Oberon Shakespeare Study Group

An argument for less heat on the topic of Prince Tudor by Linda Theil If the universe of Shakespeare lovers may be roughly divided between those who accept the Stratfordian attribution of authorship and those who do not, those anti-Strats who favor Edward De Vere (Oxford 17) as author may be similarly divided between those who proclaim the Prince Tudor (PT) variation on the Oxfordian theme and those who despise Prince Tudorites. In fact, a heated conversation between Oxfordians of opposing PT persuasions often uses the same terms of non-endearment heard between Strats and anti-Strats. Roland Emmerich’s 2011 film, Anonymous -- based as it was on PT theory – and increased interest in the Shakespeare authorship question fueled by easy access to information on the Internet have stoked the fires of PT enmity, leading to unrest in the Oxfordian realm. The PT story as delineated in the nineteen-thirties and generally as presented in Anonymous says that Oxford 17 and Elizabeth...

Oberon Shakespeare Study Group Yearbook 2011  The 2011 edition of the Oberon Shakespeare Study Group Yearbook is available in print and in a free, searchable, ebook format from Blurb . This huge edition is 167 pages; among many issues, the 2011 edition chronicles the release of Roland Emmerich's anti-Stratfordian film, Anonymous , and lists commentary and reviews of the film. You can preview the entire 2011 yearbook on Blurb. More information about print and ebook editions of Oberon yearbooks is available at "Order FREE digital Oberon yearbooks from Blurb" . Print editions may be ordered at a 20% discount -- when ordering two or more books -- until August 28, 2012 by using the code PROJECT. Resources: http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/3493750 http://www.blurb.com/books/3493750

In an interview titled "Roland Emmerich talks Shakespeare . . ."  with Jeremey Gingrich published this month at Flix 66, Roland Emmerich said attacks  by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and by Contested Will author James Shapiro  against his Shakespeare authorship film, Anonymous , hurt the film's attendance. According to Gingrich, Emmerich said: It hurt. Because it made smart people not want to see the film. These guys are famous people. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is very powerful in England and Jim Shapiro is kind of your typical New York intellectual, and they were very smart how they handled this film in discrediting the film. And when you look at the reviews, you'll notice most were reviewing the [authorship] theory and not the film. The film opened to disappointing box office last fall, and was released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on DVD, Blu-Ray, and iTunes this week. Despite impressive CGI and extraordinary performances by Vanessa Redgrave...

Leslie Nielson in 1956 Forbidden Planet Richard Joyrich reported that the Redford Theatre will be showing 1956's  Forbidden Planet , starring Leslie Nielson, Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, and introducing Robby the Robot today at 8 PM and Saturday at 2 PM and 8 PM. Richard said: There is usually a thirty minute organ "overture" before the movie there and a 30 minute organ "intermission" as well. As some of you may know (and others might be pleased to learn) this movie was inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest and has many parallel characters. It is considered one of the best science fiction movies of the 1950s. I hope you will consider taking advantage of this opportunity to see this movie on the big screen (it is, of course, available on DVD). I promise you that you will not be disappointed. And for those of you who don't live in southeast Michigan, check out the available Shakespeare films discussed by Jeff Heinrich in yesterday's Montrea...

Stephen Marche's vicious, NYT Magazine review of Roland Emmerich's film,  Anonymous,  earned brickbats from an atypical source last fall. On Nov. 16, 2011 the weblog Organizations and Markets  ran a post titled "Shakespeare and Epistemology" in which economist Peter G. Klein chastised Marche for his hubris in  excoriating   the anti-Stratfordian viewpoint.  "I don’t know anything about the issue other than what I’ve read in recent commentaries, but Marche’s case, in the piece linked above, is surprisingly weak," Klein wrote. He elaborated: some Shakespeare products are dated after de Vere died, which only proves that de Vere couldn’t have written those; the doubters are snobs who don’t believe a poor country boy could have written such beautiful verse, which could be true, but hardly establishes that the country boy did in fact write them; and other circumstantial bits and ex cathedra pronouncements. But his major criticism was for Stratfordian...

