Shakespeare on film
by blue_sock_monkey | created - 18 Dec 2012 | updated - 09 Feb 2013 | PublicWith my ratings & comments.
I love the plays in a variety of guises--traditional, modernized, surreal, abstract, animated, parody; in ballet and opera; I even like Silent Shakespeare (there's an entire DVD of films made 1899-1911--look for it at Amazon). I've grouped these alphabetically by Shakespeare's title, and tried to include at least two versions of each one (plus a few derivative works).
Please note that I do not care if a production is "critically acclaimed" or "innovative" or "transgressive" or even if Richard Burbage himself rose from the grave to star in it; I don't care if it's performed in the nude on the dark side of the moon and incorporates every obscure literary theory proposed in the past three decades. I only care if it works.
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1. Antony and Cleopatra (1974 TV Movie)
161 min | Drama, History, Romance
After the murder of her lover Julius Caesar, Egypt's Queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor, Octavius.
Director: Jon Scoffield | Stars: Richard Johnson, Janet Suzman, Rosemary McHale, Mavis Taylor Blake
Votes: 178
7/10 Semi-stylized television production. The pacing is leisurely, and Richard Johnson does not dig deep enough into Antony's psyche. But Janet Suzman, Corin Redgrave, and Patrick Stewart all deliver satisfying performances.
2. As You Like It (1936)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
A Duke usurps his brother's land and power, banishing him and his entourage into the forest of Arden. The banished Duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains with her cousin Celia. She has fallen ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Czinner | Stars: Elisabeth Bergner, Laurence Olivier, Sophie Stewart, Henry Ainley
Votes: 856
5/10 Stiff and astonishingly dull.
3.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
As You Like It
(1978)
TV-14 | 151 min
After the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.
Director: Basil Coleman | Stars: Helen Mirren, Brian Stirner, Richard Pasco, Angharad Rees
Votes: 356
I promise to watch and review it soon.
4. Edward II (1991)
R | 87 min | Drama, History, Romance
In this Derek Jarman version of Christopher Marlowe's Elizabethan drama, in modern costumes and settings, Plantagenet king Edward II hands the power-craving nobility the perfect excuse by ... See full summary »
Director: Derek Jarman | Stars: Steven Waddington, Kevin Collins, Andrew Tiernan, John Lynch
Votes: 3,037 | Gross: $0.69M
6/10 Okay, I snuck this one in--this is actually a loose adaptation of a play by Kit Marlowe. But the performances by Waddington and (especially) Swinton are sensitive and intelligent. The direction veers between imaginative and far too obvious; Jarman loses all subtlety in the last half-hour. Still, it's an interesting use of Marlowe's work.
5. Hamlet (1996)
PG-13 | 242 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet
Votes: 40,050 | Gross: $4.41M
9/10 A riveting performance from Branagh helps overcome some of the casting mistakes in small roles. Christie is one of the finest Gertrudes I have ever seen. Gorgeous production values; everything is on a grand scale, sometimes too much so.
6. Hamlet (1948)
Approved | 154 min | Drama
Prince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, John Laurie, Esmond Knight
Votes: 18,389 | Gross: $7.09M
8/10 Atmospheric and well-cast. But it's so creepily Freudian that it's never quite convincing. It also never quite shakes off that air of being a play staged for the camera.
7. Hamlet (1964)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama
After the death of the King of Denmark - Hamlet's father - his brother Claudius ascends the throne, who takes his widow Gertrude as his wife. Hamlet meets the ghost of his father and learns that he was killed by Claudius.
Director: Grigoriy Kozintsev | Stars: Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Mikhail Nazvanov, Elza Radzina, Yuriy Tolubeev
Votes: 2,972
8/10 Hmmmm, it's in Russian? And you've never heard of any of the actors? But it's visually rich, with deliciously sinister costumes and sets. The ghost scene may never be outdone.
8.
Great Performances (1971– )
Episode:
Hamlet
(1990)
Not Rated | 165 min | Music, Musical
A Danish prince and university student avenges his father's murder by his uncle, who stole the crown and married his mother.
Directors: Kirk Browning, Kevin Kline | Stars: MacIntyre Dixon, Rene Raymond Rivera, Bill Camp, Peter Francis James
Votes: 238
7/10 The New York Shakespeare Festival gives us a nicely understated, intelligent performance from Kevin Kline in a solid (if sometimes passionless) production in rehearsal dress.
9.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
(1980)
TV-14 | 210 min
Hamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
Directors: Rodney Bennett, John Gorrie | Stars: Derek Jacobi, Claire Bloom, Patrick Stewart, Eric Porter
Votes: 664
7/10 An energetic and passionate production. Jacobi gives us a prince who is literally mad, an unusual interpretation that didn't work for me. Ward's mad scenes fall flat, but Stewart is satisfyingly slimey. This is worth seeing, if not completely to my taste.
