Anonymous

One of two official movie tie-ins-With 165 color images, a large-format visual companion to the political thriller filmAnonymous, which imagines Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare.

A riveting story and a striking portrayal of the Elizabethan period-full of opulent costumes, greedy nobles, illicit romances at the royal court, and bawdy playwrights-the movieAnonymousis captured in this stunning pictorial book that describes how the film was developed and produced. Divided into five sections, it includes:

" a fascinating essay by director Roland Emmerich about what he calls "the single greatest filmmaking experience of my life"

" an essay by screenwriter John Orloff (Band of Brothers,Legends of the Guardians,A Mighty Heart) explaining how this idea finally became a major motion picture over the span of ten years

" a humorous piece by Mark Twain discussing the Shakespeare authorship question

" an enticing argument by Charles Beauclerk, author ofShakespeare's Lost Kingdom, suggesting that his ancestor, Edward de Vere, is the true author

" commentaries from the cast and crew on the film's production, costume design, locations, sets, cinematography, and visual effects

" production sketches, concept illustrations, script excerpts

" sidebars on historical references, chronologies

" an extensive bibliography