly, otherwise there would be no conspiracy theories in first place. And there would be no new film called Anonymous (from Roland Emmerich, the director of Godzilla and Independence Day) trying to insinuate itself into the popular imagination. Suddenly, those questions are going to be cropping up more often.
Anonymous will put over the view that the plays and poems should be attributed to the Earl of Oxford, a nominee first suggested by Thomas Looney (pronounced "Loney") in 1920. Let's get this straight.
- 9/5/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
The directorial debut of the screenwriter who turned a Hong Kong action flick into Scorsese's The Departed and transposed Troy Kennedy Martin's Edge of Darkness to America, this disastrous gangster film wastes an excellent British cast. Colin Farrell comes out of Pentonville after serving three years for GBH hoping to go straight. Instead he's met by the plots of Sunset Boulevard, Performance and the recent Michael Caine vehicle Harry Brown all waiting on his return to south London, where among other oddities Keira Knightley is a neurotic movie star living a reclusive existence and Ray Winstone a gay gang boss who reads Ben Jonson in bed, employs two henchmen called Beaumont and Fletcher and murders people with impunity. The body count is phenomenal, the language alternately arch and obscene, and the attempts at humour misplaced. The only redeeming feature is Chris Menges's excellent photography. He gives nocturnal London...
- 11/28/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Actor with great stage presence who found his metier in comic and satirical roles
There was something extra-terrestrial about the character actor Graham Crowden, who has died aged 87 – a mix of the ethereal eccentricity of Ralph Richardson and the Scottish lunacy and skewiff authoritarianism of Alastair Sim. He specialised in portraying doctors, lawyers or teachers in a satirical way.
Crowden was a tall, red-haired, serious and sometimes professionally diffident man – he turned down the opportunity of succeeding Jon Pertwee as the fourth Doctor Who, remarking that working with a lot of Daleks did not sound like much fun. He had a tremendous stage presence, always moving with an emphatic, loping gait.
Despite his eminence in plays at the Royal Court and the National Theatre, where he introduced roles in works by Nf Simpson and Tom Stoppard, and in films directed by Lindsay Anderson, he did not become widely familiar until...
There was something extra-terrestrial about the character actor Graham Crowden, who has died aged 87 – a mix of the ethereal eccentricity of Ralph Richardson and the Scottish lunacy and skewiff authoritarianism of Alastair Sim. He specialised in portraying doctors, lawyers or teachers in a satirical way.
Crowden was a tall, red-haired, serious and sometimes professionally diffident man – he turned down the opportunity of succeeding Jon Pertwee as the fourth Doctor Who, remarking that working with a lot of Daleks did not sound like much fun. He had a tremendous stage presence, always moving with an emphatic, loping gait.
Despite his eminence in plays at the Royal Court and the National Theatre, where he introduced roles in works by Nf Simpson and Tom Stoppard, and in films directed by Lindsay Anderson, he did not become widely familiar until...
- 10/22/2010
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Director of Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting will make his National Theatre debut next winter with Frankenstein adaption
He won eight Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire and huge acclaim for such stylish films as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine. But now, just when his cinematic success is at its most giddying, Danny Boyle is to return to his theatrical roots – having been, in his words, "distracted for 15 years by the movies".
Boyle will make his National Theatre debut next winter, directing an adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, it was announced today.
According to the National's artistic director, Sir Nicholas Hytner, Boyle was one of the first artists he approached when he started at the theatre eight years ago. It was then that Boyle – over cake at a cafe – outlined his ideas about a Frankenstein production.
According to Hytner: "He has a very particular take … and he described to me in...
He won eight Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire and huge acclaim for such stylish films as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine. But now, just when his cinematic success is at its most giddying, Danny Boyle is to return to his theatrical roots – having been, in his words, "distracted for 15 years by the movies".
Boyle will make his National Theatre debut next winter, directing an adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, it was announced today.
According to the National's artistic director, Sir Nicholas Hytner, Boyle was one of the first artists he approached when he started at the theatre eight years ago. It was then that Boyle – over cake at a cafe – outlined his ideas about a Frankenstein production.
According to Hytner: "He has a very particular take … and he described to me in...
- 1/22/2010
- by Charlotte Higgins
- The Guardian - Film News
Three con artists, nine gullible Londoners and cash to burn - Ben Jonson's comedy The Alchemist is set to dazzle audiences with its big cast, fast pace and outrageous wit when it opens in Brisbane on 23 February for the first leg of its national tour. A Queensland Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare co-production, The Alchemist sees a deceitful trio of London's bottom scrapers dexterously swindle lawyers, widows, sex addicts and power hungry preachers. Victims are hoodwinked with tricks from the magic of alchemy to the art of feng shui - but will these con artists get away with it?...
- 2/16/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Alan Rickman's newly released film Bottle Shock, the actor is called upon to create an entrepreneurial and rather uncomfortable life for his character. The film tells the real-life story of Steven Spurrier, a British expat wine purveyor living in Paris in the mid-1970s. Spurrier is someone only Rickman could play: an open-minded snob, ripe for introduction to the upstart California wine industry. Also required by the role: Rickman must eat KFC and drive a Gremlin. Yes, this is the iconic actor with the mellifluous voice and aloof demeanor who elegantly plays 19th-century romantic leads and 21st-century stylized villains. This is the actor who is at home on Broadway and London stages, as well as in cult-inducing goofy film comedies. And yet, to hear him tell it, he found the get-his-hands-dirty work on Bottle Shock inspiring and challenging. Most of us remember our first sighting of the actor. For the lucky ones,...
- 8/15/2008
- by Dany Margolies
- backstage.com
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