Shakespeare in essence
by lars-154 | created - 29 Mar 2014 | updated - 25 Apr 2023 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale
Votes: 52,030 | Gross: $22.55M
2. Henry V (1989)
PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin
Votes: 31,675 | Gross: $10.16M
3. Hamlet (1996)
PG-13 | 242 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet
Votes: 40,066 | Gross: $4.41M
4. Hamlet (1990)
PG | 135 min | Drama
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield
Votes: 23,625 | Gross: $20.71M
5. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Romance
When two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Milo O'Shea
Votes: 34,794 | Gross: $38.90M
6. Cymbeline (2014)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. A drug kingpin is driven to desperate measures.
Director: Michael Almereyda | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Milla Jovovich, John Leguizamo
Votes: 4,265
7. Iaga (2015)
86 min | Fantasy
Iaga secretly exposes the marriage between Desdemona and Othella, but when the marriage is accepted by Venetian nobility, Iaga plots to drive a wedge between Othella and Desdemona using handsome Cassio as her pawn.
Director: Dustin Dunaway | Stars: Amy Bakke, Ariel Baty, Cooper Christian, Ashley Crockett
8. The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)
TV-14 | 150 min | Drama, History, War
A mini-series of adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.
Stars: Anton Lesser, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Georgeson, John Mackay
Votes: 7,319
9. Coriolanus (2011)
R | 123 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
Director: Ralph Fiennes | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Lubna Azabal
Votes: 33,527 | Gross: $0.76M
10. Hamlet (2009)
77 min | Drama
Shakespeare's Hamlet -- Dogma style.
Director: Simon Bowler | Stars: David Melville, Bernadette Sullivan, Danny Campbell, Melissa Chalsma
Votes: 7
11. Hamlet (2009 TV Movie)
PG | 180 min | Drama
The RSC puts a modern spin on Shakespeare's Hamlet in this filmed-for-television version of their stage production. The Prince of Denmark seeks vengeance after his father is murdered and his mother marries the murderer.
Director: Gregory Doran | Stars: David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Penny Downie, Oliver Ford Davies
Votes: 3,800
12. Richard III (2007)
Action, Crime, Drama
"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 ... See full summary »
Director: Scott Anderson | Stars: David Carradine, Sally Kirkland, Maria Conchita Alonso, Scott Anderson
Votes: 190
13. King Lear (2008 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 156 min | Drama
Sir Ian McKellen gives a tour-de-force performance as Shakespeare's tragic monarch, in this special television adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company production of one of the playwright's most enduring and haunting works.
Director: Trevor Nunn | Stars: Ian McKellen, William Gaunt, Philip Winchester, Ben Meyjes
Votes: 662
14. The Hamlet Adventure (2008)
81 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
Obsessed by Hamlet's tragic character since adolescence, writer-producer Stanislav Semerdjiev ventures to write and stage a new post-modern monological version of the famous plot at the ... See full summary »
Directors: Ivaylo Dikanski, Greg Roach | Stars: Stanislav Semerdjiev, Greg Roach, Emil Trifonov, Paul Hiaumet
Votes: 30
15. The Merchant of Venice (2004)
R | 131 min | Drama, Romance
In 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.
Director: Michael Radford | Stars: Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Jeremy Irons
Votes: 38,270 | Gross: $3.77M
16. The King Is Alive (2000)
R | 110 min | Drama
When a bus breaks down in the desert, the passengers decide to stage "King Lear."
Director: Kristian Levring | Stars: Miles Anderson, Romane Bohringer, David Bradley, David Calder
Votes: 2,005 | Gross: $0.10M
17. Hamlet (2000)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Modern-day New York City adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder.
Director: Michael Almereyda | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Venora, Sam Shepard
Votes: 9,992 | Gross: $1.57M
18. Titus (1999)
R | 162 min | Drama, History, Thriller
Titus returns victorious from war, only to plant the seeds of future turmoil for himself and his family.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Osheen Jones, Dario D'Ambrosi
Votes: 21,475 | Gross: $1.92M
19. Looking for Richard (1996)
PG-13 | 111 min | Documentary, Drama
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Director: Al Pacino | Stars: Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Frederic Kimball
Votes: 8,572 | Gross: $1.36M
20. Othello (1995)
R | 123 min | Drama, Romance
The 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.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Irène Jacob, Nathaniel Parker
Votes: 10,181 | Gross: $2.11M
21. Richard III (1995)
R | 110 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, War
The classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen, Edward Jewesbury
Votes: 15,578 | Gross: $2.60M
22. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992–1994)
TV-Y7 | 26 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Condensed animated adaptations of plays by William Shakespeare.
Stars: Alec McCowen, Michael Kitchen, Suzanne Burden, John Warner
Votes: 359
23. Prospero's Books (1991)
R | 124 min | Drama, Fantasy
The magician Prospero attempts to stop his daughter's affair with an enemy.
