Shakespeare on film
With 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.
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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- DirectorJon ScoffieldStarsRichard JohnsonJanet SuzmanRosemary McHaleAfter 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.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. - DirectorPaul CzinnerStarsElisabeth BergnerLaurence OlivierSophie StewartA 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 in love with Orlando, but he has his own tyrannical brother with whom to contend, so he joins those in the forest.5/10
Stiff and astonishingly dull. - 1978–19852h 31mTV-147.1 (356)TV EpisodeDirectorBasil ColemanStarsHelen MirrenBrian StirnerRichard PascoAfter 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.I promise to watch and review it soon.
- DirectorDerek JarmanStarsSteven WaddingtonKevin CollinsAndrew TiernanIn 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 taking as lover besides his diplomatic wife, the French princess Isabel, not an acceptable lady at court but the ambitious Piers Gaveston, who uses his favor in bed even to wield political influence - the stage is set for a palace revolt which sends the gay pair from the throne to a terminal torture dungeon.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. - DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghJulie ChristieDerek JacobiHamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.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. - DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsJohn LauriePrince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.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. - DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevStarsInnokentiy SmoktunovskiyMikhail NazvanovElza RadzinaAfter 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.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. - DirectorKirk BrowningKevin KlineStarsMacIntyre DixonRene Raymond RiveraBill CampA Danish prince and university student avenges his father's murder by his uncle, who stole the crown and married his mother.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. - 1978–19853h 30mTV-148.0 (666)TV EpisodeDirectorRodney BennettJohn GorrieStarsDerek JacobiClaire BloomPatrick StewartHamlet 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.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. - DirectorTony RichardsonStarsNicol WilliamsonJudy ParfittAnthony HopkinsAcademy 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.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. - DirectorBill ColleranJohn GielgudStarsRichard BurtonHume CronynAlfred DrakeThe 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.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. - DirectorCampbell ScottEric SimonsonStarsCampbell ScottBlair BrownRoscoe Lee BrowneThe 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 with Tony Award winner Blair Brown (Copenhagen) as his mother Gertrude.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. - DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeKyle MacLachlanDiane VenoraModern-day New York City adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder.5/10
An interesting experiment with a contemporary setting that doesn't quite work, despite some good performances (especially from Bill Murray). - DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsMel GibsonGlenn CloseAlan BatesHamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.4/10
Gibson struggles with the verse, Close struggles with interpretation, and everything is awash in an embarrassing Oedipal stew. - DirectorMark OlshakerStarsKenneth BranaghRichard CliffordRichard EastonA 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 rehearsals at England's Birmingham Repertory Theatre: famed actor Derek Jacobi, "the best Hamlet of his generation" (New York Times). Watch what happens from the first dress rehearsal to the tension-filled opening night. Narrated by Patrick Stewart.7/10
Plentiful insights into how a young Branagh began to explore the character for a stage performance under the direction of Derek Jacobi. - DirectorTom StoppardStarsGary OldmanTim RothRichard DreyfussTwo minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.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. - DirectorDavid GilesStarsJon FinchDavid GwillimRob EdwardsHenry 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 of Wales, has thrown over life at court in favor of heavy drinking and petty theft in the company of a debauched elderly knight, Sir John Falstaff. Hal must extricate himself from some legal problems, regain his father's good opinions, and help suppress the uprising.8/10
Stagey yet impressive TV version, with an extremely strong cast. - DirectorDavid GilesStarsJon FinchDavid GwillimRob EdwardsHenry 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 of Wales, has thrown over life at court in favor of heavy drinking and petty theft in the company of a debauched elderly knight, Sir John Falstaff. Hal must extricate himself from some legal problems, regain his father's good opinions, and help suppress the uprising.7/10
The distinguished cast from Part I returns. This needed better pacing and higher production values, but it's still a solid interpretation. - DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghDerek JacobiSimon ShepherdIn the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.8/10
Dark, bloody, and gritty. Superb cast, great sets, and strong direction from Branagh. Wonderful musical score. - DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierRobert NewtonLeslie BanksIn the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.7/10
Excellent performances in a severely truncated text. Made in wartime Britain, this version presents Henry as an almost flawless hero. - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJeanne MoreauMargaret RutherfordWhen 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.6/10
Funny, touching, and tedious in turn. Not the success it might have been, although Welles is the perfect Falstaff. - DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLouis CalhernMarlon BrandoJames MasonThe 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.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. - DirectorRichard EyreStarsPaul RhysFinbar LynchTimothy WestKing 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 flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.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. - DirectorMichael ElliottStarsColin BlakelyLeo McKernRobert LindsayAging King Lear invites disaster when he abdicates to his two disloyal and obsequious daughters while rejecting the one who truly loves him.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. - DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn 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.8/10
A stylized orgy of blood and greed and foolishness. Exotically beautiful use of the King Lear material.