History Film / Anonymous2011

** The Tudor Rose was not an ''actual'' flower, unlike what's depicted in the movie. It was meant to depict the union of the House of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the House of York (who used a white rose).

* AlternateHistory: The premise of the film is that Shakespeare never wrote his own plays, instead attributing them to Edward De Vere, the Earl of Oxford. Overlaps with SecretHistory in that the creators of the movie believe that that really happened.

** Queen Elizabeth I was not the Virgin Queen but a sex-hungry despot who had so many bastard kids she lost track of them [[spoiler:and ended up banging one of them.]]

* AnachronicOrder: Kyle Kallgren at ''Webvideo/BrowsHeldHigh'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3uYipLshD4 points out]] that this was probably done to stop the audience from noticing that the internal chronology of the film is both self-contradictory and flies in the face of almost all historical data (a large quantity of which are completely beyond a shadow of a doubt and are even affirmed by most if not all anti-Stratfordian scholars).

** Also, Creator/ChristopherMarlowe figures out that Edward is writing the plays, because he realises that the character of Polonius in ''Hamlet'' is meant to signify William Cecil, so Shakespeare [[spoiler:murders Marlowe]] to prevent the truth from getting out. ''Hamlet'' was first performed in 1601 (1598 in the film.) Marlowe had already died in 1593, and Cecil in 1598.

* UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor: Queen Elizabeth herself plays a large role in the events of the film.

* ParentalIncest: [[spoiler: Edward De Vere sleeps with Queen Elizabeth, who is secretly his mother. And [[{{Squick}} she gets pregnant]] from their coupling.]]

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory[=/=]BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Depends on whether you're a Stratfordian or Anti-stratfordian.

'''''Anonymous''''' is a 2011 historical drama from director Creator/RolandEmmerich. Like many of Emmerich's films, it revolves around fringe conspiracy theories and features a major world landmark being destroyed, even if it isn't a disaster movie like his previous work. It's based on the conspiracy theory that Creator/WilliamShakespeare did not author his plays, but was given them by the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere.

* AlternateHistory: The premise of the film is that Shakespeare never wrote his own plays, instead attributing them to Edward De Vere, the Earl of Oxford.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Yes, Shakespeare trutherism really does exists, and dates as far back as the turn of the 20th century. Many of the conspiracy theories presented here are ones held by real people, who refer to themselves as "Anti-Stratfordians."

** The chronology is ''completely'' wrong. ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' is performed before ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. ''Macbeth'' is widely considered to be a rather late production by Shakespeare, and directly references King James I (who ascends to the throne at the end of the film).

** The portrayal of UsefulNotes/RichardIII as an EvilCripple wasn't Shakespeare's invention: it appears as "[[BasedOnAGreatBigLie fact]]" in Polydore Vergil's ''Anglica Historia'', published in 1534 - over a decade before the births of both Edward and Shakespeare.

** Surprisingly, the Earl of Essex DID hire Shakespeare to stage a play about King Richard in order to incite a riot so he could seize the throne. However, rather than ''Theatre/{{Richard III}}'', as shown in the movie, the play was ''Theatre/{{Richard II}}''. Which makes sense, as ''Richard II'' is about a noble earl who does his solemn duty and deposes a corrupt and decadent monarch, whereas ''Richard III'' is about how wonderful Queen Elizabeth's family is, and isn't it ''great'' that they're in charge now?

** While it's certainly up for debate if the "Virgin Queen" really was a virgin, popping out tons of bastard children to the point that she lost count without anyone noticing would be rather difficult given that the Queen has to actually, you know, ''physically undergo nine months of pregnancy followed by childbirth.''

* AnachronicOrder: Kyle Kallgren at ''Webvideo/BrowsHeldHigh'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3uYipLshD4 points out]] that this was probably done to stop the audience from noticing that the internal chronology of the film is both self-contradictory and flies in the face of almost all historical data.

** The portrayal of UsefulNotes/RichardIII as an EvilCripple wasn't Shakespeare's invention: it appears as "[[BasedOnAGreatBigLie fact]]" in Polydore Vergil's ''Anglica Historia'', published in 1534 - over a decade before the births of both Edward and Shakespeare. Not to mention that the entire play was a giant piece of Tudor propaganda that was state-sanctioned to portray Richard III in a negative light.

** The chronology is ''completely'' wrong. ''Theater/{{Macbeth}}'' is performed before ''Theater/{{Hamlet}}''. ''Macbeth'' is widely considered to be a rather late production by Shakespeare, and directly references King James I (who ascends to the throne at the end of the film).