10. Hamlet (1969)
G | 117 min | Drama
Academy Award-winning director Tony Richardson brings Shakespeare's tragedy to the screen - with searing performances from Nicol Williamson as the melancholy Dane and future Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins as the deceitful Claudius.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Nicol Williamson, Judy Parfitt, Anthony Hopkins, Marianne Faithfull
Votes: 869
7/10 Well-cut text, swiftly paced, intelligent--yet hard to love, not least due to the incestuous Polonius family. Gertrude is also nasty, while Claudius is a brutal lout. Williamson (looking strangely like Gene Wilder) is understated, intense, and natural. Performed in period dress with too many close-ups and never enough light. I can't say I liked this version--but I do respect it.
11. Hamlet (I) (1964)
191 min | Drama
The highly successful 1964 Richard Burton Broadway production of "Hamlet", deliberately staged in the style of a "dress rehearsal", but performed in front of a live audience.
Directors: Bill Colleran, John Gielgud | Stars: Richard Burton, Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake, Eileen Herlie
Votes: 517
6/10 Performed in rehearsal dress. Burton and his melodious voice utterly overwhelm his co-stars, espcially Cronyn, who might as well be in a deli ordering a ham-on-rye. I did like the spare staging.
12. Hamlet (II) (2000 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 178 min | Drama
The classic Shakespeare tragedy is revisioned in America at the turn of the 20th Century. Campbell Scott (Singles, The Spanish Prisoner) adapted, co-directed and stars in the title role ... See full summary »
Directors: Campbell Scott, Eric Simonson | Stars: Campbell Scott, Blair Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, LisaGay Hamilton
Votes: 244
6/10 The weird decision to set this in the ante-bellum American South results in some good things and some bad things (it's obviously a problem for a significant portion of the text). The play builds well; Scott offers us a Hamlet who is really thinking his lines. Roscoe Lee Brown's Polonius is shorn of his comedy, and makes an interestingly strong character. This is an accessible production, and worth a look.
13. Hamlet (2000)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Modern-day New York City adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder.
Director: Michael Almereyda | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Venora, Sam Shepard
Votes: 9,989 | Gross: $1.57M
5/10 An interesting experiment with a contemporary setting that doesn't quite work, despite some good performances (especially from Bill Murray).
14. Hamlet (1990)
PG | 135 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield
Votes: 23,605 | Gross: $20.71M
4/10 Gibson struggles with the verse, Close struggles with interpretation, and everything is awash in an embarrassing Oedipal stew.
15. Discovering Hamlet (1990 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 53 min | Drama, Documentary
A unique, behind-the-scenes look at Shakespeare's great play. In 1988, rising star Kenneth Branagh played the Prince of Denmark for the first time. His guide through four weeks of ... See full summary »
Director: Mark Olshaker | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Richard Clifford, Richard Easton, Derek Jacobi
Votes: 74
7/10 Plentiful insights into how a young Branagh began to explore the character for a stage performance under the direction of Derek Jacobi.
16. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
Two minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.
Director: Tom Stoppard | Stars: Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss, Livio Badurina
Votes: 23,850 | Gross: $0.74M
4/10 Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I watched this--I find it hard to believe this was ever considered funny or profound. Ever. It's so very very 1960s. If you want me to sit through a couple hours of absurdism, you at least have to give me a mob of invisible rhinoceroses.
17. Henry IV Part I (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 148 min | Drama
Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son, (nicknamed "Hotspur"). Henry's son, Hal, the ... See full summary »
Director: David Giles | Stars: Jon Finch, David Gwillim, Rob Edwards, Robert Brown
Votes: 224
8/10 Stagey yet impressive TV version, with an extremely strong cast.
18. Henry IV Part II (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 150 min | Drama
Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son (nicknamed "Hotspur"). Henry's son Hal, the Prince ... See full summary »
Director: David Giles | Stars: Jon Finch, David Gwillim, Rob Edwards, Martin Neil
Votes: 156
7/10 The distinguished cast from Part I returns. This needed better pacing and higher production values, but it's still a solid interpretation.
19. Henry V (1989)
PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin
Votes: 31,650 | Gross: $10.16M
8/10 Dark, bloody, and gritty. Superb cast, great sets, and strong direction from Branagh. Wonderful musical score.
20. Henry V (1944)
Not Rated | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer
Votes: 7,068
7/10 Excellent performances in a severely truncated text. Made in wartime Britain, this version presents Henry as an almost flawless hero.