Director: Peter Greenaway | Stars: John Gielgud, Michael Clark, Michel Blanc, Erland Josephson
Votes: 6,725 | Gross: $1.75M
24. My Own Private Idaho (1991)
R | 104 min | Drama
Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert
Votes: 61,788 | Gross: $6.40M
25. Hamlet Goes Business (1987)
89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Playboy Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, a paper baron in today's Finland.
Director: Aki Kaurismäki | Stars: Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Esko Salminen, Kati Outinen, Elina Salo
Votes: 2,332
26. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,308 | Gross: $4.14M
27. Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare (1982 TV Special)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Ian McKellen, alone on stage, with no props or scenery, performs monologues from Shakespeare and discusses some of his plays.
Director: Kirk Browning | Star: Ian McKellen
Votes: 124
28. Othello (1981 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 195 min | Drama, Romance
General Othello (Sir Anthony Hopkins) becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair, even though there is no evidence.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: Anthony Pedley, Bob Hoskins, Geoffrey Chater, Alexander Davion
Votes: 488
29. As You Like It (2006)
PG | 127 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
A daughter of the powerful Duke must show her courage and inventiveness to be with the man she loves.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Takuya Shimada, Brian Blessed, Richard Clifford, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 3,730
30. A Midwinter's Tale (1995)
R | 99 min | Comedy
A group of theatre actors plays "Hamlet" in a provincial village, faced with their own temptations, disappointments, and joys.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Michael Maloney, Richard Briers, Hetta Charnley, Joan Collins
Votes: 2,772 | Gross: $0.35M
31. Forbidden Planet (1956)
G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens
Votes: 53,259 | Gross: $3.00M
32. ShakespeaRe-Told (2005)
TV-PG | 360 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A modern re-telling of four William Shakespeare stories.
Stars: Nick Malinowski, James McAvoy, Shirley Henderson, Sarah Parish
Votes: 1,473
33. Much Ado About Nothing (I) (2012)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Jillian Morgese
Votes: 17,092 | Gross: $4.33M
34. Macbeth (I) (2006)
Not Rated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" set in the ganglands of Melbourne.
Director: Geoffrey Wright | Stars: Victoria Hill, Lachy Hulme, Gary Sweet, Sam Worthington
Votes: 2,279 | Gross: $1.11M
35. Throne of Blood (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 56,001
36. Chimes at Midnight (1965)
Not Rated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, History
When 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.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud
Votes: 10,156 | Gross: $0.12M
37. Othello (1951)
Approved | 90 min | Drama, Romance
The 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.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier
Votes: 9,457
38. Macbeth (1948)
Passed | 107 min | Drama, History, War
Macbeth, 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.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 7,799
39. Titus Andronicus (2000)
167 min | Drama, Horror
A modern telling of William Shakespeare's darkest drama set against the backdrop of a corporate Rome.
Director: Richard Griffin | Stars: Nigel Gore, Zoya Pierson, John Capalbo, Chris Perrotti
Votes: 70
40. The Tragedy of Hamlet (2014– )
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Prince Hamlet tries to work through some issues.
Stars: Heath McGough, Richard-John Seikaly, Tanner Andrew Herrmann
41. The Tempest (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Shakespeare's epic play is translated from page to screen, with the gender of the main character, Prospero, changed from male to female.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand
Votes: 8,202 | Gross: $0.28M
42. Shakespeare's Globe: All's Well That Ends Well (2012)
Not Rated | 138 min | Comedy, Drama
All's Well That Ends Well centers on the tale of Helena's quest to marry the man she loves, the rather unimpressed Bertram.
Director: John Dove | Stars: Michael Bertenshaw, Sam Cox, Sam Crane, Naomi Cranston
Votes: 58
43. Family Bonds (2012)
71 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Years after a detrimental accident splits them apart, two foster families come together to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and reconcile the past. Easier said than done.
Director: Anthony Newen | Stars: Emma Earnest, Tess Garraty, Stefan Gural, Destiny Kish
Votes: 14
44. The Comedy of Errors (2012 Video)
115 min | Comedy
Two identical twins and their two servants (also identical twins) are separated in a ship-wreck. When, years later, they all show up in the same town, mistaken identities abound.
Director: Reid Edelman
45. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2012 Video)
92 min | Drama
Macbeth, 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.
Director: Daniel Coll | Stars: Marek Oravec, Hannah Taylor Gordon, Hal Fowler, Killian Scott
Votes: 23
46. Twelfth Night (2012)
120 min | Musical
William Shakespeare's farce about a woman who poses as a man after a shipwreck separates her and her twin brother.
