Hamlet (1996), Romeo and Juliet (1968), Henry V (1989), Richard III (1955), Macbeth (1971), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Julius Caesar (1953), Twelfth Night (1996) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Shakespeare Play movies.
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 play, ghost, mother son relationship, haunted by the past, one word title, face slap, dysfunctional family ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Against the backdrop of a venomous feud between the powerful clans of the Montagues and the Capulets in the medieval city of Verona, William Shakespeare's eternal story of teenage love unfolds. As youth's insolence arms the charming young Montague, Romeo, with dauntless courage to come uninvited to the Capulets' scintillating masked ball, a brief but thrilling encounter with the delicate dark-haired Capulet, Juliet, will pave the way for an ardent passion and a cruel romantic tragedy. Before God, the star-crossed lovers have sworn never-ending devotion despite their perilous plight; however, before the grim machinations of fate, man stands powerless. Are Romeo and Juliet destined to be together?
Plot Keywords: love, based on play, suicide, famous score, young love, star crossed lovers, family feud ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: King Henry V of England is insulted by the King of France. As a result, he leads his army into battle against France. Along the way, the young King must struggle with the sinking morale of his troops and his own inner doubts. The war culminates at the bloody Battle of Agincourt.
Plot Keywords: king, battlefield, war violence, sword and shield, shakespeare play, battle, honor ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Richard's military skills have helped to put his older brother Edward on the throne of England. But jealousy and resentment cause Richard to seek the crown for himself, and he conceives a lengthy and carefully calculated plan using deception, manipulation, and outright murder to achieve his goal. His plotting soon has tumultuous consequences, both for himself and for England.—Snow Leopard
Plot Keywords: 15th century, nightmare, killed with a sword, cold blooded murder, villain played by lead actor, based on play, breaking the fourth wall ...
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: based on play, prophecy, shakespeare play, guilt, murder, witch, murder of family ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Young lovers Hero and Claudio are to be married in one week. To pass the time, they conspire with Don Pedro to set a "lover's trap" for Benedick, an arrogant confirmed bachelor, and Beatrice, his favorite sparring partner. Meanwhile, the evil Don Jon conspires to break up the wedding by accusing Hero of infidelity. In the end, though, it all turns out to be "much ado about nothing".
Plot Keywords: directed by star, based on play, marriage engagement, kiss, shower, slander, lie ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Brutus, Cassius, and other high-ranking Romans murder Caesar, because they believe his ambition will lead to tyranny. The people of Rome are on their side until Antony, Caesar's right-hand man, makes a moving speech. The conspirators are driven from Rome, and two armies are formed: one side following the conspirators; the other, Antony. Antony has the superior force, and surrounds Brutus and Cassius, but they kill themselves to avoid capture.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords: speech, roman, battle, conspiracy, shakespeare play, political assassination, omen ...
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: bicycle, corset, hair, graveyard, cemetery, church, death of brother ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Leonato (Clark Gregg), the governor of Messina, is visited by his friend Don Pedro (Reed Diamond) who is returning from a victorious campaign against his rebellious brother Don John (Sean Maher). Accompanying Don Pedro are two of his officers: Benedick (Alexis Denisof) and Claudio (Fran Kranz). While in Messina, Claudio falls for Leonato's daughter Hero (Jillian Morgese), while Benedick verbally spars with Beatrice (Amy Acker), the governor's niece. The budding love between Claudio and Hero prompts Don Pedro to arrange with Leonato for a marriage. In the days leading up to the ceremony, Don Pedro, with the help of Leonato, Claudio and Hero, attempts to sport with Benedick and Beatrice in an effort to trick the two into falling in love. Meanwhile, the villainous Don John, with the help of his allies Conrade (Riki Lindhome) and Borachio (Spencer Treat Clark), plots against the happy couple, using his own form of trickery to try to destroy the marriage before it begins. A series of comic...
Plot Keywords: shakespeare play, based on play, swimming pool, eavesdropping, flashlight, bare chested male, hairy chest ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Will Shakespeare is a known but struggling poet, playwright and actor who not only has sold his next play to both Philip Henslow and Richard Burbidge but now faces a far more difficult problem: he is bereft of ideas and has yet to begin writing. He is in search of his muse, the woman who will inspire him but all attempts fail him until he meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps. She loves the theatre and would like nothing more than to take to the stage but is forbidden from doing so as only men can be actors. She is also a great admirer of Shakespeare's works. Dressing as a man and going by the name of Thomas Kent, she auditions and is ideal for a part in his next play. Shakespeare soon sees through her disguise and they begin a love affair, one they know cannot end happily for them as he is already married and she has been promised to the dour Lord Wessex. As the company rehearses his new play, Will and Viola's love is transferred to the written page leading to the masterpiece that is ...
Plot Keywords: gender disguise, marriage of convenience, assumed identity, play rehearsal, play within a film, woman dressed as man, reference to shakespeare's romeo and juliet ...
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: jew, reference to william shakespeare, debt, loan, merchant, homoeroticism, gondola ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Matthew, a young advertising executive in Chicago, puts his life and a business trip to China on hold when he thinks he sees Lisa, the love of his life who walked out on him without a word two years earlier, walking out of a restaurant one day. With a little help from his friend Luke, Matthew obsessively and relentlessly tracks Lisa down and while doing so, runs into another young woman calling herself Lisa whom, unknown to Matthew, is an actress named Alex and may hold the key to Lisa's disappearance, and discovery.
Plot Keywords: obsession, dancer, nonlinear timeline, flashback, sex on first date, flashback within a flashback, multiple perspectives ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, is presented as the real author of Shakespeare's works. Edward's life is followed through flashbacks from a young child, through to the end of his life. He is portrayed as a child prodigy who writes and performs A Midsummer Night's Dream for a young Elizabeth I. A series of events sees his plays being performed by a frontman, Shakespeare.
Plot Keywords: conspiracy theory, wedding, rain, poetry, betrayal, prologue, london england ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Iago convinces Othello, The Moor of Venice that his wife, Desdemona has been unfaithful. Iago is an evil, manipulative character with his own agenda. A plot of jealousy and rage transpires in this classic Shakespearean tale.—Jason Ihle <jrihl@conncoll.edu>
Plot Keywords: jealousy, shakespeare play, conspiracy, tragedy, husband wife relationship, venice italy, revenge ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Jane is a young woman with Asperger's syndrome who is living with her parents in Queens, New York. Bianca is her extremely protective older sister who is now moving in with her fiancé, Rob, in Brooklyn. Jane's parents are now moving to the suburbs of New Jersey and they want Jane to move in with Bianca. Bianca and Rob are not sure once they are ready for that kind of responsibility though, and Jane decides she wants her first boyfriend. This causes some strife to the point where it chafes at Jane's growing independence despite ambient noise creeping into her attention. Eventually, this leads to Bianca trying to dissuade one of her friends, Jack, from dating Jane as she views him as too unreliable for her sister.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: cookie, female bartender, bar, restaurant, cook, rooftop, apartment ...
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