Wikipedia

List of William Shakespeare screen adaptations

(Redirected from Film adaptations of William Shakespeare works)

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, the Internet Movie Database lists Shakespeare as having writing credit on 1,800 films, including those under production but not yet released.[4] The earliest known production is King John from 1899.[5]

Comedies

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All's Well That Ends Well

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Main article: All's Well That Ends Well
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
All's Well That Ends Well TV
1968
Originally a Royal Shakespeare Company stage production, this was the first Shakespeare play broadcast in color by the BBC.[a] The second, of two, reels is believed to be lost.[6]
All's Well That Ends Well Video
1978
A video recording of a 1978 New York Shakespeare Festival performance at the Delacorte Theatre, made by Jaime Caro for Theatre on Film and Tape.[7]
"All's Well That Ends Well"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1981
All's Well That Ends Well
(National Theatre Live) 		TV
2009
Live performance broadcast from the National Theatre in London's West End.

As You Like It

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Main article: As You Like It
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
As You Like It Silent
1912
The film brings stage star Rose Coghlan to the screen for her motion picture debut. At 61–62, Coghlan is an older Rosalind than usual. Filmed mainly outdoors.
Love in a Wood Silent
1915
A silent comedy film in a contemporary setting of the play.[8]
As You Like It Film
1936
Olivier's first performance of Shakespeare on screen. It was also the final film of stage actors Leon Quartermaine and Henry Ainley and featured an early screen role for Ainley's son Richard as Sylvius, as well as for John Laurie, who played Orlando's brother Oliver. Laurie would go on to co-star with Olivier in the three Shakespearean films that Olivier directed.[9]
As You Like It TV
1963
A recording of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1961 performance for the BBC.[10] In a 2015 retrospective for The Guardian, theatre critic Michael Billington praised Redgrave as having "the ability to give a performance [as Rosalind] that becomes a gold-standard for future generations".[11]
"As You Like It"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1978
Recorded at Glamis Castle in Scotland, this was one of only two productions shot on location, the other being The Famous History of the Life of Henry the Eight. However, the location shooting received a lukewarm response from both critics and the BBC's own people, with the general consensus being that the natural world in the episode overwhelmed the actors and the story. Director Basil Coleman initially felt that the play should be filmed over the course of a year, with the change in seasons from winter to summer marking the ideological change in the characters, but he was forced to shoot entirely in May, even though the play begins in winter. This, in turn, meant the harshness of the forest described in the text was replaced by lush greenery, which was distinctly unthreatening, with the characters' "time in the forest appear[ing] to be more an upscale camping expedition rather than exile."[12]
As You Like It TV
1983
  • Herb Roland
  • Roberta Maxwell (Rosalind)
  • Andrew Gillies (Orlando)
  • Rosemary Dunsmore (Celia)
  • Christopher Gibson (Jaques)
  • Lewis Gordon (Touchstone)
  • Graeme Campbell (Duke Frederick)
  • William Needles (Duke Senior)
  • Stephen Russell (Oliver)
  • Mervyn Blake (Adam)
  • Mary Haney (Phebe)
  • John Jarvis (Silvius)
  • Elizabeth Leigh-Milne (Audrey)
As You Like It Film
1992
Set in a modern, urban, environment. The film received mostly negative reviews. Time Out thought that the "… wonder is that they bothered to put film in the camera, for sadly this is Shakespeare sans teeth, eyes, taste, sans everything."[13] Derek Elley in Variety characterised it as a "British low-budgeter, mostly shot on drab exteriors, [that] will be limited to literary students and the very dedicated, given careful nursing."[14]
"As You Like It"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1994
  • Alexei Karaev
Animated with paint on glass using watercolors.[15]
As You Like It Film
2006
Branagh moved the play's setting from medieval France to a late 19th century European colony in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. It is filmed at Shepperton Film Studios and at the never-before-filmed gardens of Wakehurst Place.
As You Like It TV
2010
  • Andrea Runge (Rosalind)
  • Paul Nolan (Orlando)
  • Brent Carver (Jaques)
  • Ben Carlson (Touchstone)
  • Tom Rooney (Duke Frederick/Duke Senior)
As You Like It Video
2010
Recording of a performance at Shakespeare's Globe.

The Comedy of Errors

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Main article: The Comedy of Errors
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Boys from Syracuse Film
1940
A musical film based on a stage musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, which in turn was based on the play.[16] It was nominated for two Academy Awards: one for Best Visual Effects (John P. Fulton, Bernard B. Brown, Joe Lapis) and one for Best Art Direction (Jack Otterson).[17]
Bhranti Bilas
(Bengali: ভ্রান্তি বিলাস, lit. 'Illusion of illusion)' 		Film
1963
  • Manu Sen
The film relocates the story to modern day India. The film tells the story of a Bengali merchant from Kolkata and his servant who visit a small town for a business appointment, but, whilst there, are mistaken for a pair of locals, leading to much confusion. It is based on an 1869 play by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, which is itself based on The Comedy of Errors. Bhranti Bilas was remade in 1968 as the musical comedy Do Dooni Char, which in turn was later remade as Angoor.
"The Comedy of Errors"
(Festival) 		TV
1967
Do Dooni Char Film
1968
  • Debu Sen
A musical comedy Bollywood adaptation based on the 1963 film Bhranti Bilas, which in turn was based on an 1869 play by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, which is itself based on The Comedy of Errors. Do Dooni Char was later remade as Angoor.
The Comedy of Errors TV
1978
  • Philip Casson
A TV adaptation of a musical based on the play, with a book and lyrics by Trevor Nunn and music by Guy Woolfenden.
Angoor
(Hindi: अंगूर, lit. 'Grape)' 		Film
1982
A Bollywood adaptation, based on the 1968 film Do Dooni Char, which was based on the 1963 film Bhranti Bilas, which in turn was based on an 1869 play by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, which is itself based on The Comedy of Errors.
"The Comedy of Errors"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
The Comedy of Errors TV
1987
  • Paul David Magid (Antipholus of Syracuse)
  • Howard Jay Patterson (Antipholus of Ephesus)
  • Samuel Ross Williams (Dromio of Syracuse)
  • Randy Nelson (Dromio of Ephesus)
  • Karla Burns (Duke of Ephesus/Luce)
  • Sophie Hayden (Adriana)
  • Gina Leishman (Luciana)
  • Ethyl Eichelberger (Courtesan/Emilia)
  • Timothy Daniel Furst (William Shakespeare)
 Videotaped as part of PBS's Great Performances series at Lincoln Center, New York City, this production starring The Flying Karamazov Brothers combined Shakespeare with slapstick, acrobatics and juggling on the basis that "in Ephesus, you juggle or die!" with Shakespeare himself taking part in the action.
The Comedy of Errors TV
1989

Love's Labour's Lost

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Main article: Love's Labour's Lost
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Love's Labor Lost Animation
1920
"Love's Labour's Lost"
(Play of the Month) 		TV
1975
"Love's Labour's Lost"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1985
Love's Labour's Lost Film
2000
Branagh's film turns Love's Labour's Lost into a romantic Hollywood musical. Set and costume design evoke the Europe of 1939; the music (classic Broadway songs of the 1930s) and newsreel-style footage are also chief period details.

Measure for Measure

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Main article: Measure for Measure
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Measure for Measure
(Italian: Dente per dente, lit. 'A tooth for a tooth)' 		Film
1943
  • Marco Elter
"Measure For Measure"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1979
Measure for Measure TV
1994
Modern dress version of Shakespeare's "problem comedy" emphasizing the darker elements of the play and eliminating most of the humor.
Measure for Measure Film
2006
  • Bob Komar
  • Simon Phillips (Duke Vincentio)
  • Josephine Rogers (Isabella)
  • Daniel Roberts (Angelo)
  • Simon Nuckley (Claudio)
  • Dawn Murphy (Escalus)
  • Luke Leeves (Lucio)
 Contemporary re-working of Shakespeare's problem play set in the British army.
M4M: Measure for Measure Film
2015
  • Gabriel Manwaring
  • Jim Kennedy (Duke)
  • Jamison Challeen (Angelo)
  • Vinnie Duyck (Escalus)
  • Noah Mickens (Lucio)
 All-male cast version
Measure For Measure Film
2019
Adaptation set in modern-day Australia

The Merchant of Venice

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Main article: The Merchant of Venice
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Merchant of Venice Silent
1914
An early film of the play, now assumed to be lost.[18]
The Merchant of Venice Silent
1916
The film was made by Broadwest. The company hired the complete stage cast of the play and filmed at Walthamstow Studios using largely natural light. The film marked the screen debut of Matheson Lang who went on to become one of the leading British actors of the 1920s.[19]
The Merchant of Venice Film
1922
Der Kaufmann von Venedig Silent Germany 1923 Peter Paul Felner Werner Krauß (Shylock) Henny Porten (Portia) Harry Liedtke (Bassanio) Carl Ebert (Antonio) Max Schreck (Doge von Venedig) A relatively late silent movie, making significant changes in the plot, nevertheless considered as a masterwork, mostly due to its stunning cast.
The Merchant of Venice TV
1947
"The Merchant of Venice"
(Sunday Night Theatre) 		TV
1955
  • Hal Burton
"The Merchant of Venice"
(Play of the Month) 		TV
1972
The Merchant of Venice TV
1973
An adaptation from Jonathan Miller's acclaimed 1970 Royal National Theatre staging.[20]
The Merchant of Venice TV
1976
"The Merchant of Venice"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1980
The Merchant of Venice TV
1996
  • Alan Horrox
The Merchant of Venice TV
2001
The Maori Merchant of Venice
(Māori: Te Tangata Whai Rawa o Weniti) 		Film
2002
  • Waihoroi Shortland (Hairoka)
  • Ngarimu Daniels (Pohia)
 The play was translated into Māori in 1945 by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, and his translation is used for the film. It is the first Māori-language film adaptation of any of Shakespeare's plays, and the first feature length Māori film.[21] The film was shot in Auckland, but "recreates 16th century Venice, with costumes and surroundings to fit the original setting".[22]
The Merchant of Venice Film
2004

