Adaptations - Shakespeare Ranked!
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- DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevStarsInnokentiy SmoktunovskiyMikhail NazvanovElza RadzinaAfter the death of the King of Denmark - Hamlet's father - his brother Claudius ascends the throne, who takes his widow Gertrude as his wife. Hamlet meets the ghost of his father and learns that he was killed by Claudius.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsLeonard WhitingOlivia HusseyJohn McEneryWhen two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.
- StarsDavid WarnerPeggy AshcroftDonald BurtonA filmed theatre production of four of Shakespeare's historical plays condensed down into a trilogy.
- StarsJohn Murray ScottFrank WindsorDavid AndrewsA linking together of Shakespeare's history plays chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the eighty-six years between Richard II and Richard III.
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsAnthony HopkinsJessica LangeOsheen JonesTitus returns victorious from war, only to plant the seeds of future turmoil for himself and his family.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJon FinchFrancesca AnnisMartin ShawA ruthlessly ambitious Scottish lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghDerek JacobiSimon ShepherdIn the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierRobert NewtonLeslie BanksIn the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsNicol WilliamsonJudy ParfittAnthony HopkinsAcademy 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.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsJohn LauriePrince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.
- DirectorTrevor NunnStarsHelena Bonham CarterRichard E. GrantImogen StubbsShakespeare'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.
- DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevIosif ShapiroStarsJüri JärvetElza RadzinaGalina VolchekA Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.
- DirectorRichard EyreStarsJim BroadbentJim CarterTobias MenziesAn aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.
- DirectorDeborah WarnerStarsFiona ShawGraham CrowdenRichard BremmerThe incompetent Richard II is deposed by Henry Bolingbroke and undergoes a crisis of identity once he is no longer king.
- DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsIan McKellenAnnette BeningChristopher BowenThe classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsLeonardo DiCaprioClaire DanesJohn LeguizamoShakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJeanne MoreauMargaret RutherfordWhen 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.
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsKevin KlineMichelle PfeifferRupert EverettLovers' lives are complicated by city law, feuding faerie royalty, and... love.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierCedric HardwickeNicholas HannenShakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
- DirectorMichael RadfordStarsAl PacinoJoseph FiennesLynn CollinsIn 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.
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsLaurence FishburneKenneth BranaghIrène JacobThe 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.
- DirectorTom StoppardStarsGary OldmanTim RothRichard DreyfussTwo minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.
- DirectorPhilip CassonTrevor NunnStarsIan McKellenJudi DenchJohn BownMacbeth (Ian McKellen) is a daring member of the Scottish military, who receives a revelation from three menacing sorceresses that he will someday become the King of Scotland. This information gives him a thirst for power, and with prompting from his wife, Lady Macbeth (Judi Dench), he kills the current leader in order to take the throne. But he must continue to commit murders to keep his actions a secret, and soon no one is safe.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLouis CalhernMarlon BrandoJames MasonThe 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.
- DirectorRenato CastellaniStarsLaurence HarveySusan ShentallFlora RobsonIn Shakespeare's classic play, the Montagues and Capulets, two families of Renaissance Italy, have hated each other for years, but the son of one family and the daughter of the other fall desperately in love and secretly marry.
- DirectorRupert GooldStarsPatrick StewartKate FleetwoodOliver BurchSir Patrick Stewart stars in a gripping Tony-nominated production.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonCyril CusackBrutish, fortune-hunting scoundrel Petruchio tames his wealthy, shrewish wife, Katharina.
- DirectorMichael ElliottStarsColin BlakelyLeo McKernRobert LindsayAging King Lear invites disaster when he abdicates to his two disloyal and obsequious daughters while rejecting the one who truly loves him.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsPaul ScofieldIrene WorthCyril CusackKing 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.
- DirectorAnthony GarrickTrevor NunnStarsMichael GrandageIan McKellenClive SwiftA slightly updated version of Othello set in the 19th century Cyprus, where all characters wear uniforms and dresses from the American Civil War era. Othello, a heroic aging Moroccan mercenary marries beautiful and loving Desdemona, daughter of a general. Their love has no match, but their doom is spelled by non other than Othello's personal confidant Iago, a master manipulator, who believes that a trained loyal soldier like him is more deserving of a good life than a foreign mercenary.
