Shakespeare Watchlist
List activity
157 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
106 titles
- DirectorMichael GrandageRobin LoughStarsMichael HadleyPaul JessonAlec NewmanAn ageing monarch. A kingdom divided. A child's love rejected. As Lear's world descends into chaos, all that he once believed is brought into question.
- DirectorSam MendesRobin LoughStarsSaif Al-WarithWaj AliNathan AmpofoAn aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters and rejects his one loving, but honest one.
- DirectorRupert GooldRobin LoughStarsDavid AnnenJoseph ArkleyOsman BaigAlmeida Theatre Live makes its debut broadcast with Richard III from the Almeida stage to cinemas in the UK and around the world, in association with Picturehouse Entertainment, produced by Illuminations Media.
- DirectorEleanor RhodeStarsMichael AbubakarSarah AghaDavid BirrellRichard the Lionheart is dead. His brother John is King of England. Threatened from all sides by Europe, the English noblemen and even his own family, King John will stop at nothing to keep hold of his crown.
- DirectorPeter HallStarsGeorgine AndersonStephanie BidmeadMichael BlakemoreMistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.
- DirectorDavid GilesStarsIan McKellenFaith BrookJohn WoodvineHamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorJanet SuzmanStarsJohn KaniRichard Haddon HainesDorothy Ann GouldThe 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.
- DirectorChristine EdzardStarsJames FoxCyril CusackAndrew TiernanHiding out in an industrial wasteland from the murderous wrath of a regional ruler, a woman, disguised as a boy, gives wooing lessons to the edgy lad who proclaims he loves her.
- DirectorBridget CaldwellGregory DoranRobin MasonStarsCatherine TateDavid TennantAkalaA celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, broadcast live at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
- DirectorSvend GadeHeinz SchallStarsAsta NielsenPaul ConradiMathilde BrandtDanish silent movie-star Asta Nielsen formed her own production company to make this film, in which new elements are combined with features (and a few lines) familiar from Shakespeare's version of the legend. The most important of these changes sees Hamlet made into a female character - a princess forced to masquerade as a man by her scheming mother; from this follows Hamlet's secret passion for Horatio and rivalry with Ophelia for his love. Queen Gertrude is here presented as conspiring in her first husband's murder, and the old king's ghost does not appear - young Hamlet merely hears a voice from the tomb and (apparently) dreams of him. In addition, Hamlet now kills Claudius (in a fire) immediately upon returning from Norway with an army led by old school- friend Fortinbras, and it falls to Gertrude to engineer Hamlet's death in the fencing match as well as kill herself by accidentally drinking the poisoned wine.
- DirectorAndré CalmettesJames KeaneStarsRobert GempFrederick WardeAlbert GardnerRichard of Gloucester uses manipulation and murder to gain the English throne.
- DirectorClark JonesStarsClaire BloomJohn NevilleRonald AllenIn Shakespeare's classic play, the Montagues and Capulets, two families of Renaissance Italy, have hated each other for years, but the son of one family and the daughter of the other fall desperately in love and secretly marry.
- DirectorRudolph CartierStarsPaul RogersNatasha ParryJohn JustinMistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.
- DirectorJames Cellan JonesStarsEileen AtkinsRobert StephensLynn RedgraveMistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.
- DirectorNick EvansStarsSylvester AkinrolabuHelen AnkerBrandon BassirThis filmed theatre production retells Shakespeare's classic tale of the star-crossed lovers for a modern audience, utilising new technology to produce and film the show against the backdrop of Manchester's Palace Theatre.
- StarsSimon Russell BealeEthan HawkeHarriet WalterVarious actors discuss Shakespeare plays. Each episode is presented by one actor and, in most cases, the actor discusses one play. However, some episodes cover more than one play. For example, all three "Henry plays" are presented together.
- StarsColin FarrellCharles DaleMichael PenningtonThe entire cycle of Shakespeare's history plays performed by the English Shakespeare Company
- DirectorMichael BogdanovStarsSean PertweeGreta ScacchiLorren BentEnglish thespian Sean Pertwee plays the painfully ambitious royal who schemes to murder so he can ascend to the throne in this superior version of William Shakespeare's literary classic. Spurred by the pressure exerted by his equally power-hungry wife, Lady MacBeth (Greta Scacchi), the Thane conspires to kill, but is so overcome with guilt that he's unable to wash the blood off his hands -- literally and figuratively.
- DirectorScott AndersonStarsDavid CarradineSally KirklandMaria Conchita Alonso"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 Lancaster dynasty, and reign as undisputed king. Standing between him and the throne are his brothers Clarence and King Edward, his nephews the Princes, his bitter adversary Queen Elizabeth, and a host of enemies, rivals, and dubious allies. In the Los Angeles of "Shakespeare's Richard III", violence is the norm: every member of the nobility expects to kill or be killed, according to the code duel lo. They prefer death before dishonor. The women in this society are just as dangerous, courageous, and brutal as the men. The York and Lancaster families - rival branches of the former England Studios - exert a mafia-like control of the city and local politics/law enforcement. Aided by his sinister counselor Buckingham, Richard will stop at nothing - seduction, bribery, conspiracy, and wholesale slaughter - in his bloodthirsty quest, until finally just one adversary remains: his arch-rival Lord Richmond. But why, as the opposing forces join battle, is Richard smiling? What does he know that Richmond doesn't...?