The Merry Wives of Windsor

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Main article: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Merry Wives of Windsor
(German: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) 		Film
1950
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
(Sunday Night Theatre) 		TV
1952
Chimes at Midnight Film
1966
Welles said that the core of the film's story was "the betrayal of friendship." The script contains text from five of Shakespeare's plays: primarily Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, but also Richard II and Henry V, as well as some dialogue from The Merry Wives of Windsor. Richardson's narration is taken from the works of chronicler Raphael Holinshed. Welles had previously produced a Broadway adaptation of nine Shakespeare plays called Five Kings in 1939. In 1960, he revived this project in Ireland as Chimes at Midnight, which was his final on-stage performance. Neither of these plays was successful, but Welles considered portraying Falstaff to be his life's ambition and turned the project into a film. In order to get initial financing, Welles lied to producer Emiliano Piedra about adapting Treasure Island, and keeping the film funded during production was a constant struggle. Welles shot Chimes at Midnight throughout Spain between 1964 and 1965; it premiered at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, winning two awards.
The Merry Wives of Windsor TV
1970
  • Leon Charles (Falstaff)
  • Valerine Seelie-Snyder (Mistress Ford)
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1982
Jones originally wanted to shoot the episode in Stratford-upon-Avon but was restricted to a studio setting. Determined that the production be as realistic as possible, he had designer Dom Homfray base the set on real Tudor houses associated with Shakespeare: Falstaff's room is based on the home of Mary Arden (Shakespeare's mother) in Wilmcote, and the wives' houses are based on the house of Shakespeare's daughter Susanna, and her husband, John Hall. For the background of exterior shots, he used a miniature Tudor village built of plasticine.[23]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Main article: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
A Midsummer Night's Dream Silent
1909
The first film adaptation of the play.
Wood Love
(German: Ein Sommernachtstraum) 		Silent
1925
  • Hans Neumann
A Midsummer Night's Dream Film
1935
Austrian-born director Max Reinhardt did not speak English at the time of production. He gave orders to the actors and crew in German with William Dieterle acting as his interpreter. The film was banned in Nazi Germany because of the Jewish backgrounds of Reinhardt and composer Felix Mendelssohn. Filming had to be rearranged after Rooney broke his leg while skiing. According to Rooney's memoirs, Jack L. Warner was furious and threatened to kill him and then break his other leg. This was the film debut of Olivia de Havilland.[24]
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(Czech: Sen noci svatojánské) 		Film
1959
An animated puppet film directed by Jiří Trnka. It was an Official Selection as a Feature Film at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, and won special distinction.[25] An English-language dubbed version was made with narration by Richard Burton.[26]
A Midsummer Night's Dream Film
1968
The film premiered in theatres in Europe in September 1968. In the U.S., it was sold directly to television rather than playing in theatres, and premiered as a Sunday evening special, on the night of 9 February 1969. It was shown on CBS (with commercials).
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(French: Le Songe d'une nuit d'été) 		TV
1969
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1980
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Dream of a Summer Night
(Italian: Sogno di una Notte d'Estate) 		Film
1983
Based on a rock musical directed by Salvatores, it is a musical adaptation.[27][28] It was screened in the "De Sica" section at the 40th edition of the Venice International Film Festival.[29]
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1992
A Midsummer Night's Dream Film
1996
Filmed adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1996 version of A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream Film
1999
A Midsummer Night's Dream was filmed on location in Lazio and Tuscany, and at Cinecittà Studios, Rome, Italy. The action of the play was transported from Athens, Greece, to a fictional Monte Athena, located in the Tuscan region of Italy, although all textual mentions of Athens were retained. The film made use of Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for an 1843 stage production (including the famous Wedding March), alongside operatic works from Giuseppe Verdi, Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini and Pietro Mascagni.[30]
The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream Film
2001
  • Derek Jacobi (voice of Theseus)
  • Samantha Bond (voice of Hippolyta)
  • Dominic Haywood-Benge (Oberon)
  • Rajouana Zalal (Titania)
  • Leane Lyson (Puck)
  • Danny Bishop (Lysander)
  • Jamie Peachey (Hermia)
  • Jessica Fowler (Helena)
  • John Heyfron (Demetrius)
  • Oliver Szczypka (Bottom)
  • Daniel Rouse (Peter Quince)
 In this version, a group of school children are attending a puppet performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream when they are drawn into the story and become the characters, dressed in Elizabethan costumes.
Get Over It Film
2001
A contemporary adaptation set at a high school which includes another version of the play performed as a show-within-a-show, much like the Pyramus and Thisbe subplay in the original Shakespeare.
A Midsummer Night's Rave Film
2002
A modern adaptation set at a warehouse party
Midsummer Dream
(Spanish: El Sueño de una Noche de San Juan) 		Film
2005
  • Ángel de la Cruz
  • Manolo Gómez
An animated adaptation of the Cream story.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(ShakespeaRe-Told) 		TV
2005
a modern adaptation
Were the World Mine Film
2008
  • Tom Gustafson
The film, inspired by the play, prominently features a modern, LGBT interpretation of the play put on in a private high school in a small town. Additionally, this musical's lyrics are largely based on Shakespeare's original text. For example, the title comes from a line in a song, drawn from a line in a play, "Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated / The rest I'd give to be to you translated."
10ml LOVE Film
2010
A Hindi romantic comedy concerning the tribulations of a love quadrangle during a night of magic and madness and a contemporary adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
A Midsummer Night's Dream Film
2015
Recording of a production at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Brooklyn, New York.
Strange Magic Film
2015
An animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film with feature animation by Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic.[31]
A Midsummer Night's Dream TV
2016
A Midsummer Night's Dream Film
2018
  • Casey Wilder Mott
A modern-day version set against the backdrop of Hollywood, CA.

Much Ado About Nothing

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Main article: Much Ado About Nothing
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Much Ado About Nothing TV
1973
A CBS television presentation of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival production.
Much Ado About Nothing (Russian: Много шума из ничего) Film
1973
  • Samson Samsonov
Soviet romantic comedy
"Much Ado About Nothing"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1984
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Much Ado About Nothing Film
1993
"Much Ado About Nothing"
(ShakespeaRe-Told) 		TV
2005
A modern adaptation by David Nicholls.
Much Ado About Nothing Film
2012
Anyone But You Film
2023
A modern adaptation by Will Gluck and Ilana Wolpert.[32]

The Taming of the Shrew

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Main article: The Taming of the Shrew on screen
Further information: The Taming of the Shrew
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Taming of the Shrew Silent
1908
Daring Youth[33] Silent
1924
The Taming of the Shrew Film
1929
The first sound film adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew.
You Made Me Love You Film
1933
Kiss Me, Kate Film
1953
An adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, it tells the tale of musical theater actors, Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, who were once married and are now performing opposite each other in the roles of Petruchio and Katherine in a Broadway-bound musical version of the play. Already on poor terms, the pair begin an all-out emotional war mid-performance that threatens the production's success.
The Taming of the Shrew TV
1962
The play was performed live but included some filmed sequences shot in Centennial Park.[34][35]
Arivaali
(Tamil: அறிவாளி) 		Film
1963
  • A. T. Krishnaswami
The Taming of the Shrew
(Italian: La Bisbetica domata) 		Film
1967
"A bawdy and boisterous production which reduces the play to the Katharina/Petruccio romance."[36]
The Taming of the Shrew TV
1973
The Taming of the Shrew TV
1973
Videotaped broadcast of the San Francisco American Conservatory Theater presenting Shakespeare's classic take with a Commedia dell'arte flair, as if it were an inn yard performance by a traveling company.
The Taming of the Scoundrel
(Italian: Il Bisbetico Domato) 		Film
1980
"The Taming of the Shrew"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1980
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Kiss Me, Petruchio TV
1981
Documentary following actress Streep and actor Julia as they prepare to perform and actually perform Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew for the "Shakespeare in the Park" theater festival in Central Park, New York.
The Taming of the Shrew
(The Shakespeare Collection) 		Video
1983
  • John Allinson
"Atomic Shakespeare"
(Moonlighting) 		TV
1986
First aired on 25 November 1986, the episode presented the play through multiple fourth-wall layers with a self-referential frame tale, in which a young fan of the TV show has a Shakespeare reading assignment and imagines it as presented by the show's regular cast.
Nanjundi Kalyana
(Kannada: ನಂಜುಂಡಿ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ, lit. 'Nanjundi's marriage)' 		Film
1989
An adaptation based on Parvathavani's Kannada drama which was a translation of the play. The film was among the biggest grossing Kannada films of 1989, and was remade in Telugu as Mahajananiki Maradalu Pilla (1990).
Mahajananiki Maradalu Pilla
(Telugu: మహాజనానికి మరదలు పిల్ల, lit. 'A child of neglect)' 		Film
1990
A remake of the Kannada film Nanjundi Kalyana (1989).
"The Taming of the Shrew"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1994
  • Aida Ziablikova
10 Things I Hate About You Film
1999
A modernization of the play, retold in a late-1990s American high school setting. New student Cameron is smitten with Bianca and, in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating, attempts to get bad boy Patrick to date Bianca's ill-tempered sister, Kat.
The Carnation and the Rose
(Portuguese: O Cravo e a Rosa) 		Telenovela
2000–1
Deliver Us from Eva Film
2003
  • Gary Hardwick
"The Taming of The Shrew"
(ShakespeaRe-Told) 		TV
2005
  • David Richards
A modern adaptation by Sally Wainwright.
Frivolous Wife
(Korean: 날나리 종부전)[37] 		Film
2008
  • Lim Won-kook

Twelfth Night

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Main article: Twelfth Night
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Twelfth Night Film
1910
Twelfth Night Film
1933
  • Hascy Tarbox (Sir Andrew Aguecheek)
  • Joanne Hill (Viola)
 Notable as the earliest surviving film directed by Welles, then aged 17. It is a recording of the dress rehearsal of Welles's own abridged production at his alma mater, the Todd School for Boys, where he had returned to direct this adaptation for the Chicago Drama Festival in 1933.[38]
Twelfth Night
(Russian: Двенадцатая ночь) 		Film
1955
Twelfth Night[39] TV
1966
Twelfth Night TV
1970
"Twelfth Night"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1980
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Twelfth Night[40] Film
1986
Twelfth Night TV
1988
Music by Patrick Doyle and Paul McCartney
"Twelfth Night"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1992
  • Maria Muat
Twelfth Night Film
1996
Twelfth Night, or What You Will TV
2003
She's the Man Film
2006
Adapts the story to a high-school setting.
Twelfth Night Film
2013
"Globe on Screen": All-male cast in an "original practice" production.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Main article: The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
A Spray of Plum Blossoms
(Chinese: 一剪梅; pinyin: Yī jiǎn méi) 		Silent film
1931
The film is noted for its attempted "Westernized stylings" including its surreal use of decor, women-soldiers with long hair, etc. The film also had English-subtitles, but as some scholars have noted, since few foreigners watched these films, the subtitles were more to give off an air of the West rather than to serve any real purpose.[41][42]
"The Two Gentlemen of Verona"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.

