List of William Shakespeare film adaptations
More than 420 feature-length film and TV versions of William Shakespeare's plays have been produced, making Shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language.[1] Some are faithful to the original story and text, while others are adaptations that use only the plots rather than his dialogue.
Comedies
All's Well That Ends Well
- All's Well That Ends Well (TV, UK, 1968)
- Directors: John Barton, Claude Whatham
- Lynn Farleigh (Helena), Ian Richardson (Count Bertram), Catherine Lacey (The Countess of Rousillon), Sebastian Shaw (The King of France), Clive Swift (Parolles), Caroline Hunt (Diana), Elizabeth Spriggs (A Widow of Florence), Brewster Mason (Lafew), Ian Hogg (Lavatch)
- All's Well That Ends Well (TV, USA, 1978)
- Director: Wilford Leach
- Pamela Reed (Helena), Marc Linn (Count Bertram), Elizabeth Wilson (The Countess of Rousillon), Larry Pines (Parolles), Frances Conroy (Diana), Barbara Williams (A Widow of Florence), John Ferraro (Lavatch)
- Director: Elijah Moshinsky
- Angela Down (Helena), Ian Charleson (Count Bertram), Celia Johnson (The Countess of Rousillon), Donald Sinden (The King of France), Peter Jeffrey (Parolles), Pippa Guard (Diana), Rosemary Leach (A Widow of Florence), Michael Hordern (Lafew), Paul Brooke (Lavatch)
- Director: Marianne Elliott
- Michelle Terry (Helena), George Rainsford (Count Bertram), Claire Higgings (The Countess of Rousillon), Oliver Ford Davies (The King of France), Conleth Hill (Parolles)
As You Like It
Main article:
As You Like It
- As You Like It (USA, 1912)
- Directors: J. Stuart Blackton, Charles Kent, James Young
- Rose Coghlan (Rosalind), Maurice Costello (Orlando), Rosemary Theby (Celia), Charles Kent (Jaques), Robert McWade Sr (Touchstone), Harry T. Morey (Duke Frederick), Tefft Johnson (Duke Senior), Robert Gaillard (Oliver), Charles Eldridge (Corin), George Ober (Adam), Rose Tapley (Phebe), James W. Morrison (Silvius), Kate Price (Audrey)
- Love in a Wood (UK, 1915)
- Director: Maurice Elvey
- Elisabeth Risdon (Rosalind), Gerald Ames (Orlando), Vera Cunningham (Celia), Frank Stanmore (Touch-stone), Kenelm Foss (Oliver)
- Director: Paul Czinner
- Elisabeth Bergner (Rosalind), Laurence Olivier (Orlando), Sophie Stewart (Celia), Leon Quartermaine (Jaques), Mackenzie Ward (Touchstone), Felix Aylmer (Duke Frederick), Henry Ainley (Duke Senior), John Laurie (Oliver), Aubrey Mather (Corin), J. Fisher White (Adam), Joan White (Phebe), Richard Ainley (Silvius), Dorice Fordred (Audrey)
- As You Like It (TV, UK, 1963)
- Directors: Michael Elliott, Ronald Eyre
- Vanessa Redgrave (Rosalind), Patrick Allen (Orlando), Rosalind Knight (Celia), Max Adrian (Jaques), Patrick Wymark (Touchstone), Tony Church (Duke Frederick), Paul Hardwick (Duke Senior), David Buck (Oliver), Russell Hunter (Corin), Clifford Rose (Adam), Jeanne Hepple (Phebe), Peter Gill (Silvius), Patsy Byrne (Audrey)
- Director: Basil Coleman
- Helen Mirren (Rosalind), Brian Stirner (Orlando), Angharad Rees (Celia), Richard Pasco (Jaques), James Bolam (Touchstone), Richard Easton (Duke Frederick), Tony Church (Duke Senior), Clive Francis (Oliver), David Lloyd Meredith (Corin), Arthur Hewlett (Adam), Victoria Plucknett (Phebe), Maynard Williams (Silvius), Marilyn Le Conte (Audrey)
- As You Like It (TV, Canada, 1983)
- Director: 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 (UK, 1992)
- Director: Christine Edzard
- Emma Croft (Rosalind), Andrew Tiernan (Orlando/Oliver), Celia Bannerman (Celia), James Fox (Jaques), Griff Rhys Jones (Touchstone), Don Henderson (Duke Frederick/Duke Senior), Roger Hammond (Corin), Cyril Cusack (Adam), Valerie Gogan (Phebe), Ewen Bremmer (Silvius), Miriam Margolyes (Audrey)
- Director: Alexei Karaev
- Sylvestra Le Touzel (Rosalind), John McAndrew (Orlando), Maria Miles (Celia/Audrey), Nathaniel Parker (Jaques/Oliver), Peter Gunn (Touchstone), Christopher Benjamin (Duke Frederick/Corin), Garard Green (Duke Senior/Adam), Eiry Thomas (Phebe), David Holt (Silvius)
- Director: Kenneth Branagh
- Bryce Dallas Howard (Rosalind), David Oyelowo (Orlando), Romola Garai (Celia), Kevin Kline (Jaques), Alfred Molina (Touchstone), Brian Blessed (Duke Frederick/Duke Senior), Adrian Lester (Oliver), Jimmy Yuill (Corin), Richard Briers (Adam), Jade Jefferies (Phebe), Alex Wyndham (Silvius), Janet McTeer (Audrey)
- As You Like It (TV, CA, 2010)
- Directors: Robert Budreau, Des McAnuff
- Andrea Runge (Rosalind), Paul Nolan (Orlando), Brent Carver (Jaques), Ben Carlson (Touchstone), Tom Rooney (Duke Frederick/Duke Senior)
- As You Like It (Video, UK, 2010)
- Naomi Frederick (Rosalind), Jack Laskey (Orlando), Laura Rogers (Celia), Tim McMullan (Jaques), Dominic Rowan (Touchstone), Brendan Hughes (Duke Frederick), Philip Bird (Duke Senior), Jamie Parker (Oliver), Trevor Martin (Adam), Sophie Duval (Audrey)
