Movie Shakespeare on the birth of the Bard

Bill Knight column for Mon., Tues., or Wed., April 23, 24 or 25, 2018

William Shakespeare is said to have been born this week in 1564 (and died this week in 1616), so it’s timely to reflect on how his plays have fared on film.

Shakespeare may mean torture in high-school English, but Hollywood has tried to make him accessible, with some successes, and the best show the works as wondrous, not ponderous.

No one so frankly expressed the challenges as well as Kenneth Branagh, who said, “I wanted to make a popular film that will satisfy the Shakespearean scholar as well as filmgoers who like ‘Crocodile Dundee’.”

There are more than 1,500 such movies, according to “Shakespeare on Film” author Kenneth Rothwell, and from the source material have come “modernized” versions: “West Side Story” (“Romeo and Juliet”), TNT’s made-for-cable “King of Texas” and filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” (both based on “King Lear”); “10 Things I Hate About You” is “Taming of The Shrew,” “Forbidden Planet” is “The Tempest,” etc.

Here’s a dozen films based on Shakespeare’s plays:

“Chimes at Midnight” (1967). Orson Welles’ movie (sometimes titled “Falstaff”) is riveting, blending scenes and references from parts I and II of “Henry IV,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Richard II” and “Henry V” – in which the memorable Sir John Falstaff appears. Ralph Richardson narrates, with co-stars Jeanne Moreau, John Gielgud and Margaret Rutherford.

“Hamlet” (1990). Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier’s 1996 and 1948 versions are great, and Ethan Hawke’s 2000 effort is OK, but since few people expected anything from Mel Gibson, this is recommended for its surprisingly fresh adaptation. Gibson has the title role and makes the film an adventure accessible to audiences weaned on prime-time TV, not literature. Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Scofield and Ian Holm co-star.

“Henry V” (1989). Chills still happen when Branagh delivers young King Harry’s speech before battling the French at Agincourt. That and the final 20 minutes and its stirring score create lasting impressions. It’s comparable to Olivier’s 1944 version, itself an anthem to courage as well as English history. Co-starring are Emma Thompson, Ian Holm and Paul Scofield.

“Julius Caesar” (1953). Joseph Mankeiwicz’ version of Shakespeare’s memorable history stars Marlon Brando, John Gielgud and James Mason. Brando is excellent as Marc Antony, and the supporting cast is superior: Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr and Edmund O’Brien.

“King Lear” (1983). The finale of Laurence Olivier’s Shakespeare career, it’s terrific despite being a made-for-television production. Olivier is the aging monarch driven to distraction, then madness by scheming daughters and the temptations of power and wealth. Diana Rigg, John Hurt and Leo McKern co-star.

“Macbeth” (1971). Roman Polanski directed this violent revision about the Scottish figure who succumbs to paranoia, ambitions and supernatural visions in a bid to unseat a king. Vivid and vital, gritty but grim, Polanski’s version probably isn’t suitable for kids.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935). Director Max Reinhardt’s vision of this comedy has an all-star Warner Brothers cast including Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland and Jimmy Cagney. The romantic comedy of errors remains amusing, with good performances also by Joe E. Brown and especially young Mickey Rooney as Puck.

“Much Ado about Nothing” (1993). Keanu Reeves had a small but breakthrough role in Kenneth Branagh’s rendition of this delightful romp through political and romantic intrigue. Featured are Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington and Michael Keaton (he as the effervescent, loony lawman Dogberry).

“Othello” (1995). Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh are electrifying in this faithful adaptation of the Moor warrior who marries a white woman of noble birth (Irene Jacob). Branagh is the jealous Iago, feeding false tales of infidelity to Othello.

“Richard III” (1995) Before Ian McKellan played Gandalf and Magneto, he scripted and starred in this re-telling, set in 1930s Europe, as factions of British government flirt with fascism and war. Director Richard Loncraine effectively uses other cast members (Maggie Smith, Robert Downey Jr. and Annette Bening) to accentuate the mania of twisted Richard. Writing in Newsweek, critic Jack Kroll reminded readers, “The Bard was the Oliver Stone of his day, creating a portrait of Richard that scholars have disputed ever since.”

“Romeo & Juliet” (1968). The 1996 urban-gang update of “Romeo and Juliet” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes was exceptional. But Franco Zefferelli’s effort is the bittersweet best version of the tragic love story. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were teens when they starred; featured are Michael York, Milo O’Shea and Olivier (who narrates).

“The Taming of The Shrew” (1967). Zeffirelli’s rollicking version of the zany battle of the sexes is superb, helped by casting real-life couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as an Italian nobleman and man-hating Kate. Set in the Renaissance, the film presents Burton as cavalier and Taylor uninhibited. Michael York co-stars.