Tragedies

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Antony and Cleopatra

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Main article: Antony and Cleopatra
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Antony and Cleopatra Film
1908
Antony and Cleopatra
(Italian: Marcantonio e Cleopatra)[43] 		Silent film
1913
Antony and Cleopatra TV
1959
  • Bettie Kauffman (Cleopatra)
  • Keith Eden (Antony)
  • Kevin Miles (Caesar)
Antony and Cleopatra[44] Film
1972
Antony and Cleopatra TV
1974
  • Jon Scoffield
An adaptation of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production.
"Antony & Cleopatra"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1981
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Kannaki Film
2002

Coriolanus

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Main article: Coriolanus
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"The Tragedy of Coriolanus"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1984
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Coriolanus Film
2012

Hamlet

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Main article: Hamlet on screen
Further information: Hamlet
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Hamlet
(French: Le Duel d'Hamlet) 		Film
1900
Believed to have been the earliest film adaptation of the play. The film is two minutes in length. It also was one of the first films to employ the newly discovered art of pre-recording the actors' voices, then playing the recording simultaneous to the playing of the film. So, while produced during the silent film era, the film is technically not a silent film.[45]
Hamlet Silent
1907
The first multi-scene cinematic adaptation of any work by Shakespeare.[46]
Hamlet Silent
1908
One of twelve renditions of the play produced during the silent film era.
Hamlet Silent
1912
  • Charles Raymond (Hamlet)
  • Dorothy Foster (Ophelia)
  • Constance Backner (Gertrude)
Hamlet Silent
1913
Made by the Hepworth Company and based on the Drury Lane Theatre's 1913 staging of the work.
Hamlet
(Italian: Amleto)[47] 		Silent
1917
Hamlet Silent
1921
Blood for Blood
(Urdu: Khoon Ka Khoon) 		Film
1935
  • Sohrab Modi (Hamlet)
  • Naseem Banu (Ophelia)
  • Shamshadbai (Gertrude)
 Cited as one of the earliest talkie adaptations.[48] Credited as "the man who brought Shakespeare to the Indian screen",[49] it was Modi's debut feature film as a director.[49] The story and script were by Mehdi Hassan Ahsan from his Urdu adaptation of Hamlet. Khoon Ka Khoon was the debut in films of Naseem Banu.[50] Khoon Ka Khoon was a "filmed version of a stage performance of the play".[51] The film has been cited by National Film Archive of India founder P K. Nair, as one of "most wanted" missing Indian cinema treasures.[52]
Hamlet Film
1948
Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed. Hamlet was the first British film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.[53] It is also the first sound film of the play in English. Olivier's Hamlet is the Shakespeare film that has received the most prestigious accolades, winning the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
I, Hamlet
(Italian: Io, Amleto) 		Film
1952
Hamlet
(Urdu: हेमलेट) 		Film
1954
Sahu was influenced by "classic European sources".[54] Though termed a "free adaptation" in the credit roll of the film, Sahu stayed true to the title, its setting, and the original names in the play, remaining as close as possible to Olivier's 1948 film.[55]
Hamlet TV
1959
The Bad Sleep Well
(Japanese: 悪い奴ほどよく眠る, romanized: Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru) 		Film
1960
Hamlet
(German: Hamlet, Prinz von Dänemark) 		TV
1961
Ophelia Film
1963
Hamlet
(Russian: Гамлет, romanized: Gamlet) 		Film
1964
Based on a translation by Boris Pasternak, and with a score by Dmitri Shostakovich. Both Kozintsev and the film itself gained prominence among adaptations of the play, and Smoktunovsky is considered one of the great cinematic Hamlets.
Hamlet Film
1964
Hamlet at Elsinore TV
1964
Johnny Hamlet
(Italian: Quella sporca storia nel West, lit. 'That Dirty Story in the West)' 		Film
1968
A Spaghetti Western version.[56]
Hamlet Film
1969
One Hamlet Less
(Italian: Un Amleto di meno) 		Film
1973
  • Carmelo Bene (Hamlet)
  • Luciana Cante (Gertrude)
  • Isabella Russo (Ophelia)
  • Giuseppe Tuminelli (Polonius)
  • Alfiero Vincenti (Claudius)
Hamlet TV
1974
  • Julian Pringle
The Angel of Vengeance – The Female Hamlet
(Turkish: İntikam Meleği – Kadın Hamlet) 		Film
1977
  • Fatma Girik (Hamlet)
  • Sevda Ferdag (Her Mother)
  • Reha Yurdakul (Her Uncle)
  • Ahmet Sezerel (Orhan)
"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1980
Strange Brew Film
1983
Hamlet Goes Business
(Finnish: Hamlet liikemaailmassa) 		Film
1987
Hamlet Film
1990
The movie received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo).[57] Bates received a BAFTA nomination as Best Supporting Actor for playing Claudius.[58]
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Film
1990
Based on Stoppard's play of the same name, the film depicts two minor characters from Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who find themselves on the road to Elsinore Castle at the behest of the King of Denmark. They encounter a band of players before arriving to find that they are needed to try to discern what troubles the prince Hamlet. Meanwhile, they ponder the meaning of their existence. The movie won the Golden Lion at the 47th Venice International Film Festival.
"Hamlet"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1992
  • Natalia Orlova
Renaissance Man Film
1994
The Lion King Film
1994
An animated epic musical drama film, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The story takes place within a pride of lions in Africa.
In the Bleak Midwinter Film
1995
Hamlet Film
1996
The film is notable as the first unabridged theatrical film adaptation, running just over four hours. The play's setting is updated to the 19th century, but its Elizabethan English remains the same. Hamlet was also the last major dramatic motion picture to be filmed entirely on 70 mm film until the release of The Master (2012). Hamlet was highly acclaimed by the majority of critics and has been regarded as one of the best Shakespeare film adaptations ever made.[59][60][61]
Let the Devil Wear Black Film
1999
A modern-day version set in Los Angeles. All of the language is modern.[62]
Hamlet Film
2000
In this version, Claudius becomes King and CEO of "Denmark Corporation", having taken over the firm by killing his brother, Hamlet's father. This adaptation keeps the Shakespearean dialogue but presents a modern setting, with technology such as video cameras, Polaroid cameras, and surveillance bugs. For example, the ghost of Hamlet's murdered father first appears on closed-circuit TV.
The Tragedy of Hamlet Film
2002
Film of the stage production mounted at Theatre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. Director Brook cut about one-third of the text, bringing it down to two hours and 20 minutes without an intermission and rearranging the order of some scenes.
The Banquet
(Chinese: 夜宴; pinyin: Yè Yàn) 		Film
2006
A loose adaptation of Hamlet and Ibsen's Ghosts, set in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in 10th century China.
Hamlet TV
2009
An adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2008 modern-dress stage production.
Tardid
(Persian: تردید, lit. 'Doubt)' 		Film
2009
Hamlet Film
2011
A condensed retelling of the play set in 1940s England.
Karmayogi Film
2012
Haider Film
2014
The Lion King Film
2019
A musical drama film, produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a photorealistic animated remake of Disney's traditionally animated 1994 film of the same name. The story takes place within a pride of lions in Africa.

Julius Caesar

edit
Main article: Julius Caesar (play)
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Julius Caesar Film
1950
The first film version of the play with sound. It was produced using actors from the Chicago area. Heston, who had known Bradley since his youth, was the only paid cast member. Bradley recruited drama students from his alma mater Northwestern University for bit parts and extras, one of whom was future star Jeffrey Hunter, who studied alongside Heston at Northwestern. The 16 mm film was shot in 1949 on locations in the Chicago area, including Soldier Field, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Elks National Veterans Memorial, and the Field Museum. The Indiana sand dunes on Lake Michigan were used for the Battle of Philippi. One indoor set was built in the Chicago suburb of Evanston. To save money, about 80% of the film was shot silently, with the dialogue dubbed in later by the actors.
Julius Caesar Film
1953
Brando's casting was met with some skepticism when it was announced, as he had acquired the nickname of "The Mumbler" following his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).[63] Mankiewicz even considered Paul Scofield for the role of Mark Antony if Brando's screen test was unsuccessful.[64] Brando asked John Gielgud for advice in declaiming Shakespeare, and adopted all of Gielgud's recommendations.[65] Brando's performance turned out so well that the New York Times stated in its review of the film: "Happily, Mr. Brando's diction, which has been guttural and slurred in previous films, is clear and precise in this instance. In him a major talent has emerged."[66] Brando was so dedicated in his performance during shooting that Gielgud offered to direct him in a stage production of Hamlet, a proposition that Brando seriously considered but ultimately turned down.[67]
Julius Caesar TV
1969
  • Alan Bridges
filmed for BBC Television.
Julius Caesar Film
1970
The first film version of the play made in colour.[68]
"Julius Caesar"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1979
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"Julius Caesar"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1994
  • Yuri Kulakov
Cel animation
Julius Caesar TV
2012
Royal Shakespeare Company stage production, filmed for BBC Television.
Julius Caesar TV
2018
  • Angus Jackson
  • Alex Waldmann (Brutus)
  • James Corrigan (Mark Antony)
  • Andrew Woodall (Julius Caesar)
  • Martin Hutson (Cassius)
  • Hannah Morrish (Portia)
 Royal Shakespeare Company stage production, filmed for BBC Television.
Julius Caesar TV
2018
Donmar Warehouse all-female stage production, filmed for Television.

King Lear

edit
Main article: King Lear
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
King Lear
(Italian: Re Lear) 		Silent
1910
  • Gerolamo Lo Savio
King Lear Silent
1916
Gunasundari Katha
(Telugu: గుణసుందరి కథ) 		Film
1949
King Lear TV
1953
Originally presented live, now survives on kinescope.
King Lear[69][70] Film
1971
King Lear
(Russian: Король Лир, romanized: Korol Lir) 		Film
1971
The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich composed the score.
"King Lear"
(Great Performances) 		TV
1974
Recording of a New York Shakespeare Festival production.
King Lear TV
1974
  • Tony Davenall
"King Lear"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1982
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
King Lear TV
1983
Elliott set his Lear in an environment resembling Stonehenge, although the production was entirely shot in a studio. In keeping with the primitive backdrop, this production emphasizes the primitive over the sophisticated. Shakespeare's characters use the clothing, weapons, and technology of the early Bronze Age rather than the Elizabethan era. Olivier's Lear in this production garnered great acclaim, winning him an Emmy for the performance. It was the last of Olivier's appearances in a Shakespeare play. At 75, he was one of the oldest actors to take on this enormously demanding role. (He had previously played it in 1946 at the Old Vic, without much success.)
Ran
(Japanese: 乱, lit. 'Chaos)' 		Film
1985
An adaptation of the story in a Japanese setting, Ran was Kurosawa's last epic, and has often been cited as amongst his finest achievements. With a budget of $11 million, it was the most expensive Japanese film ever produced up to that time.[71]
King Lear Film
1987
Adapted as post-Chernobyl disaster science fiction. Rather than reproducing a performance of Shakespeare's play, the film is more concerned with the issues raised by the text, and symbolically explores the relationships between power and virtue, between fathers and daughters, words and images. The film deliberately does not use conventional Hollywood film-making techniques which make a film 'watchable', but instead seeks to alienate and baffle its audience in the manner of Berthold Brecht.[72]
Gypsy Lore
(Hungarian: Romani kris - Cigánytörvény)[73] 		Film
1997
  • Đoko Rosić (Lovér)
  • Mihály Szabados (Tamáska)
  • Silvia Pincu (Ilka)
  • Diliana Dimitrova (Kukunda)
  • Violetta Koleva (Sarolta)
A Thousand Acres Film
1997
A modern retelling of the Lear story, from the perspective of the Goneril character (Ginny).
King Lear TV
1997
BBC film of the Royal National Theatre's stage version. It was televised with an accompanying documentary, including interviews with the director and cast.
King Lear Film
1999
Apart from Peter Brook's 1971 adaptation, Blessed's is the only other feature-length film adaptation to preserve Shakespeare's verse. Yvonne Griggs, in Shakespeare's King Lear: A close study of the relationship between text and film (2009), characterised it as "a very stilted costume drama".[74]
The Tragedy of King Lear Screenplay
2000 An unfilmed screenplay written by Harold Pinter on a commission from Tim Roth.[75]
King of Texas TV
2002
A Western adaptation of King Lear, the film takes the plot of the play and places it in the Republic of Texas during the 19th century.[76]
King Lear TV
2008
It features the same cast and director as the 2007 RSC production, and started filming only a few days after the final performance at the New London Theatre, at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
King Lear TV
2018
Set in an alternative universe, 21st-century, highly militarised London.