The Comedy of Errors
- A. Edward Sutherland director
- Allan Jones as 7Antipholus of Ephesus/Antipholus of Syracuse
- Joe Penner as Dromio of Ephesus/Dromio of Syracuse
- Festival The Comedy of Errors (TV, UK, 1967)
- Peter Duguid, Clifford Williams directors
- Ian Richardson and Alec McCowen as Antipholus of Ephesus and Syracuse
- Clifford Rose and Barry MacGregor as Dromio of Ephesus and Syracuse
- The Comedy of Errors (TV, UK, 1978)
- Philip Casson - Director
- Mike Gwilym and Roger Rees as Antipholus of Ephesus and Syracuse
- Nickolas Grace and Michael Williams as Dromio of Ephesus and Syracuse
- Gulzar director
- Sanjeev Kumar as the two Ashoks
- Deven Verman as the two Bahadurs
- James Cellan Jones director
- Michael Kitchen as Antipholus of Ephesus/Antipholus of Syracuse
- Roger Daltrey as Dromio of Ephesus/Dromio of Syracuse
- The Comedy of Errors (TV, USA, 1987)
- Robert Woodruff director
- Howard Jay Patterson and Paul David Magid as Antipholus of Ephesus and Syracuse
- Randy Nelson and Samuel Ross Williams as Dromio of Ephesus and Syracuse
- The Comedy of Errors (TV, CA, 1989)
- Director: Richard Monette
- Geordie Johnson (Antipholus of Ephesus/Antipholus of Syracuse), Keith Dinicol as (Dromio of Ephesus/Dromio of Syracuse), Nicholos Pennell (Egeon), James Blendick (The Duke of Ephesus), Goldie Semple (Adriana), Kate Hennig (Luciana), Douglas Chamberlain (Angelo), Wenna Shaw (Emilia)
Cymbeline
- Lucius Henderson director
- William Russell as Cymbeline
- Florence La Badie as Imogen
- Elijah Moshinsky director
- Richard Johnson as Cymbeline
- Helen Mirren as Imogen
Love's Labour's Lost
- Basil Coleman director
- Martin Shaw as Ferdinand
- Lorna Heilbron as the Princess of France
- Elijah Moshinsky director
- Jonathan Kent as Ferdinand
- Maureen Lipman as the Princess of France
- Kenneth Branagh director
- Alessandro Nivola as Ferdinand
- Alicia Silverstone as the Princess of France
Measure For Measure
- Desmond Davis director
- Kenneth Colley as Duke Vincentio
- Kate Nelligan as Isabella
- Performance Measure for Measure (TV, UK, 1995)
- David Thacker director
- Tom Wilkinson as Duke Vincentio
- Juliet Aubrey as Isabella
The Merchant of Venice
- The Merchant of Venice (UK, 1922)
- Challis Sanderson director
- Ivan Berlyn as Shylock
- Sybil Thorndike as Portia
- The Merchant of Venice (TV, UK, 1947)
- George More O'Ferrall director
- Abraham Sofaer as Shylock
- Margaretta Scott as Portia
- Hal Burton director
- Michael Hordern as Shylock
- Rachel Gurney as Portia
- Cedric Messina director
- Frank Finlay as Shylock
- Maggie Smith as Portia
- The Merchant of Venice (USA, 1973)
- John Sichel director
- Laurence Olivier as Shylock
- Joan Plowright as Portia
- The Merchant of Venice (TV, CA, 1976)
- John Sichel director
- Antony Holland as Shylock
- Trish Grange as Portia
- Jack Gold director
- Warren Mitchell as Shylock
- Gemma Jones as Portia
- The Merchant of Venice (TV, UK, 1996)
- Alan Horrox director
- Bob Peck as Shylock
- Haydn Gwynne as Portia
- Chris Hunt, Trevor Nunn directors
- Henry Goodman as Shylock
- Derbhle Crotty as Portia
- Don Selwyn director
- Waihoroi Shortland as Hairoka (Shylock)
- Ngarimu Daniels as Portia (Pohia)
- Michael Radford director
- Al Pacino as Shylock
- Lynn Collins as Portia
The Merry Wives of Windsor
- Julian Amyes director
- Robert Atkins as Falstaff
- Betty Huntley-Wright as Mistress Ford
- Orson Welles director
- Orson Welles as Falstaff
- Keith Baxter as Hal
- The Merry Wives of Windsor (TV, USA, 1970)
- Jack Manning director
- Leon Charles as Falstaff
- Valerine Seelie-Snyder as Mistress Ford
- Christian Ebil director
- Richard Griffiths as Falstaff
- Judy Davis as Mistress Ford
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Performances
- Max Reinhardt director
- Olivia de Havilland as Hermia
- James Cagney as Bottom
- Mickey Rooney as Puck
- Peter Hall director
- Judi Dench as Titania
- Paul Rogers as Bottom
- Diana Rigg as Helena
- David Warner as Lysander
- Ian Holm as Puck
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Robert Saakiants director
- Suzanne Bertish as the voice of Titania
- Bernard Hill as the voice of Bottom
- A Midsummer Night's Dream Royal Shakespeare Company film (UK, 1995)
- Adrian Noble director
- Lindsay Duncan as Titania
- Desmond Barrit as Bottom
- Michael Hoffman director
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Titania
- Kevin Kline as Bottom
- Rupert Everett as Oberon
- Calista Flockhart as Helena
- Stanley Tucci as Puck
- Midsummer (USA, 1999) sets the Dream story against a surreal backdrop of techno clubs and ancient symbols.