21. Chimes at Midnight (1965)
Not Rated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, History
When King Henry IV ascends to the throne, his heir, the Prince of Wales, is befriended by Sir John Falstaff, an old, overweight, fun-loving habitual liar. Through Falstaff's eyes we see the reign of King Henry IV and the rise of Henry V.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud
Votes: 10,148 | Gross: $0.12M
6/10 Funny, touching, and tedious in turn. Not the success it might have been, although Welles is the perfect Falstaff.
22. Julius Caesar (1953)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama, History
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Louis Calhern, Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud
Votes: 12,873
7/10 If not an inspired version, this is well worth your time, made with intelligent good taste. James Mason as Brutus knocked my socks off.
23.
Performance (1991–1998)
Episode:
King Lear
(1998)
Not Rated | 150 min | Drama
King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Paul Rhys, Finbar Lynch, Timothy West, David Burke
Votes: 284
8/10 Beautiful spare design, with Ian Holm an energetic and eccentric king. The blocking has an eerie and effective ritualistic feel. Marred by a grating score.
24. King Lear (1983 TV Movie)
158 min | Drama
Aging King Lear invites disaster when he abdicates to his two disloyal and obsequious daughters while rejecting the one who truly loves him.
Director: Michael Elliott | Stars: Colin Blakely, Leo McKern, Robert Lindsay, Laurence Olivier
Votes: 867
8/10 Cool mini-Stonehenge set, splendid cast with lotsa extras, lotsa mud, lotsa horses and animal skins. Olivier's Lear is a sad, lost creature and inifinitely pathetic.
25. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,182 | Gross: $4.14M
8/10 A stylized orgy of blood and greed and foolishness. Exotically beautiful use of the King Lear material.
26. Love's Labour's Lost (2000)
PG | 93 min | Romance, Comedy, Musical
An update of the classic Shakespeare story, director Kenneth Branagh shot the film like a classic 1930s musical. It tells the story of four best friends who swear off love.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Natascha McElhone, Kenneth Branagh
Votes: 4,903 | Gross: $0.28M
3/10 I don't much care for the play. I hated this film.
27. Macbeth (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 145 min | Drama
Macbeth (Ian McKellen) is a daring member of the Scottish military, who receives a revelation from three menacing sorceresses that he will someday become the King of Scotland. This ... See full summary »
Directors: Philip Casson, Trevor Nunn | Stars: Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, John Bown, Susan Dury
Votes: 915
10/10 Minimalist production in a "black box theater", with all the focus on stunning performances. Exceptional.
28. Macbeth (2001 TV Movie)
132 min | Drama
A television adaptation of the classical Shakespeare play.
Director: Gregory Doran | Stars: Antony Sher, Harriet Walter, Joseph O'Conor, Nigel Cooke
Votes: 93
9/10 Strong postmodern production by the Royal Shakespeare Company, starring Antony Sher and Harriet Walter as the wicked duo. The performances are fascinating, the direction subtle (the cinematography is a little too busy). There are a few too many soliloquies performed as voice-overs--but the one of Lady Macbeth in the bathtub worked brilliantly.
29. Macbeth (1983 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 148 min | Drama
Macbeth and his wife murder Duncan in order to gain his crown, but the bloodbath doesn't stop there, and things supernatural combine to bring the Macbeths down.
Director: Jack Gold | Stars: Brenda Bruce, Eileen Way, Anne Dyson, Mark Dignam
Votes: 389
7/10 Stage-bound although effective, in period dress, with excellent interpretations by Nicol Williamson and Jane Lapotaire.
30. Macbeth (1998 TV Movie)
Drama
English thespian Sean Pertwee plays the painfully ambitious royal who schemes to murder so he can ascend to the throne in this superior version of William Shakespeare's literary classic. ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Bogdanov | Stars: Sean Pertwee, Greta Scacchi, Lorren Bent, Denise Black
Votes: 166
6/10 I was all psyched up to despise this: modern-dress in a sere, post-apocalyptic setting performed by people whom one does not usually connect with the Bard. I was wrong. The actors are merely competent, but the production conjures good atmosphere, moves fast, and is surprisingly enjoyable. I especially loved the bag lady witches.
31. Macbeth (1971)
R | 140 min | Drama, History
A ruthlessly ambitious Scottish lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw, Terence Bayler
Votes: 14,970
6/10 Fun to watch, but I found it emotionally shallow. If you insist on a Macbeth in period dress and assertive camera-work, though, this one will serve nicely.
32. Macbeth (1954 TV Movie)
103 min | Drama
Macbeth (Maurice Evans), the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his King and takes the throne for himself.
