Shakespeare on Film - The Tournament (1 Viewer)

[Jan H]

The Bard has been a passion of mine for years, but I've found that film adaptations of his plays are strangely under-discussed on this forum. I want to find out which film version of a Shakespeare play is the greatest of them all. TV versions (I.E. the two great King Lears with Olivier and Ian Holm, respectively) are fair game, as are films that use the plot but not the text (Throne of Blood and "O" come to mind). I'll start with 16 films, but if there's interest (and enough voters), we can go to 32. 3 nominations, 3 2nds, and 3 3rds for everyone. A film needs a third to get in the tourney.


Needing a third:

Strange Brew
Chimes at Midnight
Hamlet (1990 - Zeffirelli, Gibson)
Tromeo and Juliet
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Scotland PA

Needing a second:

Hamlet (2000 - Hawke)
L.A. Story
Othello (Olivier)
Macbeth (1948)
Othello (1952
Othello (1995)
Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Love's Labour's Lost
10 Things I Hate About You

IN THE TOURNAMENT:

RAN
HENRY V (OLIVIER)
HENRY V (BRANAGH)
RICHARD III (McKELLEN)
FORBIDDEN PLANET
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
THRONE OF BLOOD
HAMLET (BRANAGH)
ROMEO AND JULIET (1968 - ZEFFIRELLI)
TITUS
MACBETH (POLANSKI)
JULIUS CAESAR
WEST SIDE STORY
ROMEO + JULIET (1996)
HAMLET (OLIVIER)

 

[george kaplan]

I'll nominate

West Side Story

 

[Evan Case]

Nominate:

Ran
Chimes at Midnight
Hamlet ('96 Branagh version)

I think 32 is achievable. Only problem might be the abstains (though maybe not). I've seen a great deal of them myself, though.

Evan

 

[Jan H]

I forgot to add one thing: I get to vote!

Nominate:

Olivier X3:

Hamlet
Henry V
Othello

Good choice on Chimes at Midnight, Evan. To my knowledge, it's the only representation of Falstaff on film. Though I will happily be corrected. I'll save my 2nds and 3rds for later.

 

[Evan Case]

There's a pseudo-Falstaff in My Own Private Idaho (during the inexplicable Henry IV knockoff part of the film), but he's got nothing on Welles.

Evan (who always felt Oliver Hardy would've made a good Falstaff in one of those 1930s Hollywood All-Star Shakespeare adaptations)

 

[Evan Case]

Second Olivier's Henry V

Evan

 

[Jan H]

Never seen "Idaho". I'm guessing River Phoenix wasn't Falstaff Oliver Hardy as Falstaff? Hardy Har Har! Physically yes, but I'm guessing old Ollie would have had problems with the language. But maybe not. I see the character more as Robbie Coltrane (who, now that I think of it, played him in Branaghs' Henry V).

 

[Evan Case]

Perhaps Ollie might have trouble with the language (he'd no stage training--not even vaudeville), but he'd have absolutely nailed the false hero/true coward and relentless self-promotion aspects. And I don't know anyone in Hollywood history who reacted more hilariously to having his lies exposed (imagine his performance at the conclusion of Sons of the Desert transferred to Falstaff's rising post-robbery exaggerations in Act II, Scene IV). It might not be "Shakespeare" but it'd be damn funny.

Evan

 

[Justin Doring]

I'll nominate:

Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh)

Henry V (Branagh)

Richard III (McKellen)

I'll second:

Ran

Chimes at Midnight

Hamlet (Branagh)

I'll Third:

Henry V (Olivier)

 

[Brian Lawrence]

I nominate Tromeo and Juliet

 

[Jan H]

I'll second

Richard III (McKellen)

Evan, now that you put it that way, Hardy is definitely Falstaffian in that sense.

 

[ChuckDeLa]

I'll third Ran.

Nominate:
L.A. Story

 

[ScottR]

I nominate Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet

 

[Elizabeth S]

Second:

Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet

Nominate:

Scotland PA
Hamlet (2000)

 

[JenB]

Second:

Henry V (Branagh)
West Side Story

Two of my favorite Shakespeare adaptations.

How about a list to keep track at the top of the thread, Jan?

 

[Jim_K]

Nominate

Throne of Blood
Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990)
Forbidden Planet

 

[ChuckDeLa]

Second:
Forbidden Planet

 

[Jan H]

A list is in place. Good choices, so far. Take 2 more of each for a total of 5!

 

[Angelo.M]

Nominate Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Nominate Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Third Henry V
Third Richard III

 

[Evan Case]

Nominate: Titus and Julius Caesar ('53?) (Hamlet Goes Business is a bit too obscure)

Second: Throne of Blood and Much Ado About Nothing

Third: Forbidden Planet

Evan