With the publication of the Shakespeare Fellowship online journal, Brief Chronicles Vol. 3 , Managing Editor Gary Goldstein resigned, citing philosophical differences with Brief Chronicles General Editor Roger Stritmatter. Goldstein's resignation follows his resignation from the Shakespeare Fellowship board of directors in July 2011 in protest against the board's decision to rescind their statement against the Prince Tudor aspects of Roland Emmerich's Shakespeare authorship film Anonymous . Goldstein's position against the so-called Prince Tudor theory of Shakespeare authorship also played a part in his decision to leave his position with Brief Chronicles . [Content withdrawn.]  Shakespeare Fellowship President Earl Showerman said the board is in the process of selecting a new managing editor and they would make an announcement when they had an agreement. He said that he hoped the announcement would be made soon. Resources: http://oberonshakespearestudygroup.blogs...

In yesterday's article in the LA Times about why film companies have made several recent box office bombs -- Roland Emmerich's Anonymous among them -- Patrick Goldstein opines films of doubtful appeal were made on the strength of an established relationship between the artist and the corporation. While this is hardly an earthshaking notion, Goldstein gives some perspective on the issue. He said of  Sony studio co-chairman Amy Pascal: Pascal hedged her bets financially with “Anonymous,” which was co-financed by Relativity Media. But she says she has no regrets. “I believed in what Roland wanted to do. He had something fresh and entertaining to say, which is all you can ask for from a filmmaker.” For the full article, read "Why so many Hollywood relationship movies are box-office duds" in the LA Times ' 24 Frames blog. 

Georgetown University professor of psychology Richard Waugaman, MD, reviewed Rolland Emmerich's Shakespeare authorship film, Anonymous , for Roger Stritmatter's Shake-Speare's Bible weblog yesterday in an essay titled "Not unanimous on Anonymous". Waugaman's knowledge of the authorship issue, his insight into the forces contributing to the controversy, and his lucid writing style make reading his essay a necessary pleasure. Waugaman said: Psychoanalysts are in a unique position to elucidate the psychology of literary anonymity and pseudonymity. The evidence suggests that keeping one’s authorship secret helps promote what Keat’s called Shakespeare’s “negative capability”—keeping his own identity in the background as he created hundreds of utterly convincing characters. . . . When I am told that Oxfordians are simply unable to admit they’re wrong, I point out that every Oxfordian I know started as a Stratfordian, until they looked into the matter more deepl...

Oxford and the queen from Roland Emmerich's Anonymous Mark Anderson, author of "Shakespeare" by Another Name , reported today on his ShakesVere Facebook page that media notice of Roland Emmerich's Anonymous (Was Shakespeare a Fraud?) is heating up with the film's debut at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Like Oberon's Richard Joyrich in yesterday's review here, film critic Bill Goodykoontz touted Anonymous  as one of ten potential Oscar candidates at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. "And if you want to get a jump on the Oscars race, obviously that's an option. Here are 10 movies that seem to have a pretty good chance at securing Oscar nominations in major categories," Goodykoontz said at AZ Central and other media outlets Wednesday. "Anonymous -- 'Who really wrote Shakespeare's plays?' is a popular parlor-game question for English majors from way back (I know, as I was one, and ...

Yes it has finally happened! The movie Anonymous has had its World Premiere on Wednesday, September 7 during the 15th Annual Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. (Actually the "official" premiere will be next Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival). I was very happy to be able to represent the Oberon Group at this auspicious occasion. Over 200 people (some of them Conference Registrants and others Concordia students or having other associations with the University) packed the Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum. There was an introduction of the film by the director, Roland Emmerich (yes, he was there in person) and then the movie began in front of a hushed, but excited crowd. I will say that the movie is quite fantastic. The acting and cinematography are among the best I've seen. Can you say "Oscar material"? I can. As we have been led to believe from prior rumors and the movie trailer (som...

Shakespeare Fellowship president Earl Showerman reported Tuesday (June 14, 2011) that the fellowship has issued a statement about Roland Emmerich's upcoming film on the Shakespeare authorship question, Anonymous . Showerman said: A majority of the trustees of the Shakespeare Fellowship recently approved  a statement regarding the anticipated plot of Roland Emmerich's feature film, Anonymous. This statement will be published later this year in  Shakespeare Matters, the newsletter of the Shakespeare Fellowship. The entire statement is available on the Shakespeare Fellowship News page under the title "SF board re: Prince Tudor: The Shakespeare Fellowship commends Roland Emmerich for directing the film, Anonymous, but stresses that this production’s 'Prince Tudor' narratives are not essential to the theory that the Earl of Oxford was the writer 'Shakespeare.'" UPDATE 7/15/11: This statement was repudiated by the SF board July 15, 2011. See "Fello...

