Ram-30's Top 40 Shakespeare Movies
by ram-30 | created - 07 Feb 2011 | updated - 16 May 2016 | PublicA list of my 50 favourite films that are directly based on the plays of William Shakespeare.
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1. Henry V (1944)
Not Rated | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer
Votes: 7,050
2. Richard III (1955)
Not Rated | 161 min | Biography, Drama, History
Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Cedric Hardwicke, Nicholas Hannen, Ralph Richardson
Votes: 5,217
3. Hamlet (1948)
Approved | 154 min | Drama
Prince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, John Laurie, Esmond Knight
Votes: 18,364 | Gross: $7.09M
4. King Lear (1983 TV Movie)
158 min | Drama
Aging King Lear invites disaster when he abdicates to his two disloyal and obsequious daughters while rejecting the one who truly loves him.
Director: Michael Elliott | Stars: Colin Blakely, Leo McKern, Robert Lindsay, Laurence Olivier
Votes: 866
5. Othello (1965)
Unrated | 165 min | Drama
General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.
Director: Stuart Burge | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Frank Finlay, Robert Lang, Anthony Nicholls
Votes: 1,639
6. As You Like It (1936)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
A Duke usurps his brother's land and power, banishing him and his entourage into the forest of Arden. The banished Duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains with her cousin Celia. She has fallen ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Czinner | Stars: Elisabeth Bergner, Laurence Olivier, Sophie Stewart, Henry Ainley
Votes: 856
7. Throne of Blood (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 55,874
8. Romeo and Juliet (1936)
Passed | 125 min | Drama, Romance
Young love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore, Conway Tearle
Votes: 2,224
9. Macbeth (I) (2015)
R | 113 min | Drama, History, War
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan, Frank Madigan
Votes: 59,469 | Gross: $1.11M
10. Othello (1951)
Approved | 90 min | Drama, Romance
The Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier
Votes: 9,446
11. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Approved | 133 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.
Directors: William Dieterle, Max Reinhardt | Stars: James Cagney, Dick Powell, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale
Votes: 3,877
12. Julius Caesar (1953)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama, History
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Louis Calhern, Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud
Votes: 12,849
13. Chimes at Midnight (1965)
Not Rated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, History
When King Henry IV ascends to the throne, his heir, the Prince of Wales, is befriended by Sir John Falstaff, an old, overweight, fun-loving habitual liar. Through Falstaff's eyes we see the reign of King Henry IV and the rise of Henry V.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud
Votes: 10,137 | Gross: $0.12M
14. Macbeth (1971)
R | 140 min | Drama, History
A ruthlessly ambitious Scottish lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw, Terence Bayler
Votes: 14,948
15. Hamlet (1996)
PG-13 | 242 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet
Votes: 40,026 | Gross: $4.41M
16. Love's Labour's Lost (2000)
PG | 93 min | Romance, Comedy, Musical
An update of the classic Shakespeare story, director Kenneth Branagh shot the film like a classic 1930s musical. It tells the story of four best friends who swear off love.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Natascha McElhone, Kenneth Branagh
Votes: 4,895 | Gross: $0.28M
17. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale
Votes: 51,936 | Gross: $22.55M
18. Twelfth Night (1996)
PG | 134 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Shakespeare's comedy of gender confusion, in which a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores, only to be pursued by the woman he loves.
Director: Trevor Nunn | Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Imogen Stubbs, Steven Mackintosh
Votes: 6,397 | Gross: $0.59M
19. Othello (1995)
R | 123 min | Drama, Romance
The Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio, when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Irène Jacob, Nathaniel Parker
Votes: 10,169 | Gross: $2.11M
20. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,016 | Gross: $4.14M
21. Richard III (1995)
R | 110 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, War
The classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen, Edward Jewesbury
Votes: 15,559 | Gross: $2.60M
22.
Great Performances (1971– )
Episode:
Macbeth
(2010)
Not Rated | 160 min | Music, Musical
Sir Patrick Stewart stars in a gripping Tony-nominated production.
