King Lear (2018), Medea (1987), The Mahabharata (1989), The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Hamlet (1996), Sherlock Holmes (2009), A Christmas Carol (1984), Macbeth (1971) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Classic Literature movies.
Storyline: King Lear divides his kingdom among his three daughters -- Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. The kingdom and family soon collapse into chaos and warfare as Lear goes mad and tragedy strikes.
Plot Keywords: tragedy, shakespeare, play adaptation, family conflict, power struggle, betrayal, madness ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Kreon (Henning Jensen), the King of Corinth, offers the hand of his daughter, Glauce (Ludmilla Glinska), to valiant adventurer Jason (Udo Kier). The catch is that Jason's present wife, Medea (Kirsten Olesen), and his two children must leave the kingdom. Jason tries to convince his wife that it is all for the better, guaranteeing her a life of wealth and ease. Medea, however, sensing that her family is being destroyed, descends into madness and commits a horrendous crime.
Plot Keywords: tragedy, mythology, revenge, betrayal, family, murder, theatrical adaptation ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This adaptation of the Indian epic poem and subsequent stage play tells the story of two warring clans. The Pandava brothers come into conflict with the Kauravas, as both tribes, descended from deities, feel they can lay claim to power. Yudhishthira (Andrzej Seweryn), the eldest of the Pandavas, is told by the god Krishna that his destiny is to be king. And his brother Arjuna (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) has a talent for battle. But is war inevitable? Krishna's actions are fraught with ambiguity.
Plot Keywords: epic, religious, philosophy, war, family, morality, destiny ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Based on Stephen Crane's novel of a young Union soldier panicked upon exposure to his first Civil War battle.
Plot Keywords: war, american civil war, courage, coming of age, psychological conflict, fear, honor ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Hamlet (Sir Kenneth Branagh), son of the King of Denmark (Brian Blessed), is summoned home for his father's funeral and his mother Gertrude's (Julie Christie's) wedding to his uncle Claudius (Sir Derek Jacobi). In a supernatural episode, he discovers that his uncle, who he hates anyway, murdered his father. In an incredibly convoluted plot, the most complicated and most interesting in all literature, he manages to (impossible to put this in exact order) feign (or perhaps not to feign) madness, murder the "Prime Minister", love and then unlove an innocent who he drives to madness, plot and then unplot against the uncle, direct a play within a play, successfully conspire against the lives of two well-meaning friends, and finally take his revenge on the uncle, but only at the cost of almost every life on-stage, including his own and his mother's.
Plot Keywords: shakespeare, tragedy, drama, kenneth branagh, classic literature, revenge, betrayal ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler.
Plot Keywords: detective, mystery, action, adventure, crime, british, victorian era ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Dickens' London miser Ebenezer Scrooge (George C. Scott) meets the ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet to come.