According to IMDb site Box Office Mojo , Roland Emmerich's film Anonymous  --  an historical thriller about the Shakespeare authorship question -- will be released on October 28, 2011 instead of the September 30, 2011 date previously announced.

English-Speaking Union events manager Susan Conway reported today that Sony has given the ESU permission to post the video of the Shakespeare Authorship Debate held June 6, 2011 in London. The one-hour film may be viewed at the ESU web site on the post titled: Shakespeare Authorship Debate .  The June 6, 2011 ESU post describes the event, " The ESU hosted the event in conjunction with Sony Pictures, the ESU and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to coincide with the release of multi-award-winning director Emmerich's latest film,  Anonymous." Conway said today, "The response to the event has been overwhelming -- it is clear that the topic is a hugely topical and relevant issue."  Resources: ESU website: http://www.esu.org/news/item.asp?n=12890 Oberon post announcing live-streamed debate: http://oberonshakespearestudygroup.blogspot.com/2011/06/anonymous-debate-at-esu-streamed-live.html Oberon post reporting on debate: http://oberonshakespearestudygroup.b...

The Sunday Mercury  online edition published an article today titled "Row over new Shakespeare film which claims Bard did not write his plays" by Ben Goldby. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust education director Paul Edmondson is quoted throughout the short article railing against Anonymous , Roland Emmerich's forthcoming film about the Shakespeare authorship question . Edmondson, who took part in Monday's debate on the topic at the English Speaking Union , told The Mercury : This may well provoke debate, but the point we are making is that there is no debate. It is historical fact that William Shakespeare wrote these plays. When I first heard about this film I thought, ‘we have to do something and get the real story of Shakespeare out there’. Several questions occur to this reader regarding Edmondson's comments to The Mercury : Does Edmondson find it odd to insist there is no debate after taking part in a high-profile debate? Since when do academics take to the...

While the public waits for Sony to approve release of “ The Shakespeare Authorship Debate with Roland Emmerich”  video recorded live at the  English-Speaking Union (ESU) in London   on June 6, 2011, interested readers may read  Stanley Wells’  and  Paul Edmondson’s  debate speeches on the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s site, Blogging Shakespeare. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust   chairman Professor Stanley Wells CBE and trust education director Rev. Dr. Paul Edmondson along with University of London professor  Michael Dobson formed the Stratfordian triumvirate at the ESU debate.  Anonymous  director Roland Emmerich, author Charles Beauclerk, and Dr. William Leahy who is head of the English Dept. at Brunel University where he runs the graduate program in Shakespeare authorship studies defended the anti-Stratfordian position.  The debate chairman was former head of speech and debate at ESU, James Probert, who  c...

Roland Emmerich's Shakespeare authorship film,  Anonymous, will debut at the Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference held Sept 6-9, 2011 at Concordia University, home of the Shakespeare Authorship Research Centre headed by Daniel Wright, PhD.  Wright said: I hope  that  many  people  will come here to the conference to see Emmerich while he is in the USA and on the Concordia University campus, and I hope that, accordingly, they will sign up for the conference to see the film and participate in the proceedings of the conference which will include discussion and Q&A time with Roland Emmerich and various Shakespeare scholars. It's the rarest of opportunities and of great historic impor t - a  moment that will not return agai n!  We think it a great investment  in opening the discussion up to a broader community  that should yield some far-reaching results for the Shakespeare authorship question in the USA. . . .  Emmerich ’...

The Shakespeare Authorship Debate with Roland Emmerich at the English-Speaking Union (ESU) in London will be streamed live on the ESU website   beginning at 7:30 p.m. tonight, according to ESU events manager, Susan Conway. (2:30 p.m. EST, DST in USA) Conway said 120 people will be in attendance and 20 names are on a waiting list for the program featuring Anonymous director Roland Emmerich, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust chairman Stanley Wells, trust education director Paul Edmondson, and Brunel University School of Arts head William Leahy  who will debate the Shakespeare Authorship question. According to the ESU website the motion for debate is: "This House Believes that William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon wrote the plays and poems attributed to him." The event is being held in conjunction with Sony Pictures, the ESU and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust at the ESU headquarters at Dartmouth House in London, UK. The event will begin with a reception at 7 p.m. ...