Directors: Hudson Faucett, George Schaefer | Stars: Maurice Evans, Judith Anderson, House Jameson, Richard Waring
Votes: 25
6/10 Stodgy. Maurice Evans is uninspired here; Judith Anderson is much more impressive. A young Jeremy Brett plays Malcolm. They gave this a vaguely medieval setting; some imaginative directorial touches keep it watchable.
33. Macbeth (1948)
Passed | 107 min | Drama, History, War
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 7,796
4/10 So static that it might as well have been produced for radio. Gorgeous voice notwithstanding, Welles is a heavy unconvincing warrior; Nolan is downright awful. Bring a flashlight so you can find the actors amidst all the atmospheric gloom.
34. Macbeth (1981 Video)
132 min | Drama
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman | Stars: Jeremy Brett, Piper Laurie, Simon MacCorkindale, Richard Alfieri
Votes: 113
3/10 Whose idea was it to stage this play with silent movie-style acting, complete with slapstick? I am embarrassed for Brett, for Laurie, and for anyone else even peripherally involved with this production.
35. Macbeth (2002 TV Movie)
140 min | Music, Drama
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Director: Thomas Grimm | Stars: Thomas Hampson, Paoletta Marrocu, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Luis Lima
Votes: 37
7/10 Thomas Hampson and Paoletta Marrocu sing Verdi (not one of his greatest scores) at the Zurich Opernhaus. It's exceedingly well-sung and acted, but emotionally distant--possibly this was merely my problem with the postmodern staging. If you are one of those sadly deprived people who don't already love opera, this is probably not the right introduction to it--Zeffirelli's Otello is far more accessible.
36. Throne of Blood (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 55,938
9/10 Colourful, atmospheric, and very very violent. The witch scenes in a spooky Japanese forest are unforgettable.
37. The Merchant of Venice (1973 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama
Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, demands his due of a pound of flesh for a forfeited loan.
Director: John Sichel | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, Jeremy Brett, Michael Jayston
Votes: 294
8/10 Rocket-like pacing, excellent Victorian costumes and sets. Olivier is fascinating in this role. Plowright gives a marvelous performance despite her all-too-obvious middle-age.
38.
Masterpiece (1971– )
Episode:
The Merchant of Venice
(2001)
141 min | Drama, History, Mystery
Directors: Chris Hunt, Trevor Nunn | Stars: David Bamber, Peter De Jersey, Mark Umbers, Alexander Hanson
Votes: 108
8/10 The Bard seen through a lens borrowed from Cabaret. Very effective, if a bit too obvious at times.
39. The Merchant of Venice (2004)
R | 131 min | Drama, Romance
In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.
Director: Michael Radford | Stars: Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Jeremy Irons
Votes: 38,253 | Gross: $3.77M
7/10 Everyone looks in need of a good hot shower, and the lines are delivered with a dark intensity that expresses discontent with the play as well as the characters' own situations. Well-realized period settings and costumes help. What makes this worthwhile is watching Pacino's Shylock burn out emotionally before our eyes.
40. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Romance
Filmed adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1996 version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'
Director: Adrian Noble | Stars: Lindsay Duncan, Alex Jennings, Desmond Barrit, Finbar Lynch
Votes: 390
9/10 Distinctly surreal in look (doors in the middle of nowhere, trapezes), but infinitely warm at heart, effectively staged and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. A lovely production of my favourite Shakespearean comedy.
41. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
PG-13 | 116 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Lovers' lives are complicated by city law, feuding faerie royalty, and... love.
Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 26,968 | Gross: $16.07M
7/10 Worth seeing if only for Tucci & Everett as Puck and Oberon. The setting makes no sense at all, and some of the actors are utterly flummoxed by the verse. (Flockhart is especially embarrassing.) Kline is over-the-top tedious as Bottom (which is especially disappointing given his excellent Hamlet in 1990)--it's ridiculous to cut the text of the play in order to invent cheesy pantomime scenes.
42.
ITV Play of the Week (1955–1974)
Episode:
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1964)
Comedy, Drama
Theseus, Duke of Athens, is going to marry Hyppolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Demetrius is engaged with Hermia, but Hermia loves Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius. Oberon and Titania, of the ... See full summary »
Director: Joan Kemp-Welch | Stars: Patrick Allen, Eira Heath, Cyril Luckham, Tony Bateman
Votes: 22
6/10 The verse is rushed, but I certainly enjoyed Benny Hill as Bottom leading the fumbling mechanicals. Anna Massey is an appealing Titania. Weak production values and inadequate rehearsal time mean this will never be a first-choice "Dream'--but it's not bad at all. Set in ancient Athens.
43. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968)
Not Rated | 124 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
The adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.
