“The Shakespeare myth is about to undergo a huge paradigm shift, and what it means to be the greatest writer in the English language will never be the same.” — Cheryl Eagan-Donovan
Filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan’s Oxfordian documentary Nothing is Truer than Truth kicked off the new film series, “The Bard Outside of the Box,” at the Boston Public Library on November 7, 2016, one day after the completion of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship’s annual conference in nearby Newton, Massachusetts. Approximately 100 people turned out for the first screening of the final cut of the film, which was held in the beautiful and recently renovated Rabb Hall. After the screening, Cheryl moderated a panel discussion with Oxfordians Mark Anderson, Earl Showerman, and Tom Regnier.
Nothing is Truer than Truth concentrates on Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford’s sojourn in Italy in the mid-1570s. Eagan-Donovan has said of the film:
“Nothing is Truer than Truth” looks at the process of writing, where life experience, imitation of the masters, and relentless revision come together to create works of genius, as the key to discovering Edward de Vere as the true author of the works attributed to William Shakespeare. The film focuses on the eighteen-month period when de Vere escaped the confines of life at Elizabeth’s Court, and traveled the continent from his home base in Venice. “Nothing is Truer than Truth” will introduce today’s students, tomorrow’s writers, to Edward de Vere, a man whose life story is the greatest story ever written. The Shakespeare myth is about to undergo a huge paradigm shift, and what it means to be the greatest writer in the English language will never be the same. As a writer and someone who loves Shakespeare, I am compelled to tell the story. I invite you to join me on this literary and cinematic adventure, bringing Shakespeare back to Venice, revealing the source of his inspiration, and creating a new model for understanding the canon that will engage students for generations to come.
You can see the 4½ -minute trailer for Nothing is Truer than Truth here:
The approximately one-and-a-half-hour film combines scenes of Italy and England with art, narration, interviews, and an original score by Katy Jarzebowski that flow together seamlessly. Actors Sir Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance and scholars Alexander Waugh and Roger Stritmatter are among those interviewed in the film.
The audience at the Boston Public Library seemed thoroughly impressed and most of them stayed afterwards to hear the panel discussion moderated by Eagan-Donovan and including Mark Anderson, author of the landmark de Vere biography, “Shakespeare” By Another Name, which provides the basis for much of the film; Dr. Earl Showerman, an expert on Shakespeare’s knowledge of medicine and Greek drama; and Tom Regnier, an attorney who has written and lectured on Shakespeare’s knowledge of the law.
At the end of the panel discussion, the participants fielded audience questions on the latest claim that Marlowe was a co-author with Shakespeare, and about the oft-repeated charge that anyone who believes that de Vere wrote the plays and poems is simply an elitist snob.
Cheryl Eagan-Donovan said: “This is just the beginning of our mission to bring the film to audiences around the world.” She is still raising money to put the final touches on the film, and needs your help to pay for finishing costs. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. To donate, click here.
If you are interested in hosting a screening at a school, museum, theater, or other venue in your town or city, please contact Controversy Films via email at eagandonovan@verizon.net. They are currently booking for winter and spring 2017.
The Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship wishes Cheryl Eagan-Donovan all the best in promoting this exciting new documentary to the world.
[posted November 14, 2016]
