King John is the title of the earliest known example of any film based on Shakespeare, a very short silent film made in black and white in 1899. Nederlands Filmmuseum has a section of it lasting under 2 minutes long.
It was directed by William Kennedy, Laurie Dickinson and Walter Pfeffer Dando. Photography by William Kennedy and Laurie Dickson. A British film, the production company was British Mutoscope and Biograph Company.