** The portrayal of UsefulNotes/RichardIII as an EvilCripple wasn't Shakespeare's invention: it appears as "[[BasedOnAGreatBigLie fact]]" in Polydore Vergil's ''Anglica Historia'', published in 1534 - over a decade before the births of both Edward and Shakespeare.

** Also, Creator/ChristopherMarlowe figures out that Edward is writing the plays, because he realises that the character of Polonius in ''Hamlet'' is meant to signify William Cecil, so Shakespeare [[spoiler:murders Marlowe]] to prevent the truth from getting out. ''Hamlet'' was first performed in 1601 (1598 in the film.) Marlow died in 1593.

* AnachronicOrder: Kyle Kallgren at ''Webvideo/BrowsHeldHigh'' [[http://chezapocalypse.com/episodes/shakespeare-month-anonymous/ points out]] that this was probably done to stop the audience from noticing that the internal chronology of the film is both self-contradictory and flies in the face of almost all historical data.

* HistoricalFiction: Although not everyone [[ConspiracyTheorist thinks it's fiction.]]

* AlternateHistory: The premise of the film is that Shakespeare never wrote his own plays, instead attributing them to Edward De Vere, the Earl of Oxford. The makers of the film, however, [[ConspiracyTheorist don't think that it's an "alternate" history.]]

* AnythingThatMoves: UsefulNotes/ElizabethI is ''The Virgin Queen'' InNameOnly in this film.

* HowWeGotHere

* ReallyGetsAround: Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethI (hilariously enough).

* UsefulNotes/ElizabethI : She is ''The Virgin Queen'' InNameOnly, if [[AnythingThatMoves the film is to be believed.]]

** Also, Creator/ChristopherMarlowe figures out that Edward is writing the plays, because he realises that the character of Polonius in ''Hamlet'' is meant to signify William Cecil, so Shakespeare [[spoiler:murders Marlowe]] to prevent the truth from getting out. ''Hamlet'' was first performed in 1601 (1598 in the film.) '' '''MARLOWE DIED IN 1593.''' '' You see the problem here?
** The portrayal of [[UsefulNotes/RichardIII Richard III]] as an EvilCripple wasn't Shakespeare's invention: it appears as "[[BasedOnAGreatBigLie fact]]" in Polydore Vergil's ''Anglica Historia'', published in 1534 - over a decade before the births of both Edward and Shakespeare.
** Cecil was actually ''against'' Elizabeth naming James of Scotland as her successor, and for very good reason: it was Cecil, more than anyone else, who'd convinced Elizabeth to execute James's mother, Mary, Queen of Scots.

** At one point, De Vere waxes would-be-profound on the Tudor Rose... while holding one. There is not, and never has been, an actual biological Tudor Rose; it's purely symbolic, combining the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster and the White Rose of the House Of York. To posit that such a flower actually existed betrays a ''total'' lack of understanding by the production team.

* BrickJoke: Ben Johnson complains that Essex's writing is just a passing hobby, saying "Last week it's gardening, now it's plays, next week it will be falconry!" Later, when Shakespeare is in Essex's study, there is a hooded falcon perched off to the side.

* TheHouseOfTudor: Queen Elizabeth herself plays a large role in the events of the film.

** At one point, De Vere waxes would-be-profound on the Tudor Rose... while holding one. There is not and never has been an actual biological Tudor Rose; it's purely symbolic, combining the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster and the White Rose of the House Of York. To posit that such a flower actually existed betrays a ''total'' lack of understanding by the production team.

** At one point, De Vere waxes would-be-profound on the Tudor Rose, [[CriticalResearchFailure while holding one]]. There is not, never has been, and almost certainly never will be an actual biological Tudor Rose; it's purely symbolic, combining the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster and the White Rose of the House Of York. To posit that such a flower actually existed betrays a ''total'' lack of understanding by the production team.

** Also, Creator/ChristopherMarlowe figures out that Edward is writing the plays, because he realises that the character of Polonius in ''Hamlet'' is meant to signify William Cecil, and Shakespeare murders him to prevent the truth from getting out. ''Hamlet'' was first performed in 1601 (1598 in the film.) '' '''MARLOWE DIED IN 1593.''' '' You see the problem here?

* ArtisticLicenseHistory:
** Creator/DerekJacobi appears in the beginning to admit that the story is just an intellectual exercise, not hard history.

** DerekJacobi appears in the beginning to admit that the story is just an intellectual exercise, not hard history.