- James Kerwin screenplay and director
- Travis Schuldt as Demetrius
- The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream (UK, 2001) is a film of the play, performed by a cast of children
- Christine Edzard director
Adaptations
- sueve El Sueño de una noche de San Juan (aka "Midsummer Dream", Spain and Portugal, 2005) is an animated adaptation of the Cream story.
- Ángel de la Cruz and Manolo Gómez directors
- Get Over It (2001), a modern musical adaptation set at a highschool 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.
- Sharon Small as Titania
- Lennie James as Oberon
- Johnny Vegas as Bottom
- The 2008 movie, Were the World Mine, is inspired by the play, and prominently features a modern 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."
Much Ado About Nothing
Performances
- Much Ado About Nothing (TV, US, 1973) (videotaped)
- A CBS Television Adaptation of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival Production
- Sam Waterston as Benedick
- Kathleen Widdoes as Beatrice
- Barnard Hughes as Dogberry
- Douglass Watson as Don Pedro
- Nick Havinga and A.J. Antoon, directors
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Kenneth Branagh director and as Benedick
- Emma Thompson as Beatrice
- Denzel Washington as Don Pedro
- Robert Sean Leonard as Claudio
- Kate Beckinsale as Hero
- Michael Keaton as Dogberry
- Keanu Reeves as Don John
Adaptations
- Sarah Parish as Beatrice
- Damian Lewis as Benedick
- Billie Piper as Hero
- Martin Jarvis as Leonard (the Leonato character)
- Amy Acker as Beatrice
- Alexis Denisof as Benedick
- Fran Kranz as Claudio
- Jillian Morgese as Hero
- Nathan Fillion as Dogberry
- Clark Gregg as Leonato
- Reed Diamond as Don Pedro
- Sean Maher as Don John
Pericles
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
The Taming of the Shrew
Performances
- Mary Pickford as Katherine
- Douglas Fairbanks as Petruchio
- Franco Zeffirelli director
- Elizabeth Taylor as Katherine
- Richard Burton as Petruchio
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Jonathan Miller, director
- John Cleese as Petruchio
- Sarah Badel as Katherine
- Quantum Leap The Taming of the Shrew (aka "The Shakespeare Collection") (TV/video, USA, 19??)
- John Allinson director
- Karen Austin as Katherine
- Franklin Seales as Petruchio
- Aida Ziablikova director
- Amanda Root as the voice of Katherine
- Nigel Le Vaillant as the voice of Petruchio
Adaptations
- Howard Keel as 'Petruchio'
- Kathryn Grayson as 'Katerina'
- Ann Miller as 'Bianca'
- Moonlighting (TV, USA; 25 Nov 1986 episode "Atomic Shakespeare") 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.