- DirectorAlbert McCleeryStarsMaurice EvansWesley AddyNorman Barrs
- DirectorCelestino CoronadoStarsQuentin CrispHelen MirrenBarry StantonHamlet (Tony Meyer) suspects his uncle, King Claudius (Barry Stanton) has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, Gertrude (Dame Helen Mirren), but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorSimon BowlerStarsDavid MelvilleBernadette SullivanDanny CampbellShakespeare's Hamlet -- Dogma style.
- DirectorDavid M. ThompsonStarsPenelope WiltonKenneth BranaghPeter BrookAn exploration into the history of Shakespeare's plays, from the silent era to the modern day featuring archive interviews with movie directors including Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh and more.
- DirectorAlan CookeStarsAlan AdamsChloe AshcroftDavid BelcherYoung lovers Hero (Caroline John) and Claudio (Michael Byrne), soon to wed, conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles Benedick (Robert Stephens) and Beatrice (Dame Maggie Smith) to wed as well.
- StarsJade AnoukaPhilip CumbusSeroca DavisFour 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.
- DirectorFrank DunlopStarsLaurence HarveyJane AsherDiana ChurchillKing Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Hermione, and his friend, Polixenes, of betraying him. When he forces Polixenes to flee for his life, Leontes sets in motion a chain of events that lead to death, a ferocious bear, an infant left in the snow, young love, and a statue coming to life.
- DirectorDon TaylorStarsRobert ShawRosalie CrutchleyPatrick MacneeKing Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Hermione, and his friend, Polixenes, of betraying him. When he forces Polixenes to flee for his life, Leontes sets in motion a chain of events that lead to death, a ferocious bear, an infant left in the snow, young love, and a statue coming to life.
- DirectorBarry BoysStarsVincent BaggettaRussell GoldEarle HymanKing Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Hermione, and his friend, Polixenes, of betraying him. When he forces Polixenes to flee for his life, Leontes sets in motion a chain of events that lead to death, a ferocious bear, an infant left in the snow, young love, and a statue coming to life.
- DirectorRobin LoughJonathan MunbyStarsDominic MafhamBrian MartinRegé-Jean PageAntonio and his friend Bassanio borrow money from Shylock, a rich Jew, so that Bassanio may marry. When the payment is due, Bassanio can't pay and Shylock demands a pound of his flesh.
- DirectorPhillips SmalleyLois WeberStarsPhillips SmalleyLois WeberDouglas GerrardA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorHal BurtonStarsRaymond WestwellMichael HordernRachel GurneyA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorLawrence CarraStarsLynn RedgraveTimothy DaltonNichelle NicholsAfter the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius.
- DirectorKen McMullenStarsIan McKellenDominique PinonJohn ShrapnelA modern-day version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', which explores a young man's psyche as he contemplates avenging his father's death.
- DirectorDominic DromgooleStarsNaana Agyei AmpaduElla CumberKurt EgyiawanA television production of Shakespeare's enduring comedy Measure for Measure from the Globe Theatre.
- DirectorJ. Stuart BlacktonWilliam V. RanousStarsCharles KentWilliam SheaMaurice CostelloShakespeare's historical tragedy of the rise and fall of Julius Caesar, told in fifteen scenes.
- DirectorAdam Lee HamiltonStarsJack BaldwinAimée-Lou CameronIan HorganThe first installment of what is widely acknowledged to be Shakespeare's greatest historical saga, Henry IV, Part I is an epic tale of power, treachery and war, exploring the complexity of father-son relationships. Featuring an Olivier award-winning performance from Roger Allam as Falstaff, the comical mentor to Jamie Parker's Prince Hal, this is a celebrated presentation of the English classic, expertly directed by Dominic Dromgoole.
- DirectorNicholas HytnerStarsMatt AyleighSimon Russell BealePaul BentallTimon of Athens is a play unique to Shakespeare as it offers a central character without family or partner; the story of a rich and liberal Athenian whose generosity is exploited until he learns the full extent of man's greed.
- DirectorSergei YutkevichStarsSergey BondarchukIrina SkobtsevaAndrei PopovThe 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.
- DirectorAl PacinoStarsAl PacinoAlec BaldwinKevin SpaceyAl 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."
- DirectorJ. Stuart BlacktonCharles KentJames YoungStarsMaurice CostelloRose CoghlanRosemary ThebyAfter the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.
- DirectorMichael ElliottRonald EyreStarsVanessa RedgravePatrick AllenMax AdrianAfter the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.
- StarsPatrick MowerAnn LynnPhilip BrackWhen King Lear decides to step down from his throne, he decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters with tragic results.