Director: Peter Hall | Stars: Derek Godfrey, Barbara Jefford, Nicholas Selby, Hugh Sullivan
Votes: 877
6/10 The "Dream" on the cheap, performed with lots of green body paint and mud. Dench beautifully embodies Titania; Holm is seriously miscast as Puck. This should have been a lot more amusing than it is.
44. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Approved | 133 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.
Directors: William Dieterle, Max Reinhardt | Stars: James Cagney, Dick Powell, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale
Votes: 3,885
5/10 The staging is lush and often delightful; Hal Mohr won a well-deserved Academy Award for his cinematography; and I enjoyed Cagney's performance as Bottom the Weaver. As for the other actors--well, this is no way to treat a comedy classic. I wanted to strangle Rooney.
45. The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream (2001)
115 min | Drama, Fantasy
Feature film of William Shakespeare's play performed by children. Remarkable production values and the whole complete text performed without manners.
Director: Christine Edzard | Stars: Jamie Peachey, John Heyfron, Danny Bishop, Jessica Fowler
Votes: 31
2/10 The ultimate in stunt casting: every role is filled by a conspicuously untalented child actor. This was actually painful to sit through.
46. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 Video)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A fairy queen falls for a craftsman cursed with donkey's ears.
Director: Timothy Hines | Stars: Maureen Freehill, Skunk T'Weed, Patrick Gant, Elizabeth McCarthy
Votes: 43
1/10 They were kidding, right? I had no idea there were so many tone-deaf actors in the universe.
47.
The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964–1965)
Episode:
Mr. Magoo's A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1965)
30 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
Mr. Magoo portrays Puck, a fairy whose misapplication of love juice confuses the attractions of four lovers while also giving a bad actor the head of a jackass.
Director: Abe Levitow | Stars: Jim Backus, Marvin Miller, Howard Morris, Dennis King Jr.
6/10 Really very cute. The animators get extra points for properly setting it in ancient Athens.
48. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 TV Movie)
94 min | Music
Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.
Director: Ross MacGibbon | Stars: Patricia Barker, Paul Gibson, Seth Belliston, Julie Tobiason
Votes: 40
9/10
An enchanting full-length ballet version by the Pacific Northwest Ballet, with impressive dancing, luxurious costumes and sets, and all that wonderful music by Mendelssohn. Choreography by Balanchine.
If you enjoy this one, also look for American Ballet Theater's The Dream from 2003 (released on DVD in 2004; not listed on IMDb). It's a one-hour version of the story, choreographed by Frederick Ashton to Mendelssohn's score.
49. A Midsummer Night's Dream (II) (1981 TV Movie)
156 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.
Director: Dave Heather | Stars: Ileana Cotrubas, James Bowman, Ryland Davies, Dale Duesing
Votes: 34
7/10 A Glyndebourne Festival production of Britten's opera, with a fine cast plus pretty sets and costumes. I confess that--given an Oberon written for contra-tenor, plus a few sopranos and a whole chorus of pre-pubescent boys singing the fairies--the score is a bit too squeaky for me (opera-love though I am).
50. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale
Votes: 51,989 | Gross: $22.55M
8/10 The word "exuberant" was coined for this production. Immensely enjoyable and highly recommended.
51. Much Ado About Nothing (1984 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 148 min | Comedy, Romance
Benedick and Beatrice fight their merry war of words. But when Beatrice's friend, Hero, is humiliatingly jilted by Benedick's best friend, Claudio, Benedick has to choose which side he's on... See full summary »
Director: Stuart Burge | Stars: Lee Montague, Tim Faulkner, Cherie Lunghi, Katharine Levy
Votes: 275
7/10 Attractive 16th century costuming and sets, with a talented cast and director.
52. Much Ado About Nothing (1973 TV Movie)
158 min | Comedy, Romance
Videotape of the Joseph Papp production. Don Pedro and his men (Teddy Roosevelt Roughriders) have returned from the wars. After Beatrice turns down his proposal, Don Pedro decides to ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Havinga | Stars: Sam Waterston, Kathleen Widdoes, Barnard Hughes, Charles Bartlett
Votes: 111
7/10 I have a special fondness for this, flaws and all. Set in the USA circa 1900, it's a Shakespeare Meets the Rough Riders Meets the Keystone Cops Meets The Music Man.
53.
Theatre Night (1985–1990)
Episode:
Othello
(1990)
204 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A slightly updated version of Othello set in the 19th century Cyprus, where all characters wear uniforms and dresses from the American Civil War era. Othello, a heroic aging Moroccan ... See full summary »
Directors: Anthony Garrick, Trevor Nunn | Stars: Michael Grandage, Ian McKellen, Clive Swift, Willard White
Votes: 193
9/10 Beautifully, simply, claustrophobically staged and shot (with a U.S. Civil War setting), intensely physical. Willard White speaks the verse as if it were music; Ian McKellen too gives a triumphant performance, while Stubbs is a complex and poignant Desdemona. Not to be missed.
