Best film version of a Shakespere play?

There's a version of Twelfth Night: Or What You Will from 1996 that I like, directed by Trevor Nunn, and with the great Ben Kingsley playing Feste (one of my personal favorite Shakesperean characters). It's rather close to the play in terms of story and language, though the setting and time period are much changed.

 

Olvier's and Branaugh's Hamlet.

The Romeo And Juliet 1968 adaptation.

Ran is an excellent film.

Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is overly bizarre. Really, was there any need for Mercutio to cross dress or for the kids to take ecstasy?

 

In his version, yes. It's a modern telling, and in modern times, some kids do cross dress and take Ecstasy.

Just because a Shakespeare adaption doesn't have people running around in tights doesn't mean it's not good.

 

Kenneth Branahg's Hamlet.

 

I loved Kenneth Branaghs 'Much ado about nothing'.

 

Branaugh's Hamlet
Beautifully done and completely uncut.

Baz's R+J

Completely fit the ideas and themes of the play in a modern setting. Possibly one of teh best attempts at adapting Shakespeare to a totally modern setting.

Branaugh's and Olivier's Henry V

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,
For he who shed's his blood with me shall be my brother...."

Best. War. Play. Ever.

And you can go with it either way: A great king who is rallying his country to victory, or a young ruler with a checckered past unilaterally attacking a soverign nation for political reasons.

Branaugh's Much Ado

Good except for Don John (Keanu!)

 

In his version, yes. It's a modern telling, and in modern times, some kids do cross dress and take Ecstasy.

Just because a Shakespeare adaption doesn't have people running around in tights doesn't mean it's not good.

That's not why I don't think it's good. The acting isn't that good either. The whole gun instead of sword thing really degrades the story. Also, in the modern adaptation, the kids say thou, thee, thoust etc. How many kids do you hear saying that in modern day LA?

 

Like the other two "Red Curtain" films of Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet is not supposed to be realistic. The idea was to use imagery to connect the modern audience to the original dialogue.

The setting is less a Los Angeles and more a surreal mixture of Miami Beach and Mexico City, run by the Mafia-esque mob families of the Capulets and Montegues. This is what allowed the combination of brutal street violence and adherence to Catholic traditions about marriage, both of which were key to the original plot.

Having Tybalt dress and move like a flamenco dancer helps inform Mercutio's insults about him being too flashy a fighter.

Even the costume choices at the ball -- Juliet as an angel and Romeo as a knight -- were inspired by the dialogue.

For all the clues about what Baz was at least attempting to do, I recommend renting the DVD and listening his commentary. Then judge what he was doing.


As for the acting, I know of no other actors this generation who would have come anywhere near the performances Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio gave.

 

My favourite Shakespeare film is Chimes of Midnight, Orson Welles' adaptation of 1&2 Henry IV - a similar idea was explored in My Own Private Idaho.

Shakespeare wrote 40 plays, of which 38 are extant:

Histories
King John
Richard II
Henry IV Part 1
Henry IV Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI Parts 1,2 and 3
Richard III

Tragedies
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
Coriolanus
Julius Caesar
Antony and Cleopatra
Titus Andronicus
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens

Comedies and Romances
Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Taming of the Shrew
Comedy of Errors
Merchant of Venice
12th Night
Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
As You Like It
Love's Labours Lost
Love's Labours Won
Much Ado About Nothing
Troilus and Cressida
The Tempest
The Winter's Tale
Cymbeline
All's Well that Ends Well
Measure for Measure

Co-Authored Plays
Pericles
Two Noble Kinsmen
Henry VIII
Cardenio

Disputed
Shakespeare has been named as the author of many plays he didn't write. Most people now believe he at least contributed to Edward III and Sir Thomas More.

 

Kenneth Brannagh's Hamlet is really good. Long, but it's the entire play.

and for some Shakespearen-inspired humour/insight, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is an excellent play and a really good movie as well.

My preciousss...

 

Yes, to JediHobbit you listen.

 

Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Yes, it's four hours, but those hours just fly by.

Actually, pretty much all of Branagh's Shakespeare movies are wonderful.

 

I respect Branaugh. I really do. But, I have to give props to Mel Gibson's Hamlet over Ken's simply because IMO, Mel's stuck to the spirit better. I just couldn't stomach Ken's over-zealous-Christ-positioning-ending to Hamlet. He didn't have to be so obvious.

I also very much enjoyed the relatively recent Twelfth Night adaption. It was nothing deserving of an Oscar, but it was well acted and well adapted, and it is generally under-appreciated as such.

 

Although i haven't seen any film versions of this play i really enjoyed Merchant of Venice

 

My favourite it Julius Caesar with Charleton Heston

 

Mel Gibson's Hamlet was the movie that really got me interested in Shakespere's work (which was nice since I was struggling thru a H.S. Shakespere class).

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is flat out a fantastic movie. It's been too long since I've watched it.

 

Kenneth Brannagh's Much Ado About Nothing is so great! I love the soundtrack!

I need it on DVD but I've found only one line missing from the play that they didn't put in the movie.

 

Lord of the Rings had a good Shakespere play.

 

No mention of Polanski's Macbeth? A spot-on interpretation of that happy play IMO.

 

I really enjoyed Ian McKellen's version of Richard III. An interesting take on the story! Also, I loved Throne Of Blood, and Kenneth Brannagh's Henry V is a classic. Hated Baz's Romeo and Juliet, but I hate everything he does...

 

Baz Lurman's Romeo + Juliet is a classic, and is one of my favorite all time movies. This film is brilliant.

I also agree that Titus is an awesome film, if not somewhat hard to stomach (just a hard story).

Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh, Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington and Emma Thompson is a wonderfully lighthearted portrayal of this story. It is fun and will make you laugh.

Kenneth Branagh also stars in Henry V, but I have not seen it all of the way through.

I have heard of three versions of Hamlet, but not seen any of them. One stars Mel Gibson as Hamlet, one stars Kate Winslet as Ophelia (both of these are "period" pieces), the third stars Ethan Hawke as Hamlet (this is done in a modern time frame, much like Baz Lurman's R=J).

Midsummer Night's Dream with Kevin Kline is very well done.