The Playgoer: Earl of Oxford: Kicking Ass and Taking Pseudonyms

Custom Search

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Earl of Oxford: Kicking Ass and Taking Pseudonyms

'Swounds!  Get a load of the latest action flick from Hollywood action/disaster-flick director Roland ("Independence Day") Emmerich:

The film, penned by John Orloff, stars Tony Award winner Vanessa Redgrave (Long Day's Journey Into Night) and West End actor Rhys Ifans (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Under Milk Wood, Volpone) in a story centered around the true author behind the works of William Shakespeare.

Redgrave portrays Queen Elizabeth I during the Essex Rebellion. Ifans plays Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, who is not only the incestuous lover of the Queen, but also the man behind the classic works.
I'm sorry-- the what of the Queen???

Yes, one of my favorite "Oxfordian" theories is that de Vere was either the son and/or lover of Elizabeth I.

You'd think it would be hard enough just to prove he wrote Shakespeare's plays, wouldn't you?  Ah, but that's only if one is limited by "proof."

Shakespeare-debunker debunker James Shapiro had at the film in LA Times recently.

I hardly think the Oxfordian cause is aided, by the way, by the support of Justice Antonin Scalia. Nor by NPR's Renee Montagne-- yet another reason not to listen to the super-lame and culturally retarded "Morning Edition."

PS. The only good that may come of the film (opening this October) is the fake Globe Theatre they built and are now auctioning off to enterprising troupes. Or bored millionaires with big back yards.

4 comments:

John Branch said...

It stars Vanessa Redgrave? Surely there's some good in a film that she's in.

Anonymous said...

She stars as the immortal alien zombi Whore of Oxford that fucked Shakespeare's brains out and replaced them with De Vere's.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant post, Garrett.

Finn said...

In the film ‘Shakespeare in Love’ we saw Shakespeare running everywhere - along the street, across the marketplace, up that long drive to the big house. There was no stopping him. So it’ll be interesting to see how good a runner de Vere is. If fact we could settle the whole authorship question once and for all - Shakespeare v. de Vere in the 100 metres. I’m betting Shakespeare will run the arse off him.