54. Othello (1995)
R | 123 min | Drama, Romance
The Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio, when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Irène Jacob, Nathaniel Parker
Votes: 10,174 | Gross: $2.11M
7/10 Fishburne and Branagh are the key reasons to see this; they are often mesmerizing. The period sets and costumes are lovely, the visual clues rather too obvious. Jacob's unconvincing Desdemona drags the production downwards. Overall, i prefer my Shakespeare done with more subtlety.
55. Othello (1951)
Approved | 90 min | Drama, Romance
The Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier
Votes: 9,453
7/10 Almost over-the-top artsiness threatens to overwhelm the text, but the performances are generally good and the effect convincing.
56. Othello (1965)
Unrated | 165 min | Drama
General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.
Director: Stuart Burge | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Frank Finlay, Robert Lang, Anthony Nicholls
Votes: 1,642
6/10 A heavily mannered production with unconvincing body make-up obscuring Olivier; Finlay doesn't come off as sufficiently evil. Smith, however, is one of the most effective Desdemonas ever. Everyone speaks beautifully, of course.
57. Otello (1986)
PG | 118 min | Drama, Music
Verdi's famous opera is brought to life in this production. The immortal tale of the noble Moor and his beautiful young wife, and of his lieutenant, whose jealousy and lust for power lead him to commit the ultimate treason.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Díaz, Petra Malakova
Votes: 616 | Gross: $0.19M
8/10 Shakespeare goes to the opera, with excellent results. Ably sung and acted; Domingo is in fine voice here. A first-class production of Verdi's work, despite extensive small trims to the score.
58.
Great Performances: Dance in America (1976– )
Episode:
Lar Lubovitch's 'Othello'
(2003)
Music
San Francisco Ballet production of "Othello" filmed at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House on March 2 and 3, 2002.
Stars: Lorena Feijóo, Gonzalo Garcia, Parrish Maynard, Katita Waldo
Votes: 13
8/10 This production by the San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theater is danced brilliantly by Desmond Richardson, Parrish Maynard, Yuan Yuan Tan, and Katita Waldo. The score (by Eliot Goldenthal) is modern and tuneless, the choreography (by Lar Lubovitch) is angular, choppy, intense. A striking production that I enjoyed immensely.
59. Othello (2001 TV Movie)
100 min | Drama
Shakespeare's Othello retold in modern London; racial tension in the police force collides with jealousy and revenge. An officer suspects his new bride of infidelity.
Director: Geoffrey Sax | Stars: Eamonn Walker, Christopher Eccleston, Keeley Hawes, Richard Coyle
Votes: 667
7/10 Shakespeare's plot (at least some of it), but not Shakespeare's words. (If you need to see the play for school, don't pick this one.) There's far more sociology and far less domestic drama than we get with the Bard. An interesting production, with good performances.
60.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Richard II
(1978)
158 min
The incompetent King Richard II is deposed by Henry Bolingbroke and undergoes a crisis of identity once he is no longer King.
Director: David Giles | Stars: Derek Jacobi, John Gielgud, Jon Finch, Wendy Hiller
Votes: 323
7/10 An all-star cast--many of whom I admired in the Henry IV plays mentioned above--fails to rivet my attention here. It's good, just not as wonderful as I had hoped for.
61. Richard III (1995)
R | 110 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, War
The classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen, Edward Jewesbury
Votes: 15,569 | Gross: $2.60M
8/10 Set in the 1930s, with tanks, trains, radios, morgues, cameras, hypodermics, and explosions. And it works! Bonus: Stacey Kent sings a swing adaptation of Kit Marlowe's "Come Live With Me & Be My Love" (with additional lyrics by Sir Walter Raleigh).
62. Richard III (1955)
Not Rated | 161 min | Biography, Drama, History
Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Cedric Hardwicke, Nicholas Hannen, Ralph Richardson
Votes: 5,223
8/10 A wicked fairy tale told in primary colours. There is a not-inappropriate feel of Walt Disney about this one.
63. Looking for Richard (1996)
PG-13 | 111 min | Documentary, Drama
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Director: Al Pacino | Stars: Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Frederic Kimball
Votes: 8,570 | Gross: $1.36M
7/10 Chaotic and funny documentary about assembling a production of Richard III. You'll enjoy exploring the character with Al Pacino as your (sometimes bemused) guide.