Director: Rupert Goold | Stars: Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood, Oliver Burch, Suzanne Burden
Votes: 1,244
23. The Taming of The Shrew (1967)
Approved | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Brutish, fortune-hunting scoundrel Petruchio tames his wealthy, shrewish wife, Katharina.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern
Votes: 8,673 | Gross: $8.00M
24. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Romance
When two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Milo O'Shea
Votes: 34,734 | Gross: $38.90M
25. Hamlet (1990)
PG | 135 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield
Votes: 23,586 | Gross: $20.71M
26. Titus (1999)
R | 162 min | Drama, History, Thriller
Titus returns victorious from war, only to plant the seeds of future turmoil for himself and his family.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Osheen Jones, Dario D'Ambrosi
Votes: 21,453 | Gross: $1.92M
27. The Merchant of Venice (2004)
R | 131 min | Drama, Romance
In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.
Director: Michael Radford | Stars: Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Jeremy Irons
Votes: 38,227 | Gross: $3.77M
28. The Tempest (1998 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama
An adaptation of Shakespeare's classic is set in the Mississippi bayous during the Civil War.
Director: Jack Bender | Stars: Peter Fonda, John Glover, Harold Perrineau, Katherine Heigl
Votes: 382
29. King Lear (1970)
GP | 137 min | Drama
King Lear divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia refuses to idly flatter the old man, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters.
Director: Peter Brook | Stars: Paul Scofield, Irene Worth, Cyril Cusack, Susan Engel
Votes: 936
30. Hamlet (2009 TV Movie)
PG | 180 min | Drama
The RSC puts a modern spin on Shakespeare's Hamlet in this filmed-for-television version of their stage production. The Prince of Denmark seeks vengeance after his father is murdered and his mother marries the murderer.
Director: Gregory Doran | Stars: David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Penny Downie, Oliver Ford Davies
Votes: 3,792
31. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau
Votes: 244,569 | Gross: $46.35M
32. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
PG-13 | 116 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Lovers' lives are complicated by city law, feuding faerie royalty, and... love.
Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 26,944 | Gross: $16.07M
33. King Lear (1970)
PG | 140 min | Drama
A Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.
Directors: Grigoriy Kozintsev, Iosif Shapiro | Stars: Jüri Järvet, Elza Radzina, Galina Volchek, Valentina Shendrikova
Votes: 1,687
34. Hamlet at Elsinore (1964 TV Movie)
170 min | Drama
Hamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
Director: Philip Saville | Stars: Christopher Plummer, Robert Shaw, Alec Clunes, Michael Caine
Votes: 245
35. Coriolanus (2011)
R | 123 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
Director: Ralph Fiennes | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Lubna Azabal
Votes: 33,503 | Gross: $0.76M
36. Hamlet (II) (2000 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 178 min | Drama
The classic Shakespeare tragedy is revisioned in America at the turn of the 20th Century. Campbell Scott (Singles, The Spanish Prisoner) adapted, co-directed and stars in the title role ... See full summary »
Directors: Campbell Scott, Eric Simonson | Stars: Campbell Scott, Blair Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, LisaGay Hamilton
Votes: 244
37. Macbeth (1961 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama
The Scottish Lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become King, and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Almond | Stars: Sean Connery, Zoe Caldwell, William Needles, Ted Follows
Votes: 205
38. Hamlet (1969)
G | 117 min | Drama
Academy Award-winning director Tony Richardson brings Shakespeare's tragedy to the screen - with searing performances from Nicol Williamson as the melancholy Dane and future Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins as the deceitful Claudius.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Nicol Williamson, Judy Parfitt, Anthony Hopkins, Marianne Faithfull
Votes: 866
39. Romeo & Juliet (1993 TV Movie)
162 min | Drama, Romance
The Stratford Festival stage production of Shakespeare's drama.
Directors: Norman Campbell, Richard Monette | Stars: Tim MacDonald, Colm Feore, Mervon Mehta, Jeffrey Kuhn
Votes: 42
40. Tempest (1982)
PG | 140 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
John Cassavetes gives a compelling performance as a man confronting a mid-life crisis with extraordinary results for everyone around him.
Director: Paul Mazursky | Stars: John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Vittorio Gassman
Votes: 2,695 | Gross: $5.01M
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