10 best Shakespeare film adapations

    The Shakespeare 400 celebration is building up steam with the BBC and BFI both announcing their programmes of events. But if you can’t get to London or Stratford and are itching for a dose of the bard, we’ve rounded up the best ways to watch without leaving home with these brilliant big-screen adaptations.

    1.William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, 1996

    Baz Luhrman’s modern-day adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes represented the warring Montagues and the Capulets as mafia empires and street gangs. Despite being heavily abridged, it brought Shakespeare’s dialogue vividly to life for a modern audience and enjoys inspired casting and dazzling visual moments.

    webmacbeth2. Macbeth, 2015

    Directed by Justin Kurzel, filmed largely filmed on the Isle of Skye in Scotland and starring Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, this big budget movie Macbeth was highly praised.

    3. Much Ado About Nothing, 1993

    Directed by Kenneth Branagh who also stars along with a host of screen favourites including Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves and Kate Beckinsale. Dazzling word-play, charming performances and a stellar cast, this Much Ado has mass appeal and is not to be missed.

    4. Hamlet, 1996

    Again, adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as Prince Hamlet, this was the first unabridged film version of the play, running just over four hours. Filmed at Blenheim Palace, Hamlet was highly acclaimed by critics and has been regarded as one of the best Shakespeare film adaptations ever made.

    5. Othello, 1995

    Directed by Oliver Parker and starring Laurence Fishburne as Othello and Kenneth Branagh as Iago. This is the first cinematic reproduction of Othello released by a major studio and is gritty and highly worthy watching.

    webmuchado26.  Much Ado About Nothing, 2012

    Directed by sci-fi writing and directing legend Joss Whedon, this modern-day version was filmed in black-and-white in the director’s own LA home which lends it a casual and airy fly-on-the-wall style that oozes charm.

    7. Henry V, 1944

    Starring and directed by Sir Laurence Olivier, Winston Churchill instructed the acting legend to fashion the film as morale-boosting propaganda for British troops fighting the Second World War as the making and release of the film coincided with the Allied invasion of Normandy and push into France.

    8. Romeo and Juliet, 1968

    The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for Best Picture to date. It was also popular among teenagers partly because it was the first film to use actors who were close to the age of the characters from the original play.

    webtitus9. Coriolanus, 2011

    Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes in his directorial debut, the film is set in a contemporary but alternate version of Rome, with riots in progress.

    10. Titus, 1999

    Director Julie Taymor set Shakespeare’s most violent play an anachronistic fantasy world that uses locations, costumes and imagery from many periods of history, including Ancient Rome and Mussolini’s Italy. Anthony Hopkins revels in gruesome title role.

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