- DirectorPhilip SavilleStarsChristopher PlummerRobert ShawAlec ClunesHamlet 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.
- StarsAnton LesserSimon Russell BealeTom GeorgesonA mini-series of adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghEmma ThompsonKeanu ReevesYoung lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsMel GibsonGlenn CloseAlan BatesHamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsCharlton HestonJason RobardsJohn GielgudThe 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.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghJulie ChristieDerek JacobiHamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
- DirectorSergei YutkevichStarsSergey BondarchukIrina SkobtsevaAndrei PopovThe 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.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleMax ReinhardtStarsJames CagneyDick PowellIan HunterTwo couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.
- DirectorJoel CoenStarsDenzel WashingtonFrances McDormandAlex HassellA Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsLaurence OlivierFrank FinlayRobert LangGeneral Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.
- DirectorRalph FiennesStarsRalph FiennesGerard ButlerBrian CoxA banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
- DirectorJohn SichelStarsLaurence OlivierJoan PlowrightJeremy BrettShylock, a Jewish moneylender, demands his due of a pound of flesh for a forfeited loan.
- DirectorGeorge SchaeferStarsMaurice EvansRichard BurtonRoddy McDowallProspero, the deposed Duke of Milan, who lives in exile on a remote island as a sorcerer, uses his powers to shipwreck his usurper brother on the island.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsAlessandro NivolaAlicia SilverstoneNatascha McElhoneAn 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.
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeKyle MacLachlanDiane VenoraModern-day New York City adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsTakuya ShimadaBrian BlessedRichard CliffordA daughter of the powerful Duke must show her courage and inventiveness to be with the man she loves.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJeanette NolanDan O'HerlihyMacbeth, 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.
- DirectorYan FridStarsKlara LuchkoAlla LarionovaVadim MedvedevBased on Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, or What You Will.
- DirectorLev ArnshtamLeonid LavrovskyStarsGalina UlanovaYuri ZhdanovIraida OleninaRussian ballet version of Shakespeare's tragedy about star crossed lovers from two feuding Italian Renaissance families.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsNorma ShearerLeslie HowardJohn BarrymoreYoung love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families.
- DirectorCharlton HestonStarsCharlton HestonHildegard NeilEric PorterAfter the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsAlexis DenisofAmy AckerFran KranzA modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesMicheál MacLiammóirRobert CooteThe 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.
- DirectorDerek JarmanStarsPeter BullDavid MeyerNeil CunninghamBanished to a forsaken island, the Right Duke of Milan and Sorcerer Prospero gets the chance to take his revenge on the King of Naples with the assistance of his airy spirit-servant, Ariel.
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsHelen MirrenFelicity JonesDjimon HounsouShakespeare's epic play is translated from page to screen, with the gender of the main character, Prospero, changed from male to female.
- DirectorPenny WoolcockStarsJames FrainSusan VidlerAndrew TiernanShakespeare's play is updated to the present day starring James Frain and Susan Vidler. On a council estate where people survive by dealing drugs and shoplifting, Duncan is the Godfather. Urged by Mrs Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan.
- DirectorSam TaylorStarsMary PickfordDouglas FairbanksEdwin MaxwellIn sixteenth century Padua, Hortensio loves Bianca, the youngest daughter of Baptista. But Baptista will not allow the two to get married until his eldest daughter, the extremely headstrong Katherine, is betrothed. This task seems impossible because of Katherine's shrewish demeanor. They believe their prayers have been answered with the arrival from Verona of the lusty Petruchio, whose father has just passed, leaving him to travel the world and marry. Having not yet met her, Petruchio agrees to court Katherine when he is told of her beauty and wit. Petruchio is even more excited at the prospect of marrying this wildcat of a woman after meeting her. Katherine will have none of it, even if it means her sister's spinsterhood, but has no choice but to marry him. Beyond the fact of the marriage itself, Katherine is even more irked by Petruchio's less than conventional behavior at the ceremony and post ceremony bridal feast. Each starts to play what they consider sly games of oneupsmanship with each other to gain the upper hand in the marriage.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsJohn GielgudMichael ClarkMichel BlancThe magician Prospero attempts to stop his daughter's affair with an enemy.