- Will Mackenzie director
- Cybill Shepherd as Katerina
- Bruce Willis as Petruchio
- Julia Stiles as Kat
- Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cameron
- Larisa Oleynik as Bianca
- Shirley Henderson as Katherine
- Rufus Sewell as Petruchio
- Shrew in the Park (Canada, TV, 2003)
- Andrew Honor director
The Tempest
Performances
- Edwin Thanhouser director
- George Schaefer director
- Maurice Evans as Prospero
- Richard Burton as Caliban
- Lee Remick as Miranda
- Roddy McDowall as Ariel
- Derek Jarman director
- Heathcote Williams as Prospero
- Toyah Willcox as Miranda
- "Stormy Weather" sung by Elisabeth Welch
- Michael Hordern as Prospero
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- The Tempest (aka "The Shakespeare Collection") (TV/video, USA, 1983)
- William Woodman director
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Prospero
- Peter Greenaway director
- John Gielgud as Prospero
- Isabelle Pasco as Miranda
- Stanislav Sokolov director
- Timothy West as the voice of Prospero
- Julie Taymor director
- Helen Mirren as Prospera
- The gender of main character Prospero was changed to Prospera so Mirren could take the role.[2]
- David Strathairn as King of Naples
- Djimon Hounsou as Caliban
- Russell Brand as Trinculo
- Alfred Molina as Stephano
- Ben Whishaw as Ariel
- Felicity Jones as Miranda
- Reeve Carney as Ferdinand
- Chris Cooper as Antonio
- Alan Cumming as Sebastian
Adaptations
- William A. Wellman director
- Gregory Peck as Stretch
- Fred M. Wilcox director
- Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Edward Morbius
- Anne Francis as Altaira 'Alta' Morbius
- Leslie Nielsen as Commander J. J. Adams
- Paul Mazursky director
- John Cassavetes as Phillip Dimitrious
- Molly Ringwald as Miranda
- Susan Sarandon as Aretha
- Raul Julia as Kalibanos
- Peter Greenaway director
- John Gielgud as Prospero
- Jack Bender director
- Peter Fonda as Gideon Prosper
- Per Åhlin director, manuscript
- Karl Rasmusson manuscript
Twelfth Night
Main article:
Twelfth Night
Performances
- Twelfth Night (film, USA, 1910)
- Eugene Mullin and Charles Kent directors
- Julia Swayne Gordon as Olivia
- Charles Kent as Malvolio
- Florence Turner as Viola
- Edith Storey as Sebastain
- Tefft Johnson as Orsino
- Marin Sais as Maria
- William Humphrey as Sir Toby Belch
- James Young as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
- Twelfth Night (aka Dvenadtsataya noch) (USSR, 1955) Yan Frid director
- Twelfth Night (TV, UK, 1969)(videotaped)
- John Sichel and John Dexter directors
- Joan Plowright as Viola and Sebastian
- Alec Guinness as Malvolio
- Ralph Richardson as Sir Toby Belch
- Tommy Steele as an unusually prominent Feste
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Kenneth Branagh director
- Richard Briers as Malvolio
- Caroline Langrishe as Olivia
- music by Pat Doyle
- (TRIVIA: the arrangement of Come Away Death in this production is an adaptation of Paul McCartney's Once Upon A Long Ago.)
- Maria Muat director
- Fiona Shaw
- Hugh Grant
- William Rushton as the voice of Sir Toby Belch
- Trevor Nunn director
- Imogen Stubbs as Viola
- Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia
- Toby Stephens as Orsino
- Nigel Hawthorne as Malvolio
- Mel Smith as Sir Toby Belch
- Richard E. Grant as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
- Ben Kingsley as Feste
- Twelfth Night, or What You Will (TV, UK, 2003) (videotaped)
- Tim Supple director
- Parminder Nagra as Viola
- Ronny Jhutti as Sebastian
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Orsino
- Claire Price as Olivia
- Maureen Beattie as Maria
- David Troughton as Sir Toby Belch
- Richard Bremner as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
- Zubin Varla as Feste
- Michael Maloney as Malvolio
Adaptations
- She's the Man (US, 2006) adapts the story to a high-school setting
- Andy Fickman director
- Amanda Bynes as Viola
- Channing Tatum as Duke Orsino
- Laura Ramsey as Olivia
- James Kirk as Sebastian
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
The Winter's Tale
Performances
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Stanislav Sokolov director
- Anton Lesser
- Jenny Agutter
- The Winter's Tale, a straight-to-video filming of the 1999 RSC Barbican production.
- Greg Doran director
- Antony Sher as Leontes
Adaptations
- RSC Production Casebook – The Winter's Tale a straight-to-video 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.
Tragedies
Antony and Cleopatra
Performances
- Charlton Heston, director and star, as Antony
- Hildegarde Neil as Cleopatra
- Eric Porter as Enobarbus
- Jon Scoffield director (television version) Trevor Nunn director (stage version)
- Janet Suzman as Cleopatra
- Richard Johnson as Antony
- Patrick Stewart as Enobarbus
- (TRIVIA: This was his first television role.)
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
Adaptations
- Gerald Thomas director
- Kenneth Williams as Caesar
- Sid James as Mark Antony
- Amanda Barrie as Cleopatra
- Jayaraaj director
- Lal as Manikyan
- Siddique as Choman
- Nandita Das as Kannaki
Coriolanus
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus
- Gerard Butler as Tullus Aufidius
- Vanessa Redgrave as Volumnia
- Brian Cox as Menenius
Hamlet
- This is a summary of the main article Hamlet on screen.
- See also the main article for the play Hamlet.