Macbeth

edit
Main article: Macbeth on screen
See also: Macbeth
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Macbeth Silent
1908
The earliest known film version of that play. It was a black and white silent film with English intertitles. It is currently unknown if any print of the film still exists.[77]
Macbeth Silent
1909
A silent black-and-white film with French intertitles.
Macbeth Silent
1909
The second adaptation that year, and is the third film version. In black-and-white, the runtime is 16 minutes.
Macbeth Silent
1911
Like all films of the time, it is silent with English intertitles, black-and-white, and ran for 14 minutes. No prints are known to exist.[78]
Macbeth Silent
1913
47-minute silent adaptation.[79] It is considered to be lost, but according to Carl Bennett in The Progressive Silent Film List, a print may exist at the George Eastman Museum's International Museum of Photography and Film.[80]
Macbeth Silent
1915
A silent black-and-white film with French intertitles.
Macbeth Silent
1916
The film stars Herbert Beerbohm Tree and Constance Collier, both famous from the stage and for playing Shakespearean parts. Although released during the first decade of feature filmmaking, it was already the seventh version of Macbeth to be produced, one of eight of the silent film era. It is considered to be a lost film. The running time is 80 minutes.[81] In the companion book to his Hollywood television series, Kevin Brownlow states that Sir Herbert Tree failed to understand that the production was a silent film and that speech was not needed so much as pantomime. Tree, who had performed the play numerous times on the stage, kept spouting reams of dialogue. So Emerson and Fleming simply removed the film and cranked an empty camera so as not to waste film when he did so.[82]
The Real Thing at Last Silent
1916
A satirical silent adaptation. It was written in 1916 by Peter Pan creator and playwright J. M. Barrie as a parody of the American entertainment industry. The film was made by the newly created British Actors Film Company in response to news that American filmmaker D. W. Griffith intended to honor the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death with the production of a film version. No copies of The Real Thing at Last are known to survive.[83] It parodies the sensationalism of the American entertainment of the day, contrasting it with more reserved British sensibilities. It loosely follows the plot of the play, but two versions of each depicted scene are shown:

In the British version, Lady Macbeth wiped a small amount of blood from her hands; in the American she had to wash away gallons of the stuff. In the British, the witches danced around a small cauldron; in the American the witches became dancing beauties cavorting around a huge cauldron. In the British, Macbeth and Macduff fought in a ditch; in the American Macbeth falls to his death from a skyscraper.[83]

Macbeth Silent
1922
The last silent version, and the eighth film adaptation of the play.
Macbeth Film
1948
Macbeth Film
  •  
 1950s
An unsuccessful mid-1950s attempt by Olivier to finance a new film version.
Marmayogi
(Tamil: மர்மயோகி, lit. 'The Mysterious Sage, Hindi: एक था राजा, romanized: Ek Tha Raja, lit. 'Once There Was A King')' 		Film
1951
A film adaptation of the novel Vengeance by Marie Corelli and Macbeth. The film was shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi.
"Macbeth"
(Hallmark Hall of Fame) 		TV
1954
A live television adaptation telecast in color, but has only been preserved on black-and-white kinescope.[84][85]
Joe MacBeth Film
1955
A modern retelling set in a 1930s American criminal underworld. The film's plot closely follows the original.[86]
Throne of Blood
(Japanese: 蜘蛛巣城, romanized: Kumonosu-jō, lit. 'Spider Web Castle)' 		Film
1957
The film transposes the plot from Medieval Scotland to feudal Japan, with stylistic elements drawn from Noh drama. As with the play, the film tells the story of a warrior who assassinates his sovereign at the urging of his ambitious wife. Despite the change in setting and language and numerous creative liberties, in the West Throne of Blood is often considered one of the best film adaptations of the play.
Macbeth TV
1960
A filmed-on-location adaptation with the same two stars and director as the 1954 production. Shown on TV in the US and in theatres in Europe.[87]
Macbeth TV
1960
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the production as "visually efficient" but also "a dreadful warning of what can happen when a producer becomes frightened of a great text... a torrent of gabble and shouting. Some of the most concise dramatic poetry in all Shakespeare received treatment worthy of the race results."[88]
Macbeth TV
1961
Macbeth TV
1965
  • Wyn Roberts (Macbeth)
  • Terri Aldred (Lady Macbeth)
  • Keith Eden (Macduff)
  • Keith Lee (Banquo)
  • Peter Hepworth (Fleance)
"Macbeth"
(Play of the Month) 		TV
1970
Macbeth[89] Film
1971
Macbeth TV
1978
Videotaped version of Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production produced by Thames Television. The original stage production was performed at The Other Place, the RSC's small studio theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. It had been performed in the round before small audiences, with a bare stage and simple costuming. The recording preserves this style: the actors perform on a circular set and with a mostly black background; changes of setting are indicated only by lighting changes.
Macbeth
(The Shakespeare Collection) 		Video
1981
Macbeth TV
1982
The film is composed of only two shots: The first shot (before the main title) is five minutes long, the second 57 minutes long.[90]
"Macbeth"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
Macbeth Film
1987
A film adaptation of Verdi's opera Macbeth (libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on Shakespeare's play) It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.[91]
Men of Respect Film
1990
  • William C. Reilly
"Macbeth"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1992
  • Nicolai Serebryakov
Macbeth TV
1997
  • Jeremy Freeston
Macbeth on the Estate TV
1997
Modern-setting version in a world of drugs and drug kingpins.
Macbeth TV
1998
Makibefo Film
1999
  • Alexander Abela
  • Martin Zia (Makibefo)
  • Neoliny Dety (Valy Makibefo)
  • Jean-Félix (Danikany)
  • Bien Rasoanan Tenaina (Malikomy)
  • Jean-Noël (Makidofy)
 Filming took place near the town of Faux Cap, Madagascar, with a single technical assistant. With the exception of an English-speaking narrator, all the roles are played by indigenous Antandroy people (few of whom had ever seen a movie before) who performed a largely improvised story based on Macbeth set in a remote fishing village.[92]
Macbeth TV
2001
Royal Shakespeare Company
Rave Macbeth Film
2001
A loose adaptation set in rave culture.
Scotland, PA Film
2001
  • William Morrissette
Maqbool
(Hindi: मक़बूल Urdu: مقبُول) 		Film
2003
"Macbeth"
(ShakespeaRe-Told) 		TV
2005
  • Mark Brozel
Set in a three Michelin star restaurant owned by celebrity chef Duncan Docherty, with Joe Macbeth as the sous chef and his wife Ella as the Maître d'. Joe and his fellow chef Billy Banquo are annoyed that Duncan takes the credit for Joe's work, and that Duncan's son Malcolm has no real flair for the business. Then they encounter three supernatural binmen who predict that Macbeth will get ownership of the restaurant, as will Billy's children. Joe and Ella are inspired to kill Duncan, but the binmen subsequently warn that Macbeth should be wary of Peter Macduff, the head waiter.
Macbeth Film
2006
Sets the story in a modern-day Melbourne gangster setting, and the actors deliver the dialogue in Australian accents, largely maintains the language of the original play.[93]
Macbeth TV
2009 An episode of South African miniseries Death of a Queen.
Macbeth TV
2010
Based on Goold's stage adaptation for the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007. The film specifically evokes the atmosphere of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, with subtle parallels between Stalin and Macbeth in their equally brutal quests for power. The Three Witches likewise receive an update in keeping with the 20th century aesthetics, appearing as hospital nurses. Their presence is pervasive throughout the film, punctuating the horror of Macbeth's murderous reign. The film was filmed entirely on location at Welbeck Abbey.
Shakespeare Must Die
(Thai: เชคสเปียร์ต้องตาย) 		Film
2012
  • Ing Kanjanavanit
  • Pissara Umavijani (Lady Macduff)
  • Pisarn Pattanapeeradej (Mekhdeth)
  • Ajon Kibreab (Lennox)
  • Pirun Anusuriya (Angus)
  • Totrakul Jantima (Bangkho)
  • Nam-ob Semsisom (Macduff's Daughter)
  • Fiona Tarini Graham (Khunying Mekhdeth)
 Thai-language film that tells the story of a theatre group in a fictional country resembling Thailand, that is staging a production of Macbeth. One of the film's main characters is a dictator named Dear Leader, who bears a resemblance to former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup which sparked years of political turmoil between his supporters and critics. The Thai government banned the film fearing it would cause societal disunity.[94][95][96]
Macbeth Film
2015
Thane of East County Film
2015 Jesse Keller
Things go awry as actors on a production of Macbeth begin to carry out the actions of characters they portray.
Veeram
(Malayalam: വീരം, lit. 'Valour)' 		Film
2016
The film, which also takes inspirations from the Vadakkan Pattukal (Northern Ballads) of the North Malabar region in Kerala, tells the story of Chandu Chekavar, an infamous 13th century warrior. Veeram is simultaneously made in Malayalam, Hindi, and in English with the same title.
Joji Film
2021
Mandaar TV
2021
  • Debasish Mondal (Mandaar)
  • Sohini Sarkar (Laili)
  • Anirban Bhattacharya (Muqaddar Mukherjee)
  • Debesh Roychowdhury (Dablu Bhai)
  • Sumana Mukhopadhyay (Dablu Bhai's Wife)
  • Sankar Debnath (Bonka)
 A Bengali adaptation of the play, the series revolves around Mandaar, a young gangster, who kills his master, Dablu Bhai, to rise to the powerful seat of the fishing industry in the village of Geilpur.
The Tragedy of Macbeth Film
2021