- DirectorCarlo CarleiStarsHailee SteinfeldDouglas BoothDamian LewisRomeo and Juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each other. It is not long, however, before a chain of fateful events changes the lives of both families forever.
- DirectorPaul MazurskyStarsJohn CassavetesGena RowlandsSusan SarandonJohn Cassavetes gives a compelling performance as a man confronting a mid-life crisis with extraordinary results for everyone around him.
- DirectorTim Blake NelsonStarsMekhi PhiferJulia StilesMartin SheenAn update of Shakespeare's 'Othello' with a young cast, set in an upper class prep school, & centered around basketball player Odin.
- DirectorJack BenderStarsPeter FondaJohn GloverHarold PerrineauAn adaptation of Shakespeare's classic is set in the Mississippi bayous during the Civil War.
- DirectorAndrew McCulloughStarsOrson WellesNatasha ParryArnold MossAn old king, stepping down from the throne, disinherits his favorite daughter on a mad whim and gives his kingdom to his two older daughters, both of whom prove treacherous.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsMichael FassbenderMarion CotillardJack MadiganMacbeth, 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.
- DirectorPeter HallStarsDerek GodfreyBarbara JeffordNicholas SelbyThe adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.
- DirectorScott AndersonStarsDavid CarradineSally KirklandMaria Conchita Alonso"Now is the winter of our discontent..." With these timeless words, Duke Richard - lounging on his sun deck - sets his murderous plans in motion. His goal: to eliminate the hated rival Lancaster dynasty, and reign as undisputed king. Standing between him and the throne are his brothers Clarence and King Edward, his nephews the Princes, his bitter adversary Queen Elizabeth, and a host of enemies, rivals, and dubious allies. In the Los Angeles of "Shakespeare's Richard III", violence is the norm: every member of the nobility expects to kill or be killed, according to the code duel lo. They prefer death before dishonor. The women in this society are just as dangerous, courageous, and brutal as the men. The York and Lancaster families - rival branches of the former England Studios - exert a mafia-like control of the city and local politics/law enforcement. Aided by his sinister counselor Buckingham, Richard will stop at nothing - seduction, bribery, conspiracy, and wholesale slaughter - in his bloodthirsty quest, until finally just one adversary remains: his arch-rival Lord Richmond. But why, as the opposing forces join battle, is Richard smiling? What does he know that Richmond doesn't...?
- DirectorKatherine StewartStarsJosh HuntAndrew DeCarloKatherine StewartIn this modern setting for the Shakespeare classic, two small-town boys head to the big city looking for adventure and romance. But when they both fall for the same girl, friends become rivals.
- DirectorPaul IrelandStarsHugo WeavingFayssal BazziHarrison GilbertsonThe lives of inhabitants of a housing commission tower whose paths cross after a shocking event occurs on their front doorstep.
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeEd HarrisMilla JovovichA gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. A drug kingpin is driven to desperate measures.
- DirectorDon Roy KingStarsOrlando BloomDola RashadDonté BonnerOrlando Bloom and Condola Rashad take on the title characters in a modern adaptation of the timeless classic, Romeo and Juliet. This Broadway stage production is being broadcast in movie theaters.
- DirectorChristine EdzardStarsJames FoxCyril CusackAndrew TiernanHiding out in an industrial wasteland from the murderous wrath of a regional ruler, a woman, disguised as a boy, gives wooing lessons to the edgy lad who proclaims he loves her.
- DirectorPaul CzinnerStarsElisabeth BergnerLaurence OlivierSophie StewartA 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 in love with Orlando, but he has his own tyrannical brother with whom to contend, so he joins those in the forest.
- StarsPatrick MowerAnn LynnPhilip BrackWhen King Lear decides to step down from his throne, he decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters with tragic results.
- DirectorRiccardo FredaStarsGeronimo MeynierRosemary DexterCarlos EstradaTwo teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
- DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsEamonn WalkerChristopher EcclestonKeeley HawesShakespeare's Othello retold in modern London; racial tension in the police force collides with jealousy and revenge. An officer suspects his new bride of infidelity.