Best film version of a Shakespere play?

Can anyone give me a complete list of Shakesperes work and tell me the best adaptations to film.


The novels I know:

Hamlet
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
A Midsummers Night Dream
MacBeth
The Taming of the Shrew

 

I've always loved Franco Zefferelli's Romeo & Juliet. And more recently, Titus with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange was great.

 

Baz's

 

I agree with winter_chili on this issue.


And like that...he's gone.

 

I still like the version of Mid-summer Nights Dream that was done in the 30's. Mickey Rooney = Great Puck.

 

Well there aren't any Shakespeare novels persay. They are all plays (except for his poems and sonets). I guess the way that they collect them these days they could be considered "novels" but they aren't. I'm sure thats what you meant but just incase

His complete works are much, much longer than I care to type out or even cut and paste. I'm sure if you google it you'll find multiple sites that not only list them all but also have them availible to read. Like this site for example

I agree with Chill. By far Baz Lurman's Romeo + Juliet is one of the best film adaptations of Shakespeare's work ever. Not only is it one of the few that use the actual Shakespearian it presents it in a way that captures the original intent (at least IMO). Really it started a whole new way of presenting Shakespeare on film. Which leads me to my second choice.

Titus (staring Anthony Hopkins) was another film version that used the original Shakespearian language. Again you have an amazing director that manages to take what is generaly agreed upon to be one of Shakespeare's worst plays and turn it into something magical. BTW I can't remember her name but it was directed by the woman that was responsible for the criticaly aclaimed Lion King broadway show.

My third choice would probably be 10 Things I Hate About You. It isn't a direct retelling like R+J or Titus but like the literaly millions of Shakespeare adaptions out there it does take the basic plot of one of his works and "updates" it. In this case Taming of the Shrew.

 

Baz. Def.

 

Best adaptation of Macbeth? Akira Kurosawa?s Throne of Blood

 

When I saw this thread I expected it to be full of people bashing Baz's R+J because of the DiCaprio factor. Glad to see I was wrong, it's my favorite Shakespeare movie and what's gotten me into his other plays. It's a great movie for someone unfamiliar with Shakespeare. Though the dialog is intimidating, people can understand the storyline through the visuals, then slowly ease their way into the script. It's a great way to make a story that pretty much everyone knows into something new and different.

 

If you want to see Shakespeare done right, check out the following movies:

From Laurence Olivier:
Hamlet
Henry V
Richard III

From Franco Zeffereli:
Romeo & Juliet

From Kenneth Brannagh:
Hamlet
Henry V
Much Ado About Nothing

I also recommend Al Pacino's Looking For Richard, Julie Taymor's Titus, as well as Akira Kurosawa's Ran and Throne Of Blood.

 

I've never seen Ran or Throne of Blood.

 

Eventually I'm going to have to read all of his works but right now I'd like to watch the movies so I have a clue as to what they're about.

Thanks for all the info.

 

Best adaptation of Macbeth? Akira Kurosawa?s Throne of Blood

And it fits both the original story as well as being a very "Japanese" movie. A work of art.




Anata Baka?!

 

How does Shakespeares' comedies hold up on film?

 

Kenneth Brannagh's Henry V

Akira Kurosawa's Ran (adaptation of King Lear)

 

How does Shakespeares' comedies hold up on film?

I've only seen three. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Taming of the Shrew.

I didn't particaly care for the version of a Midsummer Night's Dream that I saw but looking through the thread there are versions that people like.

Much Ado About Nothing I don't even remember but I don't think it got good reviews.

Like I said though I quite enjoy 10 things I hate about you (in a teen movie sort of way).

 

Michael Hoffman's A Midsummer Night's Dream, was my favorite version of that play.

Kenneth Branagh has done a whole bunch of Shakespeare, all of them good. All are worth viewing:
Much Ado About Nothing
Hamlet
Othello
Henry V

I also enjoyed Gil Junger's 10 Things I Hate About You, which as previously mentioned is a light version of The Taming of the Shrew

 

Titus
Throne of Blood
Ran

masterpieces if you ask me. Kurosawa's take on Macbeth in Throne of Blood is magnificent--definitly the most underrated Kurosawa film, far better than the much-praised Yojimbo or Hidden Fortress. Absolutly stunning photography. Ran--his take on King Lear--is great as well, though it tends to drag a bit; the seige scenes are mesmerising though and easily make up for its minor flaws.

Titus is another extremly underrated film; very bizarre and surreal, with a good cast and some great artistry.

 

For the record, Brannagh only acted in Othello, he didn't direct it as he did the other Shakespeare films he was involved with.

 

I like Much ado about nothing, it's a rather sweet and funny film. But I REALLY like Baz's Romeo + Juliet, simply because it manages to keep true to Shakespeare's story and at the same time making it into some new and very special. Love it.

 

Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing" is the best Shakespeare adaptation I've seen.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Being a Shakespeare Enthusiast or at least a new one. I have a few favorite movie adaptaions of the plays.

1968: Romeo and Juliet. Everytime I watch it I break out in tears because it's that well done. For those of you who are fans of the 1996 version I saw the basic concept of the play behind it. But I didn't like the modernizations of the play.

1950's Black and White Version of Julius Caesar. This is probably my favorite Shakespearean Movie Adaptaion. Though it's in Black and White I have never seen a better Marc Antony, Brutus, Cassius or Caesar than in this version.

Finally,
My Lit Teacher had a version of "A Mid Summer Nights Dream" in which it was a taped play in front of an audience. However, it featured Emmanuel Lewis as the fairy child that was fought over by Oberon and Titania. I still wish to see the latest version or another version of the play just to compare them.

I think that's all for now.

-UD

 

The hands down best Shakespeare film is Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Why? Because the best Shakespeare you can get is uncut Shakespeare.

Not that the others are bad, but why settle for tossing Rozencrantz and Guildenstern out the plot window, when you can keep them?

Branagh's Hamlet is one of my top ten of all time. Beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking.

 

For those of you who are fans of the 1996 version I saw the basic concept of the play behind it. But I didn't like the modernizations of the play.

I think thats what I like about it the most. You always hear about how Shakespeare's plays are timeless yet except for the few that just use Shakespeare as the starting point and "modernize" the words all you tend to see is people in tights. Romeo + Juliet showed that everything about it was timeless. Plus it is just absolutely beautiful.

 

Richard III with Ian McKellan. Very good movie, even though the setting is different from what the play intended it to be.