Shakespear: The Missing Link

Ann Henderson recently visited the University of Lethbridge and presented a talk on her experiences as an artist and filmmaker. Ann has been working in film for over twenty-five years and to her credit has received awards both regional and internationally. Currently based out of Montreal her predominant interests lie in giving a narrative to both human rights and various cultures. Ann explains the process in which documentary films produced today have been drastically changed since the inception of high definition. The cost of devices that enable one to work in the medium of film, have opened the door to almost anybody with an idea and story to tell. “Today is the best of times and the worst of times for the documentary film industry. Anybody is able to make a film, camera’s are available everywhere. We can all attempt to tell a story, also this causes a sort of congested space of irrelevant stories.” I find her ability to adopt this shift in technology and embrace it in her work very important in today’s film context. Ann belives that despite this shift that “choosing a subject is still about sixty percent of the battle. Finding something that will translate into a story.” One of Ann’s most recognized documentary films and the work she highlighted during her lecture is “The Battle of Wills”. This two thousand and three documentary centres around the debate over claims made by a Canadian man Lloyd Sullivan that he had the only known painting of Shakespeare ever produced while living. Now this is not to say that this claim has not been made before. The Chandos portrait was another image that has made claim as the only known living image of Shakespeare. This statment started a chain of events that would immerse Ann into a journey to uncover the truth. Ann states “ I was drawn to the story and got in touch with the man and soon found myself competing with four other production company’s who each were attempting to produce the story behind the work. Upon receiving the rights to produce the documentary film Ann was able to entice many well-known actors to star in the production. This was crucial for Ann as she points out “ my mission was to take the painting and decode the story that lied within the work.” Adding context and attempting to prove that this painting was authentic soon became the goal of the documentary. To prove this painting was authentic Ann explains, “ You must date the wood and pigment used to the time in which Shakespeare would have lived. Also the dress and style of the pose must also be supported” After being showen various excerpts of the documentary in which the painting was put through a battery of tests and passed with flying colours I was surprised when Ann added you must also prove its provenance. Not being familiar with this term I was enlightened as Ann stated, “the provenance is whether there are any documents and records produced during the period in question that support the existence of the painting. I find this point particularly fascinating because as a quote from her documentary explains “ science cannot create truth but rather be a supportive tool in the quest for authenticity. This modern day mystery certainly has sparked a great debate within the art community as well as contemporary society. Ann explains “Society does enjoy the portraiture, there is something about looking into the face we all feel we have a connection to with the personality of the subject. There is something very revealing about the image of a portrait and its attempt to capture a moment in time. There is this modern preoccupation of the portrait.” This is especially evident with Shakespeare because of what this single individual has contributed to our culture today. Many of the terms and phrases used in the English language can be traced back to his works. I can understand the controversy that exists within this documentary, but also appreciate Ann’s attempt to discover what the portrait of genius looks like. As the push for globalization and the increased ability to share and exchange information continues I feel this documentary only adds to the mystery that surrounds one of the most influential people in history.