Plot Keywords: christmas, ghost, redemption, victorian era, supernatural, charles dickens, classic literature ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Roman Polanski's version of Shakespeare's tragedy about a Scottish lord who murders the king and ascends the throne. His wife then begins hallucinating as a result of her guilt complex and the dead king's son conspires to attack Macbeth and expose him for the murderer he is.—Jason Ihle <jrihl@conncoll.edu>
Plot Keywords: shakespeare, tragedy, medieval, scotland, power struggle, murder, ambition ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Director Al Pacino juxtaposes scenes from Richard III, scenes of rehearsals for Richard III, and sessions where parties involved discuss the play, the times that shaped the play, and the events that happened at the time the play is set. Interviews with mostly British actors are also included, attempting to explain why American actors have more problems performing Shakespearean plays than they do.—Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>
Plot Keywords: documentary, shakespeare, drama, film production, actors, american film, director ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Brother and sister Viola and Sebastian, who are not only very close but look a great deal alike, are in a shipwreck, and both think the other dead. When she lands in a foreign country, Viola dresses as her brother and adopts the name Cesario, becoming a trusted friend and confidante to the Count Orsino. Orsino is madly in love with the lady Olivia, who is in mourning due to her brother's recent death, which she uses as an excuse to avoid seeing the count, whom she does not love. He sends Cesario to do his wooing, and Olivia falls in love with the disguised maiden. Things get more complicated in this bittersweet Shakespeare comedy when a moronic nobleman, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and a self-important servant, Malvolio, get caught up in the schemes of Olivia's uncle, the obese, alcoholic Sir Toby, who leads each to believe Olivia loves him. As well, Sebastian surfaces in the area, and of course there is Feste, the wise fool, around to keep everything in perspective and to marvel, like we the audience, at the amazing things happening all around.—Gary Dickerson <slug@mail.utexas.edu>
Plot Keywords: shakespeare, comedy, romance, drama, adaptation, classic literature, disguise ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Baptista (Sir Michael Hordern), a rich Paduan merchant, announces that his fair young daughter, Bianca (Natasha Pyne), will remain unwed until her older sister, Katharina (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), a hellish shrew, has wed. Lucentio (Michael York), a student and the son of a wealthy Pisan merchant, has fallen in love with Bianca. He poses as a tutor of music and poetry to gain entrance to the Baptista household and to be near Bianca. Meanwhile, Petruchio (Richard Burton), a fortune-hunting scoundrel from Verona, arrives in Padua, hoping to capture a wealthy wife. Hortensio (Victor Spinetti), another suitor of Bianca, directs Petruchio's attention to Katharina. When Hortensio warns him about Katharina's scolding tongue and fiery temper, Petruchio is challenged and resolves to capture her love. Hortensio and another suitor of Bianca, Gremio (Alan Webb), agree to cover Petruchio's costs as he pursues Katharina.—alfiehitchie
Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, classic literature, period drama, marriage, gender roles, farce ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Desdemona (Dame Maggie Smith) defies her father to marry the Moor of Venice, the mighty warrior, Othello (Sir Laurence Olivier). But Othello's old Ensign, Iago (Frank Finlay), doesn't like Othello, and is determined to bring about the downfall of Othello's new favorite, Cassio (Sir Derek Jacobi), and destroy Othello in the process, by casting aspersions on Othello's new bride.—Kathy Li
Plot Keywords: shakespeare, tragedy, jealousy, betrayal, race, venice, military ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Left with her father-in-law, Izmajlow (Bojan Stupica), when her husband goes on an extended trip, Katarina (Olivera Markovic) falls in love with local pig farmer, Sergei (Ljuba Tadic). Her father-in-law discovers the affair and mercilessly beats Sergei. Fearing for her lover, Katerina feeds her father-in-law poisonous mushrooms, which allows a period of peace for the couple. However, when Katarina's husband, Zinovij (Miodrag Lazarevic), returns home, even more violence ensues.
Plot Keywords: drama, crime, erotic, literary adaptation, shakespeare, tragedy, film noir ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Venice, 1596. Melancholy Antonio loves the youthful Bassanio, so when Bassanio asks for 3000 ducats, Antonio says yes before knowing it's to sue for the hand of Portia. His capital tied up in merchant ships at sea, Antonio must go to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender he reviles. Shylock wraps his grudge in kindness, offering a three-month loan at no interest, but if not repaid, Antonio will owe a pound of flesh. The Jew's daughter elopes with a Christian, whetting Shylock's hatred. While Bassanio's away wooing Portia, Antonio's ships founder, and Shylock demands his pound of flesh. With court assembled and a judgment due, Portia swings into action to save Bassanio's friend.
Plot Keywords: drama, romance, history, shakespeare, play adaptation, england, venice ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Dr. Jekyll believes good and evil exist in everyone. Experiments reveal his evil side, named Hyde. Experience teaches him how evil Hyde can be: he kills Ivy who earlier expressed interest in Jekyll and Sir Charles, Jekyll's fiancée's father.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: horror, thriller, drama, psychological, gothic, dark, transformation ...
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