The most significant screen performances are:
- Hamlet (Germany, 1920) Svend Gade & Heinz Schall directors
- Hamlet (UK, 1948) Laurence Olivier director
- Hamlet, Prinz von Dänemark (West Germany, 1961) Franz Peter Wirth director
- Hamlet (aka Gamlet) (Russia, 1964) Grigori Kozintsev director
- Hamlet (aka Richard Burton's Hamlet) (1964), Bill Colleran and John Gielgud directors
- Hamlet at Elsinore (TV, UK, 1964) Philip Saville director
- Hamlet (UK, 1969) Tony Richardson director
- BBC Television Shakespeare Hamlet (TV, UK, 1980) Rodney Bennett director (a videotaped production)
- Hamlet (USA, 1990) Franco Zeffirelli director
- The Animated Shakespeare Hamlet (TV, Russia and UK, 1992) Natalia Orlova director
- Hamlet (UK, 1996) Kenneth Branagh director
- Hamlet (USA, 2000) Michael Almereyda director (Modern Retelling)
- The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark (2007) (AUS, 2007) Oscar Redding director
Adaptations, and films using elements of "Hamlet" include:
- The Bad Sleep Well (aka Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru) (Japan, 1960) Akira Kurosawa director
- Strange Brew (Canada, 1983) Dave Thomas & Rick Moranis directors.
- Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (USA, 1990) Tom Stoppard director
- Renaissance Man (USA, 1994) Penny Marshall director
- The Lion King (USA, 1994) Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff directors.
- In The Bleak Midwinter (aka "A Midwinter's Tale") (UK, 1996) Kenneth Branagh director
- Let the Devil Wear Black (USA, 1999) Stacy Title director
- The Banquet, (China, 2006) Feng Xiaogang, director
- Karmayogi (2011 film), (India, 2011) V K Prakash, director
Julius Caesar
Performances
- David Bradley director and as Brutus
- Harold Tasker as Caesar
- Charlton Heston as Mark Antony
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz director
- James Mason as Brutus
- John Gielgud as Cassius
- Marlon Brando as Mark Antony
- Charlton Heston as Mark Antony
- Jason Robards as Brutus
- John Gielgud as Caesar
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Yuri Kulakov director
- Joss Ackland as the voice of Julius Caesar
Adaptations
- Gerald Thomas director
- Kenneth Williams as Caesar
- Sid James as Mark Antony
- Amanda Barrie as Cleopatra
King Lear
- See also its section on screen adaptations.
Performances
- Peter Brook/Andrew McCullough director
- Orson Welles as Lear
- Peter Brook director
- Paul Scofield as Lear
- Grigori Kozintsev director
- Jüri Järvet as Lear
- James Earl Jones as Lear
- Raul Julia as Edmund
- Rene Auberjonois as Edgar
- Rosalind Cash as Goneril
- Douglass Watson as Kent
- King Lear (TV, UK, 1976)(videotaped)
- Tony Davenall director
- Patrick Magee as Lear
- Beth Harris as Goneril
- Ann Lynn as Regan
- Wendy Alnutt as Cordelia
- Patrick Mower as Edmund
- Robert Coleby as Edgar
- Jonathan Miller director
- Michael Hordern as Lear
- Frank Middlemass as the Fool
- Brenda Blethyn as Cordelia
- Anton Lesser as Edgar
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Michael Elliot director
- Laurence Olivier as Lear
- Leo McKern as Gloucester
- Robert Lindsay as Edmund
- John Hurt as The Fool
- David Threlfall as Edgar
- King Lear (TV, UK, 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.
- Richard Eyre director
- Ian Holm as Lear
- Barbara Flynn as Goneril
- Amanda Redman as Regan
- Victoria Hamilton as Cordelia
- Timothy West as Gloucester
- Finbar Lynch as Edmund
- Paul Rhys as Edgar
- Brian Blessed director and as Lear
- Hildegard Neil as Fool
Adaptations
- Jean-Luc Godard director and Professor Pluggy (equivalent to the Fool)
- Burgess Meredith as Don Learo
- Molly Ringwald as Cordelia
- Peter Sellars as William Shakespeare Junior the Fifth
- Woody Allen as Mr. Alien
- Ran (Japan, 1985) is an adaptation of the Lear story to a Japanese setting.
- Akira Kurosawa director
- Tatsuya Nakadai as Lord Hidetora (equivalent to King Lear)
- Peter (equivalent to the Fool)
- A Thousand Acres (USA, 1997) is a modern retelling of the Lear story, from the perspective of the Goneril character (Ginny).
- Jocelyn Moorhouse director
- Jason Robards as Larry Cook
- Jessica Lange as Ginny
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Rose
- Jennifer Jason Leigh as Caroline
- King of Texas (TV, USA, 2002) is a Western adaptation of King Lear.
- Uli Edel director
- Patrick Stewart as John Lear
Macbeth
- This is a summary of the main article Macbeth on screen.