Othello

edit
Main article: Othello
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Otello Silent
1906
A silent film adaptation based on Giuseppe Verdi's 1887 opera of the same name (which in turn is based on Othello). It is believed to be the earliest film adaptation of the play.
Othello Silent
1922
The first of six major film productions of the work.[97]
Othello Film
1946
  • David MacKane
A Double Life Film
1947
A noir adaptation in which an actor playing the moor takes on frightening aspects of his character's personality. Celebrated stage actor Anthony John has driven away his actress wife Brita with his erratic temper. However, they star together in a staging of Othello. Gradually, his portrayal of a jealous murderer undermines his sanity, and he kills his mistress, Pat Kroll. Colman won the Academy Award as best actor for his performance in this film.
Othello Film
1951
Welles trimmed the source material, which is generally around three hours when performed, down to a little over 90 minutes for the film.[98] One of Welles's more complicated shoots, Othello was filmed erratically over three years. Shooting began in 1949, but was forced to shut down when the film's original Italian producer announced on one of the first days of shooting that he was bankrupt. Instead of abandoning filming altogether, Welles as director began pouring his own money into the project. When he ran out of money as well, he needed to stop filming for months at a time to raise money, mostly by taking part in other productions.[99][100]
Othello
(Russian: Отелло) 		Film
1956
Jubal Film
1956
A Western based on a 1939 novel by Paul Wellman, it was filmed in Technicolor and CinemaScope on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The film is notable as a western reworking of Othello.[101]
All Night Long Film
1962
An adaptation set in the contemporary London jazz scene.
Othello Film
1965
A film of the Royal National Theatre's stage production. Olivier, Smith, Redman, and Finlay all received Academy Award nominations, and it was the film debuts for both Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon.
Othello TV
1965
  • Raymond Westwell (Othello)
  • Keith Lee (Iago)
  • Frances McDonald (Desdemona)
  • Joan MacArthur (Emilia)
 An Australian TV play, it was broadcast on the ABC as part of Wednesday Theatre and filmed in the ABC's Melbourne studios.[102]
Othello-67 Film
1967
A 50-second animated parody made for Montreal's Expo 67.[103][104]
Catch My Soul Film
1974
Adapted from the rock musical based on the play.
"Othello"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1981
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Othello TV
1990
Based on a stage production directed by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and later adapted for TV.[105] It was shot in a studio with minimal props and scenery, and aired as en episode of Theatre Night.[106] The sets, costumes, and props are from the American Civil War, but the dialogue remains tied to Venice and Cyprus. In contrast with Antony and Cleopatra (1974) and Macbeth (1979), Nunn preferred "contemplative"[106] medium shots over extreme closeups. The film makes little attempt to hide that it is a filmed stage production, and Michael Brooke, writing about the film for BFI Screenonline, thinks this is because Nunn's state purpose was to preserve the stage production for posterity. The film presents almost the complete text of the play, leaving out just one scene with Cassio and the clown.[106]
"Othello"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1994
  • Nicolai Serebryakov
Othello Film
1995
The first cinematic reproduction of the play released by a major studio with an African American in the role of Othello, although low-budget independent films of the play starring Ted Lange and Yaphet Kotto predated it.
Kaliyattam
(Malayalam: കളിയാട്ടം, lit. 'The Play of God)' 		Film
1997
An adaptation of the play against the backdrop of the Hindu Theyyam performance.[107] Gopi received the National Film Award for Best Actor, and Jayaraaj the award for Best Director for their work on the film.[108]
O Film
2001
A loose adaptation set in an American high school.
Othello TV
2001
An adaptation by Andrew Davies set in the police force in modern London.
Souli Film
2004
  • Alexander Abela
A post-colonial take on the play, set in a remote fishing village.[109]
Omkara
(Hindi: ओमकारा, Urdu: امکارا) 		Film
2006
Jarum Halus
(Malay: Jarum Halus, lit. 'Fine Needle') 		Film
2008
  • Mark Tan
  • Christien New (Daniel Oh)
  • Juliana Ibrahim (Mona)
  • Razif Hashim (Iskandar)
  • Rahim Razali (Datuk Kalel)
  • Justin Chan (Michael)
  • Farah Putri (Emilia)
Iago Film
2009
Iago is an architecture school student about to graduate who falls in love with his fellow student Desdemona, the noble and beautiful daughter of the academic dean, professor Brabanzio.
Hrid Majharey
(Bengali: হৃদ্‌ মাঝারে, lit. 'Live in my Heart)' 		Film
2014
A tragic love story loosely inspired by Othello, the film is a tribute to the Bard on his 450th Birth Anniversary. Elements of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Julius Caesar are also found in this love tragedy.
Chocolat Film
2016
A loose biopic about the first black clown in France. Chocolat tries to branch into Shakespearean tragedy and plays Othello as the first black actor in this role in France. After the premiere, part of the audience boos the "clown". Chocolat leaves the theater in costume and is beaten by debt collectors.
Athhoi
(Bengali: অথৈ) 		Film
2024
  • Arna Mukhopadhyay

Romeo and Juliet

edit
Main articles: Romeo and Juliet on screen and Romeo and Juliet (films)
Further information: Romeo and Juliet
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Romeo and Juliet
(French: Roméo et Juliette) 		Film
1900
  • Emilio Cossira (Romeo)
 Features Cossira singing a tenor aria from Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. It is believed to be the earliest film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.[110] The film was produced by "Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre", which premiered one of the first synchronized sound film systems at the Paris exhibition of 1900, with this film being one of the earliest to use the sound technique. The sound was recorded first using a Lioretograph onto a cellophane cylinder. This was then played back, and the actors filmed lip-syncing to the recording. To view the film, the sound was played back and the projectionist altered the speed of the hand-cranked projector to try to match the playback.[111]
Romeo and Juliet Silent
1908
Now considered lost, this was the first American film version of Romeo and Juliet. It was a short made by Vitagraph Studios, and was filmed at Bethesda Terrace in Manhattan, New York.
Romeo and Juliet Silent
1916
This film was produced for the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and was released amongst many other commemorations of the "Bard". It was released in direct competition with another adaptation, produced by William Fox, starring Theda Bara, and released three days later. Bushman later claimed, in an interview, that he went to see the Theda Bara version and was shocked to see that Fox had added some intertitles from the Metro version.[112]
Romeo and Juliet Silent
1916
The film was produced by the Fox Film Corporation,[113] and was shot at the Fox Studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey.[114] It was released in direct competition with another feature-length Romeo and Juliet film from Metro Pictures. In a recorded interview, Francis Bushman, who directed the competing film, claimed that William Fox had spies working for Metro, and stole some of the intertitles from the Metro version. Fox rushed his version into the theatres in order to capitalize on exhibiting his film first. Bushman recalled going to see Fox's Romeo and Juliet and was startled to see the intertitles from his film flash on the screen.[115]
Romeo and Juliet Film
1936
One of the three major film adaptations (along with Franco Zeffirelli in 1968 and Baz Luhrmann in 1996) of Romeo and Juliet. The New York Times selected the film as one of the "Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made", calling it "a lavish production" and "extremely well-produced and acted."[116]
Romeo and Juliet
(Spanish: Julieta y Romeo) 		Film
1940
The Lovers of Verona
(French: Les amants de Vérone) 		Film
1949
Romeo and Juliet
(Spanish: Romeo y Julita) 		Film
1953
Romeo and Juliet[117] Film
1954
Romeo and Juliet
(Russian: Ромео и Джульетта, romanized: Romeo i Dzhulyetta) 		Film
1955
Romeo, Juliet and Darkness
(Czech: Romeo, Julie a tma) 		Film
1960
West Side Story Film
1961
An adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical, which in turn was inspired by Romeo and Juliet. The film received high praise from critics and the public, and became the second highest grossing film of the year in the United States. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (as well as a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a movie musical.
Romanoff and Juliet Film
1961
An adaptation by way of Ustinov's play that sets the love story amids the ideologically warring communist USSR and the capitalist USA, competing for influence in a fictional European country..
Fury of Johnny Kid
(Italian: Dove si spara di più, Spanish: La furia de Johnny Kidd) 		Film
1967
Romeo and Juliet[118] Film
1968
Ma che musica maestro
(Italian: Ma che musica maestro) 		Film
1971
"Romeo and Juliet"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1978
Another History
(Telugu: మరో చరిత్ర, romanized: Maro Charitra) 		Film
1978
Romie-0 and Julie-8 TV
1979
  • Greg Swanson (Romie-0)
  • Donann Cavin (Julie-8)
  • Marie Aloma (Ms. Passbinder)
  • Max Ferguson (Mr. Thunderbottom)
  • Nick Nichols (Gizmo)
  • Bill Osler (Junk Monster)
 An animated adaptation; set in the future, the two romantic leads in this version are androids who fall in love.
Monica and Jimmy Five: In the World of Romeo & Juliet
(Portuguese: Mônica e Cebolinha: No Mundo de Romeu e Julieta) 		TV
1979
  • José Amâncio
Made For Each Other
(Hindi: एक दूजे के लिये, romanized: Ek Duuje Ke Liye) 		Film
1981
The Sea Prince and the Fire Child
(Japanese: シリウスの伝説, romanized: Shiriusu no Densetsu) 		Film
1981
  • Masami Hata
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Film
1982
  • William Woodman
China Girl Film
1987
A contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet set in 1980s Manhattan. The plot revolves around the intimate relationship developing between Tony, a teenage boy from Little Italy, and Tye, a teenage girl from Chinatown, while their older brothers are engaged in a heated gang war against each other.
From Doom to Doom
(Hindi: क़यामत से क़यामत तक, romanized: Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak) 		Film
1988
Romeo.Juliet Film
1990
Adapted using the feral cats of Venice, New York City, and Ghent as actors, with the voices dubbed by some of the greats of the English theatre. The score of the film features music from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn conducting, and an original theme composed by Armando Acosta and Emanuel Vardi, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Barry Wordsworth.
"Romeo and Juliet"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1992
November 30
(Swedish: 30:e november) 		Film
1995
Romeo + Juliet Film
1996
A modern adaptation set in the fictional city, Verona Beach California. Capulet and Montague are CEOs of businesses in a corporate war. The dialogue is kept the same, but swords are replaced with guns, with "Sword" being the brand/make (i.e., Glock). Friar Lawrence is now Father Lawrence, a local priest who distills medicine from plants he cultivates in his private greenhouse.
Tromeo and Juliet Film
1996
A more or less faithful adaptation of the play except with the addition of extreme amounts of Troma-esque sexuality and violence, as well as a revised ending.
Love Is All There Is Film
1996
A modern retelling of the story set in the Bronx during the 1990s.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Film
1998
An American animated direct-to-video romantic musical drama film. It is the sequel to Walt Disney Animation Studios's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King, with its plot influenced by Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo Must Die Film
2000
Loving Hurts You
(Spanish: Amar te duele) 		Film
2002
  • Fernando Sariñana
Bollywood Queen Film
2003
Romeo and Juliet Get Married
(Portuguese: O Casamento de Romeu e Julieta) 		Film
2005
  • Luis Gustavo (Alfredo Baragatti)
  • Luana Piovani (Julieta Baragatti)
  • Marco Ricca (Romeu)
  • Martha Mellinger (Isabela Baragatti)
  • Berta Zemel (Nenzica)
  • Leonardo Miggiorin (Zilinho)
Romeo and Juliet
(French: Roméo et Juliette) 		Film
2006
  • Yves Desgagnés
Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss Animation
2006
  • Daniel Trippett (Romeo)
  • Patricia Trippett (Juliet)
  • Chip Albers (Mercutio)
  • Michael Toland (Capulet)
  • Stephen Goldberg (Montague)
  • Phil Nibbelink (Prince)
  • Sam Gold (Benvolio)
 An animated adaptation featuring seals and other marine life.
Rome & Jewel Film
2006
  • Charles T. Kanganis
  • Neil Bagg
A hip-hop musical adaptation set in Los Angeles that deals with interracial love.
Romeo × Juliet
(Japanese: ロミオ×ジュリエット, romanized: Romio to Jurietto) 		Anime
2007
Romeo and Juliet
(Japanese: ロミオとジュリエット) 		TV
2007
Romeo and Juliet
(Spanish: Romeo y Julieta) 		TV
2007
  • Raúl Lecouna
  • Elías Viñoles (Romeo Montero)
  • Brenda Gandini (Julieta Caporale)
  • Magalí Moro (Isabel Campos de Caporale)
  • César Vianco (Vittorio Caporale)
  • Benjamín Amadeo (Leo Caporale)
David & Fatima Film
2008
  • Alain Zaloum
Another History
(Telugu: మరో చరిత్ర, romanized: Maro Charitra) 		Film
2010
Gnomeo & Juliet Animated film
2011
An animated adaptation set in the gardens of two feuding elderly neighbors in modern-day Stratford-upon-Avon. The story features garden gnomes representing the characters from the original story, with red gnomes representing the Capulet family, and blue gnomes representing the Montague family. The film differs from the original story in many ways, notably keeping both Gnomeo and Juliet alive at the end of the film.
Private Romeo Film
2011
Romeo & Juliet Film
2013
Issaq
(Hindi: इसक) 		Film
2013
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
(Hindi: गोलियों की रासलीला रामलीला, lit. 'A Play of Bullets Ram-Leela)' 		Film
2013
Arshinagar
(Bengali: আরশিনগর) 		Film
2015
West Side Story Film
2021
A remake of Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' 1961 adaptation of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical of the same name, itself based on Romeo and Juliet.