64. Romeo and Juliet (1936)
Passed | 125 min | Drama, Romance
Young love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore, Conway Tearle
Votes: 2,230
7/10 Slow-moving, but the performances are unexpectedly good, and the production is lavish. Swell cinematography from William Daniels, plus John Barrymore as Mercutio are definite pluses here.
65. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Romance
When two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Milo O'Shea
Votes: 34,766 | Gross: $38.90M
7/10 The leads look right, although they have a bit of a struggle with their lines, and the production is sumptuous.
66. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau
Votes: 244,768 | Gross: $46.35M
4/10 More of a stunt than an interpretation, made by people who believe you are so half-witted that they must hit you over the head with every symbol and line of verse. Much of the dialogue is unintelligible.
67. Romeo and Juliet (1966)
124 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Two teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
Director: Paul Czinner | Stars: Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, David Blair, Desmond Doyle
Votes: 177
8/10 Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan to Sergei Prokofiev's famous score. Nureyev is in his prime here; an aging Fonteyn still dances superbly--and her acting is perfection. The camerawork isn't the greatest, but balletomanes shouldn't miss this.
68. The Taming of The Shrew (1967)
Approved | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Brutish, fortune-hunting scoundrel Petruchio tames his wealthy, shrewish wife, Katharina.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern
Votes: 8,683 | Gross: $8.00M
7/10 Disliked by purists for its frenetic energy and broad characterizations. Over-the-top characterizations, over-the-top sets, over-the-top period costumes--ignore the critics! I enjoy it very much.
69. The Taming of the Shrew (1980 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 127 min | Comedy, Romance
The swaggering Petruchio agrees to marry the spitting hellcat, Katherine.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: Simon Chandler, Anthony Pedley, John Franklyn-Robbins, Frank Thornton
Votes: 397
6/10 Costumes and lighting have a sort of Vermeer feeling; the staging is otherwise rather flat. Cleese is inspired casting--but the production as a whole doesn't quite come together.
70. The Taming of the Shrew (1929)
Passed | 63 min | Comedy, Romance
In sixteenth century Padua, Hortensio loves Bianca, the youngest daughter of Baptista. But Baptista will not allow the two to get married until his eldest daughter, the extremely headstrong... See full summary »
Director: Sam Taylor | Stars: Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Edwin Maxwell, Joseph Cawthorn
Votes: 646 | Gross: $2.40M
4/10 Contrary to legend, it's probable this was always intended to be a Vitaphone talkie (shot silently, with dialogue and music recorded later). It might have succeeded had it been released as a silent--the cinematography by Karl Struss (who later shot the wonderfully sinuous 1931 Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) is fluid, the leads are gorgeous, and the sets spacious and attractive, while the action is nothing if not energetic. Unfortunately we have to listen to the inadequate voices of both Pickford and Fairbanks; it doesn’t help that they were particularly bad at the new art of looping. Perhaps we should be grateful that well over half of the Bard’s text was cut. The flick is of interest now only because it was the first full-length sound adaptation of one of Shakespeare's plays.
71. Kiss Me Kate (1953)
Approved | 109 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An ex-husband and wife team star in a musical version of 'The Taming of the Shrew'; off-stage, the production is troublesome with ex-lovers' quarrels and two gangsters looking for some money owed to them.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn
Votes: 6,799 | Gross: $4.38M
7/10 "Brush up your Shakespeare!" Great Cole Porter tunes, fun performances.
72. The Tempest (IV) (2010)
131 min | Drama
Exiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.
Director: Des McAnuff | Stars: Christopher Plummer, Geraint Wyn Davies, John Vickery, Dion Johnstone
Votes: 162
8/10 Very enjoyable performance starring Christopher Plummer from the Stratford (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival. This one's played in the round with minimal sets, simple props, and sophisticated lighting effects to create its magic.
73. The Tempest (1980 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 125 min | Drama
Exiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.
Director: John Gorrie | Stars: Michael Hordern, Derek Godfrey, David Waller, Warren Clarke
Votes: 328
7/10 Conventional and competent.
74. The Tempest (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Shakespeare's epic play is translated from page to screen, with the gender of the main character, Prospero, changed from male to female.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand
Votes: 8,201 | Gross: $0.28M
4/10 The good news: Mirren (an experienced Shakespearean actress) knows how to deliver the lines so that they are full of meaning. The bad news: almost everything else. Some of the actors flounder; the costumes are ugly; the direction too hyper. And it is so focused on theories about the play, it seems to have forgotten the play itself. It left me unmoved.
75. The Tempest (1979)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy
Banished to a forsaken island, the Right Duke of Milan and Sorcerer Prospero gets the chance to take his revenge on the King of Naples with the assistance of his airy spirit-servant, Ariel.