The most significant screen performances are:
- Macbeth (USA, 1948), Orson Welles director
- Macbeth (1954 TV special), (USA, 1954), George Schaefer, director, a live television production now preserved on kinescope
- Macbeth (1960 film), (UK, 1960), George Schaefer director, a filmed-on-location adaptation with the same two stars and director as the 1954 production. Shown on TV in the U.S. and in theatres in Europe
- 'Play of the Month' Macbeth (1965 TV, UK), John Gorrie director
- Macbeth (USA and UK, 1971), Roman Polanski director
- Macbeth (UK, 1978, Royal Shakespeare Company), Philip Casson director
- Macbeth (UK, 1981), Arthur Allan Seidelman director
- BBC Television Shakespeare Macbeth (TV, UK, 1983)
- Macbeth (UK, 1997), Jeremy Freeston and Brian Blessed directors
- Macbeth (TV, UK, 1998), Michael Bogdanov director
- The Animated Shakespeare Macbeth (TV, Russia and UK, 1992), Nicolai Serebryakov director
- Macbeth (Video, UK, 2001, Royal Shakespeare Company), Greg Doran director
- Macbeth (2006 film) (Australia, 2006), Geoffrey Wright director
- Macbeth (2010 film) (UK, 2010), Rupert Goold director
The most significant screen adaptations are:
- Joe MacBeth (UK, 1955), Ken Hughes director
- Throne of Blood (aka Cobweb Castle or Kumonosu-jo) (Japan, 1957), Akira Kurosawa director
- Men of Respect (USA 1991), William Reilly director
- Rave Macbeth (Germany, 2001)
- Scotland, PA (USA, 2001), Billy Morrissette director
- Maqbool (India, 2004), Vishal Bharadwaj director
- ShakespeaRe-Told Macbeth (UK, TV, 2005)
Othello
Performances
- Othello (Silent, Germany, 1922)
- Dimitri Buchowetzki director
- Emil Jannings as Othello
- David MacKane director
- Sebastian Cabot as Iago
- Sheila Raynor as Emilia
- Luanna Shaw as Desdemona
- John Slater as Othello
- These are the only actors in this 45-minute condensation.
- Orson Welles director and as Othello
- Michael MacLiammoir as Iago
- Suzanne Cloutier as Desdemona
- Sergei Yutkevich director and screenplay
- Sergei Bondarchuk as Othello
- Irina Skobtseva as Desdemona
- Andrei Popov as Iago
- Stuart Burge director
- Laurence Olivier as Othello
- Frank Finlay as Iago
- Maggie Smith as Desdemona
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Anthony Hopkins as Othello
- Trevor Nunn director
- Willard White (the opera singer) as Othello
- Imogen Stubbs as Desdemona
- Ian McKellen as Iago
- Nicolai Serebryakov director
- Colin McFarlane as the voice of Othello
- Gerald McSorley as the voice of Iago
- Sian Thomas as the voice of Desdemona
- Oliver Parker director
- Laurence Fishburne as Othello
- Kenneth Branagh as Iago
- Irene Jacob as Desdemona
Adaptations
- A Double Life (USA, 1947) is a film noir adaptation of the Othello story, in which an actor playing the moor takes on frightening aspects of his character's personality.
- George Cukor director
- Ronald Colman as Anthony John
- Basil Dearden director
- Patrick McGoohan as Johnnie Cousin (Iago)
- Keith Michell as Cass (Cassio)
- Paul Harris as Aurelius Rex (Othello)
- Marti Stevens as Delia Lane (Desdemona)
- Patrick McGoohan director
- Richie Havens as Othello
- Lance LeGault as Iago
- Season Hubley as Desdemona
- Tony Joe White as Cassio
- Jayaraaj director
- Suresh Gopi as Kannan Perumalayan (Othello)
- Lal as Paniyan (Iago)
- Biju Menon as Kanthan (Cassio)
- Manju Warrier as Thamara (Desdemona)
- O (USA, made in 1999, but not released until 2001) is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.
- Tim Blake Nelson director
- Mekhi Phifer as Odin James
- Josh Hartnett as Hugo
- Julia Stiles as Desi
- Vishal Bharadwaj director
- Ajay Devgan as Omkara 'Omi' Shukla (Othello)
- Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi (Iago)
- Vivek Oberoi as Kesu Firangi (Cassio)
- Kareena Kapoor as Dolly Mishra (Desdemona)
- Konkona Sen Sharma as Indu (Emilia)
- Bipasha Basu as Billo Chamanbahar (Bianca)
- Naseeruddin Shah as Bhaisaab (Duke of Venice)
- Deepak Dobriyal as Rajan ’Rajju’ Tiwari (Roderigo)
- Iago (Italy, 2009) is an adaptation directed by Volfango De Biasi.
- Iago (Nicolas Vaporidis) is an architecture school student about to graduate who falls in love with his fellow student Desdemona (Laura Chiatti), the noble and beautiful daughter of the academic dean, professor Brabanzio (Gabriele Lavia). Both his career and love hopes are ruined when Otello (Aurelien Gaya), a young and handsome french nobleman, comes on the scene. With the help of his friends Emilia (Giulia Steigerwalt) and Roderigo (Lorenzo Gleijeses), Iago will achieve his revenge by playing everyone against each other through a complex scheme of lies.
Romeo and Juliet
- This is a brief of the main articles Romeo and Juliet on screen and Romeo and Juliet (films), where a complete list may be found.
- See also the main article for the play Romeo and Juliet.