Timon of Athens

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Main article: Timon of Athens
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Timon Film
1973
"Timon of Athens"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1981
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.

Titus Andronicus

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Main article: Titus Andronicus
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Titus Andronicus"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1985
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Titus Film
1999

Troilus and Cressida

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Main article: Troilus and Cressida
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Face of Love TV
1954
A modern-language and modern-dress adaptation of the play.[119]
"Troilus & Cressida"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1981
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.

Histories

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Henry IV, Part 1

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Main article: Henry IV, Part 1
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Henry IV: Rebellion from the North"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Covers 1 Henry IV Acts 1 and 2 (up to Prince Hal expressing his disdain for the war).
"Henry IV: The Road to Shrewsbury"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Covers 1 Henry IV from Act 3, Scene 1 onwards (beginning with the strategy meeting between Hotspur, Mortimer and Glendower).
Chimes at Midnight Film
1966
An amalgamation of scenes from Richard II, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
"The First Part of King Henry the Fourth, with the life and death of Henry surnamed Hotspur"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1979
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"Henry IV Part 1"
(The War of the Roses) 		Direct-to-video
1990
A direct filming of the stage performance of Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays.
My Own Private Idaho Film
1991
Loosely based on Henry IV, Part 1, with elements from the other plays.
"Henry IV, Part 1"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2012

Henry IV, Part 2

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Main article: Henry IV, Part 2
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Henry IV: The New Conspiracy"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
"Henry IV: Uneasy Lies the Head"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Chimes at Midnight Film
1966
An amalgamation of scenes from Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
"The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth containing his Death: and the Coronation of King Henry the Fift"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1979
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"Henry IV Part 2"
(The War of the Roses) 		Direct-to-video
1990
A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays.
"Henry IV, Part 2"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2012

Henry V

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Main article: Henry V (play)
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Henry V Film
1944
"Henry V: Signs of War"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Henry V Acts 1, 2 and 3 (up to the French yearning for what they feel will be an easy victory at Agincourt).
"Henry V: The Band of Brothers"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Henry V from Act 4, Scene 0 onwards (beginning with the Chorus describing Henry's undercover surveillance of his camp).
Chimes at Midnight Film
1966
An amalgamation of scenes from Richard II, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, Henry V and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
"The Life of Henry the Fift"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1979
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Henry V Film
1989
"Henry V"
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays.
"Henry V"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2012

Henry VI, Part 1

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Main article: Henry VI, Part 1
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Henry VI: The Red Rose and the White"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
"Henry VI"
(The Wars of the Roses) 		TV
1965
Abridged versions of 1 Henry VI and 2 Henry VI up to Act 3, Scene 2 (Winchester's death).
"The First Part of Henry the Sixt"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"Henry VI – House of Lancaster"
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
  • Paul Brennan (King Henry VI)
  • Andrew Jarvis (Charles the Dauphin)
  • Francesca Ryan (Joan la Pucelle)
  • Barry Stanton (Duke of York)
  • June Watson (Queen Margaret)
  • Michael Pennington (Duke of Suffolk)
  • Colin Farrell (Duke of Gloucester)
  • Sion Probert (Duke of Somerset)
 A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays. This play is formed from Part 1 and from the earlier scenes of Part 2.
"Henry VI, Part I"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2016

Henry VI, Part 2

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Main article: Henry VI, Part 2
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Henry VI: The Fall of a Protector"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
2 Henry VI Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scene 1 (up to York's soliloquy regarding the fact that he now has troops at his disposal and his revelation of his plans to use Jack Cade to instigate a popular rebellion).
"Henry VI: The Rabble from Kent"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
2 Henry VI from Act 3, Scene 2 onwards (beginning with the murder of the Duke of Gloucester).
"Henry VI"
(The Wars of the Roses) 		TV
1965
Abridged versions of 1 Henry VI and 2 Henry VI up to Act 3, Scene 2 (Winchester's death).
"Edward IV"
(The Wars of the Roses) 		TV
1965
A newly written scene followed by 2 Henry VI from Act 4, Scene 1 (the introduction of Jack Cade) onwards, and an abridged version of 3 Henry VI.
"The Second Part of Henry the Sixt"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"Henry VI: House of Lancaster"
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
  • Paul Brennan (King Henry VI)
  • Andrew Jarvis (Charles the Dauphin)
  • Barry Stanton (Duke of York)
  • June Watson (Queen Margaret)
  • Michael Pennington (Duke of Suffolk)
  • Sion Probert (Duke of Somerset)
 A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays. This play is formed from Part 1 and the early scenes of Part 2.
"Henry VI: House of York"
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
  • Paul Brennan (King Henry VI)
  • Andrew Jarvis (Richard, Duke of Gloucester)
  • Barry Stanton (Duke of York)
  • June Watson (Queen Margaret)
  • Michael Pennington (Jack Cade)
  • John Dougall (George, Duke of Clarence)
  • Sion Probert (Duke of Somerset)
 A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays. This play is formed from the remaining scenes of Part 2 and Part 3
"Henry VI, Part II"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2016
Made up of scenes from Henry VI, Part 2 and an abridged version of Henry VI, Part 3.

Henry VI, Part 3

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Main article: Henry VI, Part 3
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Henry VI: The Morning's War"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Henry VI, Part 3 Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scenes 1 and 2 (up to Richard's soliloquy wherein he vows to attain the crown).
"Henry VI: The Sun in Splendour"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Henry VI, Part 3 from Act 3, Scene 3 onwards (beginning with Margaret's visit to Louis XI of France).
"Edward IV"
(The Wars of the Roses) 		TV
1965
A newly written scene followed by 2 Henry VI from Act 4, Scene 1 (the introduction of Jack Cade) onwards, and an abridged version of 3 Henry VI.
"The Third Part of Henry the Sixt"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"Henry VI: House of York"
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
  • Paul Brennan (King Henry VI)
  • Andrew Jarvis (Richard, Duke of Gloucester)
  • Barry Stanton (Duke of York)
  • June Watson (Queen Margaret)
  • Michael Pennington (Jack Cade)
  • John Dougall (George, Duke of Clarence)
  • Sion Probert (Duke of Somerset)
 A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays. This play is formed from the later scenes of Part 2 and from Part 3.
"Henry VI, Part II"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2016
Made up of scenes from Part 2 and an abridged version of Part 3.

Henry VIII

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Main article: Henry VIII (play)
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Henry VIII Silent film
1911
"The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1979
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.

King John

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Main article: The Life and Death of King John
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
King John Silent film
1899
The earliest known film based on a play by Shakespeare. It consists of four scenes and is based on Herbert Beerbohm Tree's contemporary stage production, and was made to promote the stage version.[120][121]
Said-e-Havas
(Hindi: सैदे-हवस, lit. 'Prey to Desire)' 		Film
1936
  • Sohrab Modi (Kazal Beg)
  • Gulzar Bai
  • Sadat Ali
  • Shama
 Produced by Modi's Stage Film Company, the film was a "stage recording" of the play, similar to Modi's first stage adaptation to screen of Khoon Ka Khoon.[122][123] It was written by Agha Hashr, based on an adaptation of King John and Richard III.[124][125] The film incorporates scenes and acts from King John, mainly Act 2 Scene 5, and made use of Richard III as general reference. Modi played the role of the "ethnically black" Kazal Beg (Hubert).[126] Hashr had written the play in 1907 and according to Rajiva Verma there is very little similarity between King John and Hashr's adaptation, except for those mentioned earlier.[127]
"The Life and Death of King John"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1984
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"King John"
(CBC Presents the Stratford Festival) 		Video
2015
  • Tom McCamus (King John)
  • Patricia Collins (Queen Eleanor)
  • Andrew Lawrie (Prince Henry)
  • Jennifer Mogbock (Blanche of Spain)
  • Brad Rudy (Pembroke)
  • Stephen Russell (Salisbury)
 Filmed version of the Stratford Festival's 2014 stage production.