Director: Derek Jarman | Stars: Peter Bull, David Meyer, Neil Cunningham, Heathcote Williams
Votes: 1,243
4/10 Excessively campy and hyperkinetic. And noisy. Jarman is far more interested in his own imagination that he is in Shakespeare's.
76. Prospero's Books (1991)
R | 124 min | Drama, Fantasy
The magician Prospero attempts to stop his daughter's affair with an enemy.
Director: Peter Greenaway | Stars: John Gielgud, Michael Clark, Michel Blanc, Erland Josephson
Votes: 6,721 | Gross: $1.75M
3/10 A kind of visual psychoanalytic rummage sale. It's repetitive and surprisingly predictable.
77. Forbidden Planet (1956)
G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens
Votes: 53,193 | Gross: $3.00M
7/10 Despite what you may have heard, it's really not very much like The Tempest. But if Shakespeare had known about robots and ray guns and brain-enhancing machines, he would surely have included them in his play.
78. Twelfth Night (1986)
117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Shakespeare's comedy about twins, Viola and Sebastian, shipwrecked on the island of Illyria.
Director: Neil Armfield | Stars: Gillian Jones, Ivar Kants, Jacquy Phillips, Peter Cummins
Votes: 113
8/10 Beautiful and haunting in a mid-winter Victorian staging. A lovely production in every way.
79. Twelfth Night (1980 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Lookalike twins Viola and Sebastian are separated by a shipwreck. Viola lands in Illyria, where she disguises herself as her brother and goes into the service of the Duke Orsino. Orsino ... See full summary »
Director: John Gorrie | Stars: Alec McCowen, Robert Hardy, Felicity Kendal, Annette Crosbie
Votes: 289
8/10 A solid production, this one set in the mid-17th century. Hardy and Crosbie are the stand-outs in an excellent cast.
80. Twelfth Night (1996)
PG | 134 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Shakespeare's comedy of gender confusion, in which a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores, only to be pursued by the woman he loves.
Director: Trevor Nunn | Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Imogen Stubbs, Steven Mackintosh
Votes: 6,404 | Gross: $0.59M
6/10 A gloomy "comedy" indeed. This one is so over-laden with portentous symbolism and attitude, it never takes off in what should be a magical flight.
81. Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003 TV Movie)
125 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
Multicultural version of the Shakespearean tale Twelth Night, Made in modern day society featuring Anglo-Indian cast.
Director: Tim Supple | Stars: Parminder Nagra, Ronny Jhutti, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Burt Caesar
Votes: 136
3/10 Postmodern in a creepy and unpleasant way. I'm still not sure why everyone is a gangsta in this against-the-text production.
82. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992–1994)
TV-Y7 | 26 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Condensed animated adaptations of plays by William Shakespeare.
Stars: Alec McCowen, Michael Kitchen, Suzanne Burden, John Warner
Votes: 359
7/10 Twelve 26-minute plays, created in a variety of animation styles. An enjoyable introduction to the Bard's work.
83. In Search of Shakespeare (2004)
240 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Michael Wood tours the English locations important to William Shakespeare as he explores the playwright and poet's life and work.
Stars: Michael Wood, Gregory Doran, Ray Fearon, Robert Whitelock
Votes: 242
8/10 Michael Wood takes us on a journey through Shakespeare's life and times. It overemphasizes the Bard's religious issues, but you won't want to miss the scenes, artifacts and insights. As a bonus, we get to view several clips from the Royal Shakespeare Company's versions of the plays.
84. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (2000 TV Movie)
88 min | Comedy
Three guys, one dead playwright, and 37 plays, all in under two hours. In this universally acclaimed theater experience, Adam Long (one of the troupe's founding members), Reed Martin, and ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Kafno | Stars: Adam Long, Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor, Daniel Singer
Votes: 810
9/10 The RSC's motto: "More is more." A joyous romp--not to be missed by anyone who loves the Bard (and hates stuffed shirts). Highlights: Hamlet performed backwards, the rap version of Othello.
85. Theater of Blood (1973)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
A Shakespearean actor takes poetic revenge on the critics who denied him recognition.
Director: Douglas Hickox | Stars: Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews
Votes: 12,278
7/10 A gruesome delight for those of us who are fans of both the Bard and horror. Price eliminates his enemies while declaiming Shakespeare's lines from a variety of plays in a worthy manner. Groovy clothes (and a good performance from Diana Rigg) add to the festivities.
86. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, History
The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 234,322 | Gross: $100.32M
8/10 Yes, it's a wee bit precious--but it's also a ravishing romp through grubby, glorious Elizabethan England viewed through a distinctly 20th century microscope. Sit back and enjoy.
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