Best Shakespeare Film Productions

One of the best films ever made! An unbelievable adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry V."

An sublimely beautiful production of Shakespeare's tragedy of star-crossed lovers. The music, acting, sets, and cinematography are breath-taking.

An amazing performance of Shakespeare's tragedy with Ian McKellen playing the title role. One of the best versions of a Shakespearean play that I have ever seen.

A splendid rendering of what is perhaps Shakespeare's most controversial plays by today's standards. The film is beautifully filmed and almost flawless.

A great, classic film version of Shakespeare's tragedy with an all-star cast.

This film's only fault is how abridged it is from Shakespeare's text, but it is one of the best Shakespeare movies ever made.

Laurence Olivier's masterpiece of both cinema and scholarship, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1948.

This is one of the few repeats, but I had to include this also since it is the only unabridged "Hamlet" movie ever made. I wish someone would make an unabridged, quality film of all of Shakespeare's plays the way Branagh did with this version of "Hamlet."

This excellent performance of "Henry IV, Part 1" is the second episode of the "Hollow Crown" television series, which is a television show performing all eight of Shakespeare's history plays in his two tetralogies.

This performance of "Henry IV, Part 2" is the third episode of the "Hollow Crown" television show. The two "Henry IV" plays are the absolute best part of the entire series, and they star Jeremy Irons as King Henry IV and Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal. It doesn't get much better than this.

This is a combination of all the scenes from Shakespeare's plays including Falstaff which spans from "Henry IV," Parts 1 and 2 as well as scenes from the "Merry Wives of Windsor."

Laurence Olivier's masterpiece performance of "Richard III" where he directs, produces, and stars in the title role. It also includes some lines and scenes from the preceding play "Henry VI, Part III" in order to provide textual and historical background at the beginning of the film.

A visceral and powerful version of Shakespeare's infamous Scottish Play. This cinematic feat brings the Bard's play to life in an amazing way. That being said, it is extremely violent and not recommended for sensitive viewers.

A delightful and funny production of one of Shakespeare's most sublime comedies.

A very well-made film of Shakespeare's comedies even if some of the actors cast in it are odd choices.

A great classic starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor at the height of their career.

This is one of the oldest Shakespeare films ever made. This version of Shakespeare's pastoral comedy features an all-star cast from the best actors of the 1930's, and it includes unbelievable special effects considering the time it was released.

This has a very good cast and is a lovely performance overall. A lot of the BBC productions from the 70s and 80s are not good, but this one is probably their best.

Another one of the BBC Shakespeare episodes. This production of Shakespeare's farcical comedy is one of the best Shakespeare performances ever captured on film.

This is the only one on this list that I must say is merely good but not excellent. I wanted to recommend at least one film version for all of Shakespeare's major plays, so I have included this as the best available production to date. The best recorded version of "The Tempest" that I know of is the Naxos audio version from 2004 with Sir Ian McKellen as Prospero and Emilia Fox as Miranda. That is the one I would recommend if you wish to experience the play. However, that is merely an audio recording, not a film.

This is a bonus, and I am well aware this was not written by Shakespeare. However, this tragedy from Christopher Marlowe is perhaps the greatest English tragedy in the Elizabethan era of those NOT written by Shakespeare. This production, furthermore, is so unbelievably good that it seemed appropriate to include it at the end of this list.