Spotlight On ANONYMOUS: Shakespeare's Top 5 Leading Men

Today we begin a special series consisting of five entries total, each of which will highlight a different facet of the rich and wonderful world of William Shakespeare and all with a particular emphasis on the controversial new feature film that explores the time, place, politics and goings-on of the Elizabethan era and focuses on the possibility that the true author of the esteemed plays we now know may very well have been someone else entirely - Edward de Vere - and how the question of the canon's true creation then comes into play - ANONYMOUS.

LATEST NEWS

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA To Have Prague Engagement This Spring

Video: Gavin Creel Sings 'Alone Tonight' in the COMMON DENOMINATOR Pilot

Photos: Joey Fatone Takes First Bow in & JULIET on Broadway

Justin Cooley to Join KIMBERLY AKIMBO National Tour This Winter

"All the world's a stage," after all, so it should come as no surprise that acts of lust, bloodshed and betrayal would exist in the actual life - or even the supposed one - of the man who created the most bloody and thought-provoking tragedies in the history of literature - whoever he may have actually been. Perhaps some brief analysis of the finest leading players, most memorable lines and moments, as well as an exploration of other notable acts of grand betrayal in Shakespeare's plays will aid us on the journey to understanding the thesis of ANONYMOUS and bring us into a closer relationship with the individual who penned the greatest plays in the English language.

Kicking off the five days of Top 5s, here is a look at the best leading men to have done Shakespeare onstage and onscreen this century and last - featuring Kenneth Branagh, Sir Ian McKellen, Al Pacino, James Earl Jones, and, the ANONYMOUS narrator (and a confirmed Oxfordian himself), Sir Derek Jacobi!

Be sure to check out the introductory essay in this special SPOTLIGHT ON ANONYMOUS series here!

A little bit AMADEUS, with a touch of TIMON OF ATHENS; a dash of DANGEROUS LIASONS and a heaping of HENRY IV: Parts 1 and 2; a generous helping of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE with a wink to MERCHANT OF VENICE; a bit of BARRY LYNDON and a hint at HAMLET; romance and jealousy ala Romeo & Juliet; Iago-ian sexual intrigue evocative of OTHELLO; maybe even a malicious, macabre moment of murderous violence or two reminiscent of MACBETH; then, all of it collectively taken, shaken, stirred and whipped up into a visual feast only the man behind THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW could possibly conjure up - much like THE TEMPEST's Trinculo himself. That is only some of what ANONYMOUS can and could very well turn out to be. Find out for yourself what ANONYMOUS is all about when it opens on October 28!

What A Piece Of Work Is Man

To limit a subjective list of the foremost leading men of the Shakespearean stage to a mere five is a fool's bargain, indeed - yet, that being precisely the point of a list such as this, we are forced to even eschew legendary Henrys like Laurence Olivier and even modern-day masters like Mark Rylance in favor of the actors who have brought Shakespeare to the largest audiences and shared the joy, wit, passion and power of the author's words in the most moving and ingratiating manner - in this case, onscreen. Featuring many of the most noted screen performances of a number of the most remembered lines from some of the Bard's finest plays, this list covers everything from HAMLET to HENRY V to MACBETH to MERCHANT to LEAR and beyond, while also paying acknowledgement to many of the world's favorite actors from the stage and screen - book ended by two Sirs, no less! Who knows what actors of today will someday make a mark like these men most certainly already have thanks to the performances we are celebrating today.

#5 Sir Derek Jacobi

Acting as narrator to the film we will be shining a special light on all throughout October, ANONYMOUS, Sir Derek Jacobi is certainly most well-known internationally for his many stage and film roles - GLADIATOR, GOSFORD PARK and THE KING'S SPEECH included - yet, it is in his teaching of Shakespeare and his passionate speeches about and reenactments of the most famous moments in Shakespeare's work where his most impressive Shakespearean gift of all may very well reside. Indeed, perhaps no other actor to date has explored the excitement and mystery implicit in the opening moments of the historical drama HENRY V as Jacobi does here with the "Kingdom for a stage" speech - even with it taken almost completely out of context.

#4 Al Pacino

Having just wowed all of Manhattan with his stunning portrayal of Shylock, the central figure in the serio-comedic MERCHANT OF VENICE - alongside recent InDepth InterView participant and fellow Tony Award nominee Lily Rabe - stage and screen superstar Al Pacino has actually already committed his commanding take on the caustic and complex character opposite Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes in a relatively faithful film adaptation from earlier this century. Witness Pacino's compelling and electrifying reading of one of MERCHANT's most famous monologues here in this blistering clip - the expressive and emotional "I am a Jew" monologue.

#3 James Earl Jones

Has any actor ever plumbed the depths of despair and disillusionment so central to the tragedy of KING LEAR's eponymous lead as James Earl Jones did in the Shakespeare In The Park production put on by Joe Papp's Public Theater in the 1970s? Has any one actor ever displayed the entire extent of Lear's burgeoning madness as it terrifyingly creeps into his psyche before his very eyes - in the form of Poor Tom - as Jones did in his KING LEAR? The answer to both questions is undoubtedly no, as Jones remains the gold standard of all Lears thanks to this unbelievably thrilling and unique production as preserved on video seen here. Now, experience Jones and his portrayal one of the most elementary and exhilarating scenes from LEAR - the "Blow, winds" recitation and incantation.

#2 Kenneth Branagh

Although he would certainly top a lot of lists like this if only because his tireless commitment and dedication to the preservation of Shakespeare's work on film as a director and as an actor, Kenneth Branagh has also created what is perhaps the most significant Shakespeare-related film project to date in the form of his word-complete 1996 film version of HAMLET that he also stars in - alongside Kate Winslet, Julie Christie and Sir Derek Jacobi. Take in his impassioned and impressive - and completely idiosyncratic - iteration of perhaps Shakespeare's most recognizable monologue from any of his plays - "To be or not to be," from HAMLET - in the dazzling clip below from his must-see film.

#1 Sir Ian McKellen

Although he is perhaps best known worldwide for his unforgettable performance as Gandalf in the Oscar-winning LORD OF THE RINGS series, previous InDepth InterView participant Sir Ian McKellen cut his dramatic teeth in the West End with a series of surprising and stupendous turns in many of the finest Shakespearean tragedies - among them: HAMLET, OTHELLO, and, our featured clip, which is taken from Trevor Nunn's spellbinding BBC video version of MACBETH starring McKellen in the grisly title role opposite a seriously fierce Judi Dench. The horror and desolateness of MacBeth's predicament bleeds through in this striking reading of the "Tomorrow and tomorrow" sequence of the macabre Shakespearean tragedy.

So, what have been the most memorable Shakespeare performances by leading men that you have had the pleasure of seeing in your lifetime? Some excellent choices that unfortunately did not make the cut for this countdown undoubtedly include: John Leguizamo as Tybalt in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet, Patrick Stewart in MACBETH and Anthony Hopkins in the title role in TITUS.

Be sure to stay tuned to BroadwayWorld for all things ANONYMOUS as we anticipate its release in movie theaters on October 28. Also, check back later this week for our next Top 5 feature, highlighting all of the Bard's best leading ladies.