The most significant screen performances are:
- Romeo and Juliet (USA, 1908), J. Stuart Blackton director
- Romeo and Juliet (USA, 1936), George Cukor director
- Romeo and Juliet (UK, 1954), Renato Castellani director
- Romeo and Juliet (Italy, 1968), Franco Zeffirelli director
- BBC Television Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet (TV, UK, 1978) (videotaped)
- The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (USA, 1982), William Woodman director
- The Animated Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet (TV, Russia and UK, 1992) Efim Gamburg director
- Romeo+Juliet (USA, 1996) Baz Luhrmann director
The most significant screen adaptations are:
Timon of Athens
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Jonathan Miller Director
- Jonathan Pryce as Timon
- Norman Rodway as Apemantus
- John Bird and John Fortune as the Painter and the Poet
Titus Andronicus
Performances
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Julie Taymor director
- Anthony Hopkins as Titus Andronicus
- Jessica Lange as Tamora
- Alan Cumming as Saturninus
- Titus Andronicus (USA, 1999)
- Christopher Dunne director
- Robert Reece (actor) as Titus Andronicus
- Candy K. Sweet as Tamora
Troilus and Cressida
Performances
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
Histories
Henry IV Part 1
Performances
- An Age of Kings (UK, TV, Miniseries 1960)
- Michael Hayes director
- Tom Fleming as Henry IV
- Robert Hardy as Hal
- Frank Pettingell as Falstaff
- Sean Connery as Hotspur
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Anthony Quayle as Falstaff
- Jon Finch as Henry IV
- David Gwillim as Hal
- Tim Pigott-Smith as Hotspur
- The War of the Roses Henry IV Part 1 (UK, 1990) is a direct filming, from the stage, of Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington's 7-play sequence based on Shakespeare's history plays.
- Henry IV, Part 1 (UK, TV, BBC2, 2012)
- Richard Eyre director
- Jeremy Irons as Henry IV
- Tom Hiddleston as Hal
- Simon Russell Beale as Falstaff
- Joe Armstrong as Hotspur
Adaptations
- Orson Welles director and as Falstaff
- Keith Baxter as Hal
- John Gielgud as Henry IV
- Gus Van Sant director
- River Phoenix as Mike Waters
- Keanu Reeves as Scott Favor
Henry IV Part 2
Performances
- Michael Hayes director
- Tom Fleming as Henry IV
- Robert Hardy as Hal
- Frank Pettingell as Falstaff
- Directed by John Barton and Peter Hall
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Anthony Quayle as Falstaff
- Jon Finch as Henry IV
- David Gwillim as Hal
- Richard Eyre director
- Jeremy Irons as Henry IV
- Tom Hiddleston as Hal
- Simon Russell Beale as Falstaff
Adaptations
- Orson Welles director and as Falstaff
- Keith Baxter as Hal
- John Gielgud as Henry IV
Henry V
Main article:
Henry V (play)
Performances
- Laurence Olivier director and as Henry V
- Michael Hayes director
- Robert Hardy as Henry V
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Kenneth Branagh director and as Henry V
- Ian Holm as Fluellen
- Brian Blessed as Exeter
- Emma Thompson as Katherine
Adaptations
- Orson Welles director and as Falstaff
- Keith Baxter as Hal
- John Gielgud as Henry IV
Henry VI Part 1
Performances
- Michael Hayes director
- Terry Scully as Henry VI
- Eileen Atkins as Joan
- Directed by John Barton and Peter Hall
- David Warner as Henry VI
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
Henry VI Part 2
- Michael Hayes director
- Terry Scully as Henry VI
- Directed by John Barton and Peter Hall
- David Warner as Henry VI
- Ian Holm as Richard
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
Henry VI Part 3
- Michael Hayes director
- Terry Scully as Henry VI
- Julian Glover as Edward
- Paul Daneman as Richard
- Directed by John Barton and Peter Hall
- David Warner as Henry VI
- Ian Holm as Richard Duke of Gloucester
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
Henry VIII
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
King John
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
Richard II
Performances
- Michael Hayes director
- David William as Richard II
- Tom Fleming as Bolingbroke
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- Deborah Warner director
- Fiona Shaw as Richard II
- Richard Bremner as Bolingbroke
- Graham Crowden as John of Gaunt
- Kevin McKidd as Hotspur
- John Farrell director
- Matte Osian as Richard
Adaptations
- Orson Welles director and as Falstaff
- Keith Baxter as Hal
- John Gielgud as Henry IV
Richard III
Performances
- Laurence Olivier director and as Richard
- John Gielgud as Clarence
- Ralph Richardson as Buckingham
- Claire Bloom as Lady Anne
- Michael Hayes director
- Julian Glover as Edward IV
- Paul Daneman as Richard III
- Jerome Willis as Richmond
- Directed by John Barton and Peter Hall
- Ian Holm as Richard III
- Released in the USA as part of the "Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series.
- A direct filming, from the stage, of Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington's 7-play sequence based on Shakespeare's history plays.
- Natalia Orlova director
- Antony Sher as the voice of Richard
- Richard Loncraine director
- Ian McKellen as Richard
- Annette Bening as Elizabeth
- Nigel Hawthorne as Clarence
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Anne
- Maggie Smith as the Duchess of York
Adaptations
- The Goodbye Girl (USA, 1977) contains scenes in which the Richard Dreyfuss character rehearses and performs Richard III.
