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The Guinness Book of Records lists 410 feature-length film and TV versions of William Shakespeare ' s plays, making Shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] As of November 2023 [update] , the Internet Movie Database lists Shakespeare as having writing credit on 1,800 films, including those under production but not yet released. [ 4 ]
The Duel Scene from 'Twelfth Night' by William Shakespeare, William Powell Frith (1842). In the First Folio, the plays of William Shakespeare were grouped into three categories: comedies, histories, and tragedies; [1] and modern scholars recognise a fourth category, romance, to describe the specific types of comedy that appear in Shakespeare's later works.
- Chimes at Midnight (1965) Film. Drama. Atop our list sits Orson Welles, further negating the perception that Citizen Kane was his only masterpiece. (Chimes was the director's personal favorite of all his films—the one he hoped to "get into heaven" with.)
- Macbeth (1971) Film. A tragedy was born out of tragedy: Reeling from the murder of his wife Sharon Tate by members of the Manson cult, Roman Polanski embarked on this harrowing adaptation of Shakespeare's tale of a doom-laden Scottish royal (Jon Finch).
- Ran (1985) Film. Action and adventure. Merging King Lear with legends of an actual 16th-century Japanese warlord, Akira Kurosawa marshals more than a thousand extras into a magisterial pageant of blood: bright primary colors clashing on behalf of leaders who are uniformly unworthy.
- Othello (1952) Film. Drama. Filmed sporadically over three years in Morocco and Italy, Orson Welles's 90-minute account of the Venetian Moor who loved not wisely but too well is another of his famously troubled projects.
- “Henry V”
- “Hamlet”
- “Julius Caesar”
- “Romeo and Juliet”
- “Much Ado About Nothing”
- “Othello”
- “Richard III”
- “Romeo + Juliet”
- “Titus”
- “The Merchant of Venice”
Partially funded by the British government following the devastation of World War II, this widely lauded film adaptation of a Globe Theatre production earned Olivier a special honorary Academy Award for his work as actor, producer, and director.
Olivier created another impactful turn with this acclaimed (if not perfectly faithful to the text) adaption of one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. Starring as the title role, Olivier carefully focused his directorial narrative on the characters’ psychological turmoil, removing the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern entirely.
Marlon Brando emerged as a classical talent in this epic film, and was nominated for an Oscar for his work as Marc Antony. Greats James Mason and John Gielgud also star, and the film remains close to old-school Shakespearean productions in both style and content.
A great lover of Shakespeare, Zeffirelli broke the mold with his version of Romeo and Juliet by casting actual young people in the title roles. The youthful innocence of stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey lends elegant truth to one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies.
This light-hearted Branagh-helmed Shakespearean comedy features an all-star cast including Emma Thompson, Michael Keaton, Denzel Washington, Kate Beckinsale, and Keanu Reeves, and earned rave reviews and impressive box office returns.
Laurence Fishburne leads this tragic tale of jealousy and deception with Kenneth Branagh as the conniving Iago. The film earned immediate attention for being the first major cinematic adaptation to cast an African American as “Othello,” and Fishburne and Branagh have electric chemistry.
Sir Ian McKellen stars in this excellent interpretation, set in the made-up world of fascist 1930s Great Britain. The production began at the Royal National Theatre before being adapted for film, and stars many greats including Annette Bening, Dominic West, Maggie Smith, and Robert Downey Jr.
Luhrmann’s fantastical, passionate take on “R&J” brought Shakespeare to a new generation of filmgoers when it premiered in 1996. Heartthrobs Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes star as the film’s tragic duo, and the story moves into the modern world with guns replacing swords and mafia bosses as the original warring Venetian families.
This film adaptation marked director Taymor’s cinematic debut and featured Anthony Hopkins in the bloody starring role. One of Shakespeare’s most violent plays, Taymor’s version moves through multiple locations and time periods and co-stars Jessica Lange as the revengeful Tamora and Alan Cumming as her obsessive ruler husband.
Al Pacino plays the despised Jewish moneylender Shylock in this film version from director Michael Radford, co-starring Jeremy Irons as title character Antonio. Joseph Fiennes and Lynn Collins also star, and Radford frames his interpretation around the heroic tragedy of Shylock’s hubris.
8. Richard III. 1955 2h 41m Not Rated. 7.4 (5.4K) Rate. 88 Metascore. 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. 9.
Jan 15, 2024 · In 2015, the comedy troupe from Horrible Histories—an ensemble that includes Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Ben Willbond, Laurence Rickard, and Martha Howe-Douglas—gave us the BBC comedy movie Bill. Short for "William," Richard Bracewell's gag-riddled film is a fictional take on Shakespeare's "lost years" (played by Mathew Baynton).
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Mar 12, 2024 · Few may have realised when this cherished romcom came out in 1999, but 10 Things I Hate About You is inspired by Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Heath Ledger gives one of the ...
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