Richard II

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Main article: Richard II (play)
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Richard II: The Hollow Crown"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Richard II Acts 1, 2 and 3, Scenes 1 and 2 (up to Richard conceding defeat despite the protests of Carlisle, Scroop and Aumerle).
"Richard II: The Deposing of a King"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Richard II from Act 3, Scene 3 onwards (beginning with York chiding Northumberland for not referring to Richard as "King").
The Life and Death of King Richard II TV
1960
A live TV production that aired on 5 October 1960 and was one of the most elaborate productions made for Australian TV at that time.[128] The ABC decided to suspend peak-hour programs to transmit the show live using all three of the ABC's Gore Hill TV studios. An obituary of Menmuir called this "a concept of such complexity and audacity that it was never repeated."[129]
Chimes at Midnight Film
1966
An amalgamation of scenes from Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
"King Richard the Second"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1978
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Richard II
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
  • Michael Pennington (King Richard II)
  • Andrew Jarvis (Hotspur)
  • Michael Cronin (Henry Bolingbroke)
  • Francesca Ryan (Queen Isabel)
  • Clyde Pollitt (John of Gaunt)
  • Colin Farrell (Duke of York)
  • Sion Probert (Sir John Bushy)
 A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays.
Richard II TV
1997
Richard the Second Video
2001
  • John Farrell
  • Matte Osian (Richard)
Richard II
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2012

Richard III

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Main article: Richard III (play)
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Richard III Film
1911
The only surviving film of Frank R. Benson’s legendary Shakespeare productions, for which he received a knighthood from King George. A literal recording of Richard III on stage.
Richard III Film
1912
  • Robert Gemp (Edward IV)
  • Frederick Warde (Gloucester)
  • Albert Gardner (Prince Edward)
  • James Keane (Richmond)
  • George Moss (Tressel)
  • Howard Stuart (Edward)
  • Virginia Rankin (York)
  • Violet Stuart (Lady Anne Plantagenet)
  • Carey Lee (Queen Elizabeth)
  • Carlotta De Felice (Princess Elizabeth)
 The oldest surviving American feature-length film, and is also thought to be the first feature-length Shakespearean adaptation ever made.
Tower of London Film
1939
Richard III Film
1955
"Richard III: The Dangerous Brother"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Richard III Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scene 1 (up to Richard promising Buckingham the Dukedom of Hereford).
"Richard III: The Boar Hunt"
(An Age of Kings) 		TV
1960
Richard III from Act 3, Scene 1 onwards (beginning with Stanley's messenger arriving at Hasting's house).
Tower of London Film
1962
Richard III
(The Wars of the Roses) 		TV
1965
An abridged version of Richard III.
The Goodbye Girl Film
1977
Contains scenes in which the Richard Dreyfuss character rehearses and performs Shakespeare's play.
"The Tragedy of Richard III"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1983
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
The Black Adder TV
1983
  • Martin Shardlow
The first series, written by Atkinson and Richard Curtis, is a parody of Shakespeare's plays, particularly Macbeth, Richard III and Henry V.
Richard III
(The War of the Roses) 		Video
1990
A direct filming of the stage performance of Bogdanov and Pennington's 7-play sequence for the English Shakespeare Company based on Shakespeare's history plays.
"King Richard III"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1994
  • Natalia Orlova
Paint-on-glass animation
Richard III Film
1995
The film sets the play in 1930s Britain with Richard as a fascist sympathizer plotting to usurp the throne.
Looking for Richard Film
1996
A documentary account of Pacino's quest to perform Shakespeare's play, featuring substantial excerpts.
Richard III Film
2008
  • Scott M. Anderson
"Richard III"
(The Hollow Crown) 		TV
2016
The Lost King Film
2022
After attending the play, Philippa follows her hunch of where she believes the lost King Richard III is buried.

Romances

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Main article: Shakespeare's late romances

Pericles

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Main article: Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
"Pericles, Prince of Tyre"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1984
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.

Cymbeline

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Main article: Cymbeline
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Cymbeline Silent
1913
"Cymbeline"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1982
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Cymbeline Film
2014

The Winter's Tale

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Main article: The Winter's Tale
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Winter's Tale Silent
1910
  • (unknown)
"The Winter's Tale"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1981
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
"The Winter's Tale"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1994
Stop motion puppet animation
The Winter's Tale Video
1999
A straight-to-video filming of the 1999 RSC Barbican production.

The Tempest

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Main article: The Tempest
Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
The Tempest Silent
1911
Yellow Sky Film
1948
A western film where a band of reprobate outlaws flee after a bank robbery and encounter an old man and his granddaughter in a ghost town. The story is believed to be loosely adapted from The Tempest.[130]
Forbidden Planet Film
1956
A science fiction classic in which a starship crew meets the scientist Dr Morbius, his daughter Altaira, their custom-built robot Robby, and a mysterious, threatening force, all on the titular fourth planet of Altair. Each of these elements corresponds to the play's sailing vessel and its crew, the sorcerer Prospero, his daughter Miranda, Ariel the sprite, and the enchantments of the island.
"The Tempest"
(Hallmark Hall of Fame) 		TV
1960
Planet of Evil
(Doctor Who) 		TV
1975
A loose adaptation of The Tempest based on the prior adaptation Forbidden Planet, in which the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith meet the members of a geological expedition who are being menaced by a being made of antimatter on the planet Zeta Minor.
The Tempest Film
1979
"The Tempest"
(BBC Television Shakespeare) 		TV
1980
Released in the US as part of the Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare series.
Tempest Film
1982
The Tempest
(The Shakespeare Collection) 		TV
1983
  • William Woodman
The Journey to Melonia
(Swedish: Resan till Melonia) 		Film
1989
Prospero's Books Film
1991
A partial adaptation.[131]
"The Tempest"
(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales) 		TV
1992
Stop motion puppet animation
The Tempest TV
1998
The Tempest Film
2010
The gender of main character Prospero was changed to Prospera so Mirren could take the role.[132]
The Tempest Video
2010
A filmed Stratford Shakespeare Festival production.
The Tempest Video
2014
A filmed version of the live production at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, 2013.
Shakespeare's Shitstorm Film
2020
  • Amanda Flowers (Ariel)
  • Lloyd Kaufman (Prospero / Antoinette Duke)
  • Kate McGarrigle (Miranda)
  • Zoë Geltman (Steph)
  • Dylan Mars Greenberg (Trini)
  • Monique Dupree (Caliban)
  • Erin Patrick Miller (Ferdinand)
 A more or less a faithful adaptation of the play except with the addition of extreme amounts of Troma-esque sexuality and violence.

Other

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Shakespeare as a character

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Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
Shakespeare Writing Julius Caesar Silent
  •  
 1907 The probable first appearance of Shakespeare as a character.[133]
Master Will Shakespeare Film
1936
  • Anthony Kemble-Cooper
 Short film.
Time Flies Film
1944
Tommy meets Shakespeare in 16th century England.
The Story of Mankind Film
1957
Shakespeare appears in Heaven.
"The Twilight Zone"
(The Bard) 		TV
1963
A bumbling screenwriter summons Shakespeare's ghost to become his ghostwriter.
"The Executioners"
(Doctor Who - "The Chase") 		TV
1965
  • Richard Martin
An episode of the classic BBC science fiction series, first screened on 22 May 1965.
William Shakespeare: His Life & Times TV
1978
A 6-part serial produced by Cecil Clarke and written by John Mortimer, that recounts Shakespeare's life in London.
"The Twilight Zone"
(Act Break) 		TV
1985
  • Ted Flicker
A struggling playwright accidentally goes back in time and meets Shakespeare.
Shakespeare in Love Film
1998
A fictional love story about Shakespeare's romance with a noblewoman, at the time of writing Romeo and Juliet. Won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
"The Drew Carey Show"
(Drew's In a Coma) 		TV
2001
Drew meets Shakespeare in Heaven.
Elizabeth Rex TV
2004
  • Barbara Willis Sweete
Based on the play of that name by Timothy Findley, stars Shakespeare as a main character, recording interactions between Elizabeth I and members of his cast on the night her lover is to be executed by her own order.[134]
A Waste of Shame TV
2005
A dramatisation of Shakespeare's life at the time of writing the Sonnets.
"The Shakespeare Code"
(Doctor Who) 		TV
2007
An episode of the BBC science fiction series, first screened on 7 April 2007, set in 1599.
Romeo x Juliet TV
2007
  • Yukio Takahashi (4 episodes)
  • Masanori Takahashi (3 episodes)
  • Takaaki Wada (3 episodes)
  • Michio Fukuda (2 episodes)
  • Mitsuhiro Karato (2 episodes)
 An anime fantasy retelling of the play. Juliet's family were rulers of a floating island nation called Neo Verona before being killed by the Montagues, forcing her to hide in a theater troupe owned by a fictional version of William Shakespeare.
Anonymous Film
2011
A fictional drama about the alleged authorship of Shakespeare's work.
The Lego Movie Film
2014 Phil Lord & Chris Miller Jorma Taccone(William Shakespeare) One of the many cameo characters
Bill Film
2015
A family comedy focusing on the young adult Shakespeare's rise to fame. Many of the cast feature in the children's TV series Horrible Histories.
Upstart Crow TV
2016
A BBC sitcom.
Will TV
2017
A TNT series telling the wild story of young William Shakespeare's arrival onto the punk-rock theater scene in 16th century London - the seductive, violent world where his raw talent faced rioting audiences, religious fanatics and raucous side-shows; a contemporary version of Shakespeare's life, played to a modern soundtrack that exposes all his recklessness, lustful temptations and brilliance. It was cancelled after only one season.
All Is True Film
2018
Set in the 1610s, the film chronicles Shakespeare's final years as he retires and returns home to Stratford-upon-Avon.
"Good Omens" TV
2019
An Amazon Prime miniseries.
"Romeo v Juliet: Dawn of Justness" TV
2020 Alexandra La Roche Rowan Schlosberg(William Shakespeare) An episode of Legends of Tomorrow which the legends have to help Shakespeare write his masterpiece.

Acting Shakespeare

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Title M C Y Directors Starring Description
To Be or Not To Be
1942
The story of an acting company in 1939 Poland.
Prince of Players
1955
Edwin Booth.
Shakespeare Wallah
1965
The story of an acting company in India.[135]
The Goodbye Girl
1977
Contains scenes in which the Richard Dreyfuss character rehearses and performs Richard III.
To Be or Not To Be
1983
A remake of the Ernst Lubitsch film.
Dead Poets Society Film
1989
Portrays a student (played by Robert Sean Leonard) who performs the role of Puck in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream against his father's wishes.
The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story
1990
Includes a badly-performed rendition of Hamlet's graveyard speech (not by L. Frank Baum, who plays a watchman, though he did play Hamlet over 200 times in real life).
A Midwinter's Tale
1996
Tells the story of a group of actors performing Hamlet.
Looking for Richard
1996
A documentary account of Al Pacino's quest to perform Richard III, featuring substantial excerpts from the play. It includes the talents of Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey.
RSC Production Casebook – The Winter's Tale Video
A documentary of the RSC production listed separately above, including interviews with Antony Sher, Greg Doran, Cicely Berry (the RSC's voice coach) and other members of the cast and crew, together with lengthy excerpts from the show itself.

Television series

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NOTE: "ShakespeaRe-Told", "The Animated Shakespeare" and "BBC Television Shakespeare" series have been covered above, under the respective play performed in each episode.

  • Playing Shakespeare (TV, UK, 1979–1984) began as two consecutive episodes of the UK arts series The South Bank Show, and developed into a nine-part series of its own. It features director John Barton, then a leading light of the Royal Shakespeare Company, putting a host of actors through their paces. Many of those actors are now household names, including Judi Dench, Michael Pennington, Patrick Stewart, Ben Kingsley, David Suchet and Ian McKellen. The episodes were:
    • The South Bank Show: "Speaking Shakespearean Verse"
    • The South Bank Show: "Preparing to Perform Shakespeare"
    • 1. "The Two Traditions"
    • 2. "Using the Verse"
    • 3. "Language and Character"
    • 4. "Set Speeches and Soliloquies"
    • 5. "Irony and Ambiguity"
    • 6. "Passion and Coolness"
    • 7. "Rehearsing the Text"
    • 8. "Exploring a Character"
    • 9. "Poetry and Hidden Poetry"

Three further episodes were filmed but never edited or screened. They were to be called "Using the Prose", "Using the Sonnets" and "Contemporary Shakespeare". Their text can be read in the book "Playing Shakespeare" by John Barton.