- The first series of The Black Adder (TV, UK, 1983), written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, is a parody of Shakespeare's plays, particularly Macbeth, Richard III and Henry V.
- Looking for Richard (USA, 1996) is 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.
Other
Shakespeare as a character
- John Madden director
- Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard screenwriters
- Joseph Fiennes as Will Shakespeare
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola De Lesseps
- Colin Firth as Lord Wessex
- Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I
- A Waste of Shame (UK, TV, 2005) is a dramatisation of Shakespeare's life at the time of writing the Sonnets.
- John McKay director
- Rupert Graves as Shakespeare
- Anna Chancellor as Anne Shakespeare
- Tom Sturridge as the Fair Youth (interpreted as William Herbert)
- Indira Varma as the Dark Lady (named Lucie)
- Andrew Tiernan as the Rival Poet (interpreted as Ben Jonson)
Acting Shakespeare
- Ernst Lubitsch director
- James Ivory director
- Felicity Kendal as Lizzie
- Shashi Kapoor as Sanju
- Madhur Jaffrey (later famous as a TV chef) as Manjula
- Mel Brooks director
- Jack Bender director
- Kenneth Branagh director
- Michael Maloney as Joe (Hamlet)
- Julia Sawalha as Nina (Ophelia)
Television series
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 19??) was an American spin-off from Playing Shakespeare (above) in which John Barton directs notable American actors in Shakespeare scenes.
- The first series of The Black Adder (TV, UK, 1983), written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, is a parody of Shakespeare's plays, particularly Macbeth, Richard III and Henry V.
- Conjuring Shakespeare (TV, UK, 199?) was 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) was a BBC documentary series of four 1-hour episodes, chronicling the life of William Shakespeare, written and presented by Michael Wood.
- Slings and Arrows (TV, Canada, 2003–2006) was 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) is a Brazilian adaptation of Slings and Arrows.
Academic
- 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
- 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 Two, Titus Andronicus, King Lear.
- Douglas Hickox director
- Vincent Price as Edward Lionheart
- Diana Rigg as Edwina Lionheart
References
- ^ Young, Mark (ed.). The Guinness Book of Records 1999, Bantam Books, 358; Voigts-Virchow, Eckartm (2004), Janespotting and Beyond: British Heritage Retrovisions Since the Mid-1990s, Gunter Narr Verlag, 92.
- ^ Mirren 'to star in Tempest film'
- ^ Howard, Tony Shakespeare's Cinematic Offshoots in Jackson, Russell (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000 ISBN 0512639751 295-313 at 296
- ^ Howard, Tony "Shakespeare's Cinematic Offshoots" in Jackson, Russell (ed.) "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film" (Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-521-63975-1) p.309
Further reading
- Brode, Douglas. "Shakespeare in the Movies: From the Silent Era to Today." (Oxford University Press, 2001).
- Buchanan, Judith. Shakespeare on Film. (Longman-Pearson, 2005). ISBN 0582437164.
- Buchanan, Judith. Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse. (Cambridge University Press, 2009). ISBN 0521871999.
- Buhler, Stephen. "Shakespeare in the Cinema: Ocular Proof", (State University of New York Press, 2002).
- Burt, Richard. Unspeakable ShaXXXspeares: Queer Theory and American Kiddie Culture. Revised, paperback edition with a new preface. (New York: St. Martin's Press / London: Macmillan Press, 1999), xxvii. 318 pp.
- Burt, Richard, ed. Shakespeares After Shakespeare: An Encyclopedia of the Bard in Mass Media and Popular Culture. 2 vol. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006), viii; 862 pp.
- Burt, Richard, ed. Shakespeare After Mass Media. (New York and London: Palgrave, 2002).
- Burt, Richard and Lynda Boose, ed. Shakespeare, the Movie II: Popularizing the Plays on Film, TV, Video and DVD. (New York and London: Routledge Press, 2003), xi, 340 pp.
- Burt, Richard and Lynda Boose, ed. Shakespeare, the Movie: Popularizing the Plays on Film, TV, and Video. (New York and London: Routledge Press, 1997), ix, 280 pp. Korean translation, 2001.
- Jackson, Russell (ed.) "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film" (Cambridge University Press, 2000).
- McKernan, Luke and Olwen Terris, Ed. "WALKING SHADOWS: Shakespeare in the National Film and Television Archive" (BFI Publishing, 1994). A detailed listing of performances, adaptations and allusions to Shakespeare in film and on television.
- Olwen Terris, Eve-Marie Oesterlen and Luke McKernan (ed.) "Shakespeare on Film, Television and Radio: The Researcher's Guide" (London, BUFVC Publishing, 2009)
- Pitcaithly, Marcus. Shakespeare on Film: An Encyclopedia (2010)
- ^ Rothwell, Kenneth S. "Shakespeare in silence: from stage to screen." A History of Shakespeare on Screen. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1999.
- Jackson, Russell. "Shakespeare Films in the Making: Vision, Production and Reception", (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
External links