"Anonymous": Slash Fail

[grinning_soul]

Roland Emmerich's Anonymous is causing a lot of handwringing from Shakespeare fans because it's trying to pass off a crazy conspiracy theory (aka the Oxford Theory) as fact. The idea of Shakespeare as fraud doesn't really bother me as long as it makes for a good movie, but this is just very disappointing (slight spoilers):

"The film’s celebration of incest precludes a celebration of the homoerotic, unless Oxford should engage in sexual relations with his own son alias grandson Southampton. The homoerotic is authentically suggested by the personalities of Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, the earl of Oxford, the Earl of Southampton, King James, the use all-male acting troupes, and a great deal of the best literature of the age, including Shakespeare’s second dedicatory address to the Earl of Southampton (in The Rape of Lucrece) and possibly some of his sonnets. Where is the homoerotic in the film? Nowhere, except for a few smutty gestures, as when Nashe (?) puts his hand on Dekker’s (?) knee."

How can you put Shakespeare, Marlowe and Southampton in a movie and ignore the homoeroticism. Oh, the missed opportunities! FAIL! (Plus: implicit Sonnets!Fail)

Read the whole review here: Blogging Shakespeare