In a fictionalized 1930s London, Richard (Ian McKellen) murders his brother (Nigel Hawthorne), his nephews, known enemies, and supposed friends to gain the crown, but finds it hard to keep. I have no philosophical objection to transplanting Shakespeare to more-or-less modern eras. The problem is that most of the time, if it doesn’t detract from
Romeo (Patrick Ryecart) and Juliet (Rebecca Saire), the children of warring families, fall in love and secretly marry. When Tybalt (Alan Rickman), a cousin of Juliet, is killed by Romeo after he slays Romeo’s friend, Mercutio (Anthony Andrews), the… Well, you know what happens. This stage-like presentation was the first version of Romeo and Juliet
One of the suitors for the beautiful Bianca (Natasha Pyne) gets his money-hungry friend, Petruchio (Richard Burton), to woo her wild sister, Catarina (Elizabeth Taylor). Petruchio attempts to change Kate into a dutiful wife with mind games and “kindness.” I can’t say what stands out more in this very traditional rendition of Shakespeare’s comedy, the
Titus (Anthony Hopkins), an honored general, sacrifices one of his captives, a prince of the Goths. The queen of the Goths vows revenge which leads to betrayal and death. Quick Review:This is what you get if Shakespeare wrote the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and ramped up the violence. I’ve never seen any film that is
Macbeth (Jon Finch), a brave Scottish noble, kills the king after hearing a prophecy from three witches that he will be king. His ambition is his flaw, and it eventually destroys him and his even more ambitious wife (Francesca Annis). Quick Review: The best screen adaptation of Shakespeare, this tale of sound and fury is
Seeped in irrational hatred for Othello the Moor (Orson Welles), Iago (Micheál MacLiammóir) sets out to destroy him and fellow officer Michael Cassio (Michael Laurence). Othello has recently married the beautiful, young Desdemona (Suzanne Cloutier, voice: Gudrun Ure), much to the regret of the foolish Roderigo (Robert Coote, voice: Orson Welles), who wanted her for
A shipwrecked young woman (Imogen Stubbs) takes the identity a man, giving her the appearance of her drowned brother (Steven Mackintosh), and becomes the confidant to the local duke (Toby Stephens). This leads to romantic confusion as she loves the duke, the duke loves Lady Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter), Olivia loves the cross-dressing girl, and
In New York city, two rival street gangs, The Jets, led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn) and The Sharks, led by Bernardo (George Chakiris) battle for territory. When Jet alum Tony (Richard Beymer) meets Maria (Natalie Wood), the sister of The Shark leader, at a youth dance, they fall instantly in love. Doomed as soon as