  • The Shakespeare Sessions (USA 2003): An American spin-off from Playing Shakespeare (above) in which John Barton directs notable American actors in Shakespeare scenes.
  • Conjuring Shakespeare (TV, UK, 199?): A series of half-hour documentaries hosted by Fiona Shaw, each episode dealing with scenes from a particular play.
  • In Search of Shakespeare (TV, UK, 2003): A BBC documentary series of four 1-hour episodes, chronicling the life of William Shakespeare, written and presented by Michael Wood.
  • Slings & Arrows (TV, Canada, 2003–2006): A Canadian comedy drama set in the New Burbage Shakespeare Festival, a fictional Shakespearean festival in a small town in Canada comparable to the real-life Stratford Shakespeare Festival. With its entire run written by Susan Coyne, Bob Martin and Mark McKinney, directed by Peter Wellington, and starring Paul Gross, Martha Burns and Stephen Ouimette, it aired in three seasons of six 1-hour episodes each.
  • Som & Fúria (TV, Brazil, 2009): A Brazilian adaptation of Slings and Arrows.

Academic

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  • The "Themes of Shakespeare" series contains straight-to-video short documentaries, each considering the theme of a particular play. The contributors are Professor Stanley Wells, and Dr. Robert Smallwood of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
  • Two lecture series given by professor Peter Saccio were filmed and are commercially available on DVD.

Miscellaneous

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  • Theatre of Blood (UK, 1973). Vincent Price plays a Shakespearean actor who takes poetic revenge on the critics who denied him recognition. He kills his critics using methods inspired by several of Shakespeare's plays: Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, The Merchant of Venice, Richard III, Othello, Cymbeline, Romeo and Juliet, Henry VI Part One, Titus Andronicus, and King Lear.
Douglas Hickox director
Vincent Price as Edward Lionheart
Diana Rigg as Edwina Lionheart
  • The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by the Reduced Shakespeare Company is a successful West End stage comedy, containing some element of all 37 canonical plays. A film of one of the live performances is commercially available.
  • The Royal Shakespeare Company have released a number of videos in the "Great Performances" series, which contain excerpts from stage performances.
  • The Lion in Winter (US, Play, 1966). Set during Christmas 1183 at Henry II of England's castle in Chinon, Anjou, Angevin Empire, the play opens with the arrival of Henry's wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, whom he has had imprisoned since 1173. The story concerns the gamesmanship between Henry, Eleanor, their three surviving sons Richard, Geoffrey, and John, and their Christmas Court guest, the King of France, Philip II Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste), who was the son of Eleanor's ex-husband, Louis VII of France (by his third wife, Adelaide). Also involved is Philip's half-sister Alais, who has been at court since she was betrothed to Richard at age eight, but has since become Henry's mistress. A film version was made in 1968. Productions have been put on by Shakespearean Theater companies (Unseam'd Shakespeare Company production in 2002 and the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse presented it in complementary repertory with William Shakespeare's King John in 2012).
Anthony Harvey director
Peter O'Toole as King Henry II
Katharine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor
Anthony Hopkins (in his motion picture debut) as Richard the Lionheart
Nigel Terry as John
Timothy Dalton (in his motion picture debut) as King Philip II

See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ By BBC2 on 3 June 1968 at 21:00.

References

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  1. ^ Young 1999, p. 358.
  2. ^ Voigts-Virchow 2004, p. 92.
  3. ^ "William Shakespeare:Ten startling Great Bard-themed world records". Guinness World Records. 23 April 2014.
  4. ^ "William Shakespeare - Filmography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. ^ Brooke 2014.
  6. ^ BUFVC: All's Well That Ends Well (1968) n.d.
  7. ^ BUFVC: All's Well That Ends Well (1978) n.d.
  8. ^ Ball 2013, p. 221.
  9. ^ BUFVC: As You Like It (1936) n.d.
  10. ^ BUFVC: As You Like It (1963) n.d.
  11. ^ Billington 2015.
  12. ^ Willis 1991, p. 3.
  13. ^ Time Out London n.d.
  14. ^ Elley 1992.
  15. ^ Osborne 2003, p. 148.
  16. ^ Crowther 1940.
  17. ^ Academy Awards 1941.
  18. ^ BUFVC: The Merchant of Venice (1936) n.d.
  19. ^ Bamford 1999, p. 55.
  20. ^ BUFVC: The Merchant of Venice (1974) n.d.
  21. ^ Wayne 2004.
  22. ^ BBC 2001.
  23. ^ Wilders & Alexander 1982, pp. 18–19.
  24. ^ Brown 1995, p. 125.
  25. ^ Cannes 1959.
  26. ^ BUFVC: Sen Noci Svatojanske n.d.
  27. ^ Mereghetti & Pezzotta 2010.
  28. ^ BUFVC: Sogno di una Notte d'Estate n.d.
  29. ^ Tornabuoni 1983.
  30. ^ Rothwell 2000, pp. 51–2.
  31. ^ Graser 2014.
  32. ^ Flam, Charna (2023-10-19). "'Anyone but You' Trailer: Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell Show Off Their Chemistry in Steamy Rom-Com". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  33. ^ Munden 1997, p. 170.
  34. ^ Sydney Morning Herald 1962.
  35. ^ Sitsky & McPherson 2005.
  36. ^ BUFVC: The Taming of the Shrew (1967) n.d.
  37. ^ Burnett 2012, p. 240.
  38. ^ Brady 1989, pp. 38–44.
  39. ^ The Canberra Times & 10 October 1966.
  40. ^ Waites 1993, p. 234.
  41. ^ Pang 2002, p. 26.
  42. ^ Lei 2012, pp. 251–84.
  43. ^ Du Verger 2009, pp. 271–94.
  44. ^ Howard 2007, p. 318.
  45. ^ Bevington 2011, pp. 147–8.
  46. ^ Guneratne 2006, p. 38.
  47. ^ Buchanan 2011, p. 476.
  48. ^ Rothwell & Melzer 1990, pp. 58–9.
  49. ^ a b Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema: Modi, Sohrab Merwanji 2014.
  50. ^ Rishi 2012.
  51. ^ Film Heritage Foundation: Khoon ka Khoon n.d.
  52. ^ Dickson 2015, pp. 229–30.
  53. ^ Robertson 1986, p. 40.
  54. ^ Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema: Sahu, Kishore 2014.
  55. ^ Kennedy & Lan 2010, p. 86.
  56. ^ BUFVC: Quella Sporca Storia del West n.d.
  57. ^ Academy Awards 1991.
  58. ^ BAFTA Awards 1992.
  59. ^ Rotten Tomatoes: Hamlet 1996.
  60. ^ Ebert 1997.
  61. ^ Berardinelli n.d.
  62. ^ BUFVC: Let the Devil Wear Black n.d.
  63. ^ Vaughan & Vaughan 2012, p. 167.
  64. ^ Kanfer 2009, p. 109.
  65. ^ Gielgud 1979, p. 130.
  66. ^ Crowther 1953.
  67. ^ DiMare 2011, p. 582.
  68. ^ BUFVC: Julius Caesar (1970) n.d.
  69. ^ Garber 2007.
  70. ^ Canby 1971.
  71. ^ Hagopian 1998.
  72. ^ Sterritt 1999, p. 20.
  73. ^ Lehmann et al. 2015, p. 90.
  74. ^ Griggs 2009, p. 27.
  75. ^ Gale 2003, pp. 370–2.
  76. ^ Macmillan 2002.
  77. ^ BUFVC: Macbeth (1908) n.d.
  78. ^ BUFVC: Macbeth (1911) n.d.
  79. ^ BUFVC: Macbeth (1913) n.d.
  80. ^ Bennett 2015.
  81. ^ Bennett 2008.
  82. ^ Buchanan 2014, p. 184.
  83. ^ a b McKernan 2008.
  84. ^ Crosby 1955.
  85. ^ BUFVC: Macbeth (1954) n.d.
  86. ^ Jackson 2007, pp. 310–11.
  87. ^ Davies & Wells 1994, p. 34.
  88. ^ Sydney Morning Herald 1960.
  89. ^ Jackson 2007, p. 331.
  90. ^ BUFVC: Macbeth (1982) n.d.
  91. ^ Cannes 1987.
  92. ^ Burnett 2012, pp. 23–54.
  93. ^ Urban & Keller 2006.
  94. ^ Martin 2012.
  95. ^ The Guardian & 4 April 2012.
  96. ^ Thoopkrajae 2012.
  97. ^ Hadfield 2005, p. 1.
  98. ^ Crowther 1955.
  99. ^ Kelly n.d.
  100. ^ Howard 2007, p. 321.
  101. ^ Axmaker n.d.
  102. ^ Howard 1965.
  103. ^ Animating Out of Spite. Animation Obsessive. 2021-10-24.
  104. ^ "Othello-67" on Youtube
  105. ^ Willems 2007, p. 36.
  106. ^ a b c Brooke n.d.
  107. ^ Hodgdon & Worthen 2005, pp. 130–1.
  108. ^ The Indian Express & 10 May 1998.
  109. ^ Scheib 2004.
  110. ^ Abel 2005, p. 489.
  111. ^ Ball 2013, pp. 23–8.
  112. ^ Ball 2013, pp. 235–9, 363–5.
  113. ^ Bennett 2009.
  114. ^ Fort Lee Film Commission 2006, p. 64.
  115. ^ Ball 2013, pp. 235–6, 239–41, 364–5.
  116. ^ Nugent 1936.
  117. ^ Jackson 2007, p. 332.
  118. ^ BUFVC: Romeo and Juliet (1968) n.d.
  119. ^ Roberts 2009, p. 467.
  120. ^ Buchanan 2009, pp. 4, 23, 40–2, 57–73.
  121. ^ Kachur 1991.
  122. ^ BUFVC: Said-E-Havas n.d.
  123. ^ Thakur 2014, p. 22.
  124. ^ Das 2005, p. 56.
  125. ^ Malick 2005, p. 103.
  126. ^ Verma 2005, pp. 272, 275.
  127. ^ Verma 2012, p. 84.
  128. ^ Musgrove 1960.
  129. ^ Walton & Jeffrey 2016.
  130. ^ Howard 2007, pp. 5, 15–16.
  131. ^ BUFVC: Prospero's Books n.d.
  132. ^ Vaughan & Vaughan 2011, pp. 157–60.
  133. ^ Howard 2007, p. 309.
  134. ^ Channel Canada n.d.
  135. ^ Polt 1966–1967.

Sources

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Further reading

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