Films and Media: Shakespeare Films

With his wedding a week away, Claudio can’t wait to marry the beautiful young Hero. To distract him, his best friend Don Pedro devises mischief: a romantic trap for the sharp-tongued Beatrice and the man she loves to hate, Benedick. Their amusement is almost spoiled by the jealous scheming of Don John, but love and laughter prevail when the local constable unwittingly exposes the plot--and all the trouble proves to be much ado about nothing.

Joss Whedon’s sexy and contemporary spin on Shakespeare’s classic comedy about the story of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick offers a sensual, tragic and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love.

Driven by ambition and an unscrupulous wife, Macbeth murders the King of Scotland and claims the throne for himself. Haunted by ghosts and vexed by witches, he and his wife descend into the depths of madness and paranoia as they crumble beneath the weight of their crimes.

A thrilling interpretation of one of Shakespeare's most famous and compelling characters, Macbeth is a dramatic re-imagining of the realities of war-torn times and a tale of all-consuming passion and ambition.

Antonio, a successful but cash-poor merchant, approaches Shylock, a wealthy moneylender, for a loan to help his young friend Bassanio woo the fair Portia. Despite being longtime enemies, Shylock grants the request, but demands one pound of Antonio’s flesh if the debt is not repaid on time. When Antonio defaults on the loan, Shylock seeks what is legally owed him but soon learns that those to whom evil is done, do evil in return.

Shakespeare at his funniest, posing serious questions in the most lighthearted tone. Is there a "natural difference" between a Duke’s daughter and a commoner? Are men really stronger than women or is it just their roles in society? Some of these characters briefly discard the roles they’ve played in life, while others adopt new ones. In the end, they all learn something about themselves.

Rosalind is the daughter of banished Duke Senior and is being raised at the court of Duke Frederick, with her cousin Celia. She falls in love with a young man named Orlando, but she is banished by Duke Frederick, who threatens death if she comes near the court again. Celia goes with Rosalind. Disguised as the boy Ganymede, Rosalind enters the forest of Arden. Upon their arrival in the forest, they happen upon Orlando and his manservant, who are fleeing the wrath of Orlando’s eldest brother. What follows is an elaborate scheme devised by the cross-dressing Rosalind to find out the verity of Orlando’s supposed passion for her, and to further capture his heart, through the witty and mischievous façade of Ganymede.

A play about power, assassination and revenge. Presents a broad range of historical personalities as complicated human beings in agonizing conflict with one another and themselves.

In what is perhaps his greatest and most popular tragedy, Shakespeare uses a tense drama of murder, conspiracy and revenge as a medium for probing the most fundamental human problems: justice, guilt, madness, death, and the difficulty of understanding oneself and others. Noted Shakespearean actors Derek Jacobi and Claire Bloom portray Hamlet and Gertrude.

Hamlet, a prince of medieval-era Denmark, senses treachery behind his royal father’s death. His mother is all too dangerously entangled in that treachery. This film portrays Shakespeare’s immortal tale of high adventure and evil deeds.

In this first-ever full-text film of William Shakespeare’s work, the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer. Meanwhile, war is brewing.

This production of Shakespeare’s masterpiece from Britain’s renowned Royal Shakespeare Company was filmed on location rather than in the theatre. No recent stage production in Britain has attracted the excitement and nearly unanimous critical praise as this Hamlet. Dynamic, exciting, and contemporary, it breathes new life into Shakespeare’s greatest play.

Shakespeare’s plays in which tragedy occurs when an old king divides his kingdom between his daughters.

Presents foolish king who divides his realm between two ungrateful daughters.

Akira Kurosawa’s brilliantly conceived retelling of Shakespeare’s ’King Lear’ magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare’s plot and Kurosawa’s own feelings about loyalty in the epic masterpiece, ’Ran.’ Set in 16th century Japan, ’Ran’ relates the tale of how an aging ruler, Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai), announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. Hidetora’s decision to step down unleashes a power struggle among the three heirs when he falls prey to the false flattery bestowed upon him by the two older sons and banishes the youngest for speaking the truth. That ruthless betrayal ultimately drives Hidetora insane, destroying his entire family and kingdom. Deep human emotion and outstanding acting combine to create one of the most acclaimed foreign films of all time.

modern adaptation of the classic love story, moved to the futuristic urban backdrop of Verona Beach.

The marriage of two strong-minded people provides the spark for a comic confrontation between the sexes: The "shrew," Katharina, is so ill-tempered she seems unlikely to find a husband. Her father refuses to let her younger sister marry until Katherina is off his hands. Petruchio appears, marries Katharina, and "tames" her so well that he wins a bet with two other men on a test of their wives’ obedience. Dr. Miller’s production portrays Petruchio as an early Puritan, to reflect his view that the play is about the need to set up a sober household.

A loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Cameron is the new kid in school who becomes smitten with the beautiful Bianca. But Bianca’s overprotective and domineering father forbids Bianca to date unless her older sister Kat, an surly and hostile senior, does. In a bid to get Kat a boyfriend, Cameron sets up a plan to have the school stud, Joey Donnar, bribe Patrick Verona, an outcast senior with a rumor-filled past, to take Kat out on dates so he can go to the school’s homecoming dance with Bianca. However, neither Patrick or Kat expect their relationship to lead to something so much more.

The last of Shakespeare’s tragedies, in which Coriolanus, a strong and cruel soldier, brings about his own downfall through the flaws in his character.

Television adaption of Shakespeare’s play revolving around an enchanted island, an exiled Duke, young lovers, and a framework of conspiracy.

Shakespeare’s play about the tragic consequences of jealousy. Othello appoints Cassio as his chief lieutenant, arousing the jealousy of Iago, who conspires to undo them both. Iago tells Othello that his wife, the beautiful Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio. Othello strangles Desdemona before learning of Iago’s evil, and then kills himself in remorse.

In Venice during 1570, Desdemona, daughter of a powerful nobleman, elopes with Othello, a proud Moor celebrated as the city’s most awesome warrior. Iago, who has served alongside Othello for a decade, is angered when the general chooses another lieutenant, Cassio, as his second in command. In retribution, Iago sabotages Cassio’s promotion and convinces Othello that the handsome officer is cuckolding him. Othello writhes under the tortures Iago has created, and in a fit of jealousy smothers Desdemona, who caresses her beloved husband as she dies.