Director: Barry Avrich | Stars: Ben Carlson, Stephen Ouimette, Trent Pardy, Cara Ricketts
Votes: 39
47. Otello (2012)
Drama, Music
In Verdi's masterful adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, a great warrior discovers the one weapon against which he has no defense-his own jealousy. South African tenor Johan Botha, "... See full summary »
Director: Frank Zamacona | Stars: Johan Botha, Zvetelina Vassileva, Marco Vratogna, Beau Gibson
Votes: 14
48. Caesar Must Die (2012)
Unrated | 77 min | Drama
Inmates at a high-security prison in Rome prepare for a public performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar."
Directors: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani | Stars: Cosimo Rega, Salvatore Striano, Giovanni Arcuri, Antonio Frasca
Votes: 6,816
49. The Merry Wives of Windsor (2011)
Not Rated | 135 min | Comedy
Imagining that Mistress Ford and Mistress Page have each fallen for him, the fat knight Sir John Falstaff decides to seduce them both, as much for their husbands' money as for their ... See full summary »
Director: Christopher Luscombe | Stars: Christopher Benjamin, Serena Evans, Sarah Woodward, Andrew Havill
Votes: 46
50. Private Romeo (2011)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Romance
A modern take on Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Set at an isolated all-boys military academy, it follows the forbidden relationship between two cadets.
Director: Alan Brown | Stars: Hale Appleman, Charlie Barnett, Adam Barrie, Chris Bresky
Votes: 2,406
51. Love's Labour's Lost (Globe Theatre Version) (2010 Video)
167 min | Comedy
Four young men swear off love in order to focus on their studies, only to have their plans go awry when four lovely ladies enter their lives.
Stars: Jade Anouka, Philip Cumbus, Seroca Davis, Jack Farthing
Votes: 72
52. 'As You Like It' at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (2010 Video)
149 min | Comedy
Shakespeare's tale of young love, betrayal, cross-dressing, and redemption.
Director: Thea Sharrock | Stars: Gareth Bennett-Ryan, Michael Benz, Philip Bird, Sophie Duval
Votes: 168
53. Shakespeare's Globe: Romeo and Juliet (2010 Video)
171 min | Drama
Young love turns tragic when complicated by the hatred of an older generation and the pressures of society.
Director: Dominic Dromgoole | Stars: Tomiwa Edun, Ellie Kendrick, Jack Farthing, Philip Cumbus
Votes: 166
54. Othello (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre) (2008 Video)
195 min | Drama
The 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.
Director: Wilson Milam | Stars: Christopher Allan, Simon Allen, Zawe Ashton, Anthony Bailey
Votes: 101
55. Falstaff (2009 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 136 min | Comedy, Musical
The inspirational Vladimir Jurowski conducts Verdi's last opera, his only true comic opera.
Director: François Roussillon | Stars: Vladimir Jurowski, Christopher Purves, Paolo Battaglia, Alasdair Elliott
Votes: 7
56. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
Two minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.
Director: Tom Stoppard | Stars: Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss, Livio Badurina
Votes: 23,865 | Gross: $0.74M
57. Love's Labour's Lost (2000)
PG | 93 min | Romance, Comedy, Musical
An 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.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Natascha McElhone, Kenneth Branagh
Votes: 4,905 | Gross: $0.28M
58.
ShakespeaRe-Told (2005)
Episode:
The Taming of the Shrew
(2005)
TV-PG | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young harridan MP marries a title in order to advance towards her goal of becoming party leader.
Director: David Richards | Stars: Shirley Henderson, David Mitchell, Simon Chandler, Jaime Murray
Votes: 1,533
59. Macbeth (I) (2015)
R | 113 min | Drama, History, War
Macbeth, 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.
Director: Justin Kurzel | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan, Frank Madigan
Votes: 59,527 | Gross: $1.11M
60. Macbeth Unhinged (2016)
131 min | Drama, History
This is a modern interpretation of the bard's tragedy, set in the claustrophobic confines of a stretch limousine which prowls the streets of a contemporary landscape as its agoraphobic ... See full summary »
Director: Angus Macfadyen | Stars: Angus Macfadyen, Taylor Roberts, Kevin McNally, Harry Lennix
Votes: 32
61. Anonymous (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Thriller
The theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis, Sebastian Armesto
Votes: 42,138 | Gross: $4.46M
62. All Is True (2018)
PG-13 | 101 min | Biography, Drama, History
A look at the final days in the life of renowned playwright William Shakespeare.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Nonso Anozie
Votes: 5,448 | Gross: $1.20M
63. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
R | 105 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Joel Coen | Stars: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Alex Hassell, Bertie Carvel
Votes: 39,743
64. Lady Macbeth (2016)
R | 89 min | Drama, Romance
In 19th-century rural England, a young bride who has been sold into marriage discovers an unstoppable desire within herself as she enters into an affair with a worker on her estate.
Director: William Oldroyd | Stars: Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Paul Hilton, Naomi Ackie
Votes: 27,310 | Gross: $1.13M
65. King Lear (2018 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 115 min | Drama
An aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Jim Carter, Tobias Menzies, Emily Watson
Votes: 4,310
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