- DirectorDominic DromgooleRobin LoughStarsRoger AllamJason BaughanPatrick BrennanHenry IV faces armed opposition from former allies and at the same time is worried by the company his son and heir Prince Hal is keeping, company that includes the dissolute and cowardly Sir John Falstaff
- DirectorDominic DromgooleRoss MacGibbonStarsRoger AllamJamie ParkerOliver CottonHotspur is dead and Henry's son Prince Hal has proved his military worth, but the King himself is increasingly sick and a remaining band of rebels is reluctant to surrender.As the Prince's drinking buddy Falstaff is coaxed into mustering soldiers to help fight the rebels, the question builds as to whether his attachment to Hal will help him and his cronies earn promotion and comfort in the new court of the expected Henry V.
- DirectorLucy BaileyStarsWilliam HoustonIndira VarmaObi AbiliGrotesquely violent and daringly experimental, Titus was the smash hit of Shakespeare's early career, and is written with a ghoulish energy he was never to repeat elsewhere.
- DirectorDominic DromgooleRoss MacGibbonStarsJamie ParkerBrid BrennanGraham ButlerShakespeare's masterpiece of the turbulence of war and the arts of peace tells the romantic story of Henry's campaign to recapture the English possessions in France. But the ambitions of this charismatic king are challenged by a host of vivid characters caught up in the real horrors of war.
- DirectorAlan CookeStarsMike KellinDarryl HickmanCharles AidmanKing Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.
- DirectorToby FrowStarsJamie BeamishMichael BertenshawSarah MacRaeThe swaggering Petruchio agrees to marry the spitting hellcat, Katherine.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsGordon HeathRosemary HarrisPaul RogersThe 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.
- DirectorWilford LeachStarsFrank AduBimboThomas Martell BrimmA banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
- DirectorNicholas HytnerStarsMichael PeavoyMatthew BarkerDavid CalderHamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorRufus NorrisTim Van SomerenStarsNadia AlbinaMichael BalogunStephen BoxerThe ruined aftermath of a bloody civil war. Ruthlessly fighting to survive, the Macbeths are propelled towards the crown by forces of elemental darkness.
- DirectorBarry AvrichStarsGraham AbbeyMichael BlakeFarhang Ghajar
- StarsSimon SchamaHarriet WalterPeter De JerseySimon Schama explores the life and times of William Shakespeare to shed a new light on some of the greatest plays ever written.
- DirectorChristopher DunneStarsCandy K. SweetLexton RaleighTom DennisA classic and intense horror/drama about the all consuming nature of revenge.
- DirectorJonathan MunbyStarsIgnatius AnthonyPeter BankoléEve BestCleopatra, the alluring and fascinatingly ambiguous Queen of Egypt, has bewitched the great Mark Antony, soldier, campaigner and now one of the three rulers of the Roman Empire. When Antony quarrels with his fellow leaders and throws in his lot with Cleopatra, his infatuation threatens to split the Empire in two.
- DirectorMarianne ElliottStarsBen AllenCassie AtkinsonJolyon CoyHelena, orphaned and impoverished, follows the countess' son, Bertram, to court, hoping to win his heart. Bertram, though, has other ideas.
- DirectorBlanche McIntyreStarsSimon HarrisonMatthew NeedhamBrodie RossBasing his plot on a farce by Plautus, Shakespeare caps the mayhem of his Roman original to build up a hectic tale of violent cross-purposes, furious slapstick and social nightmare.
- DirectorAlan HorroxStarsGeraldine SomervilleJenny AgutterJonathan FirthTwo teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
- DirectorJ. Stuart BlacktonStarsJulia Swayne GordonWilliam V. RanousFlorence TurnerA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorGeorge More O'FerrallStarsAbraham SofaerAustin TrevorAndré MorellA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorWidgey R. NewmanStarsLewis CassonMaurice FarquarsonJoyce LyonsA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorColin CoxStarsKel MitchellFran de LeonConrad CimarraShakespeare's tragic tale about two young lovers and their warring families as re-told by Mercutio.
- DirectorNorman CampbellRichard MonetteStarsTim MacDonaldColm FeoreMervon MehtaThe Stratford Festival stage production of Shakespeare's drama.
- DirectorJ. Stuart BlacktonStarsPaul PanzerFlorence LawrenceJohn G. AdolfiTwo feuding houses are united with the marriage and eventual death of their children.
- DirectorUgo FalenaGerolamo Lo SavioStarsGustavo SerenaFrancesca BertiniFerruccio GaravagliaRomeo, of the House of Capulets, and Juliet, of the House of Montagues, scorn the family feud of years, and love each other with all the fervor of Veronian youths. The ardent wooer sings his love beneath his lady's window while the stars wink their approval of the lovers' happiness. Juliet's father urges her marriage to Tybalt, a man of his choosing, but Romeo determines she shall not, so together they visit the venerable Friar Lawrence and are secretly united in marriage. Romeo is challenged by his rival, Tybalt, and in the encounter wounds his antagonist, for which he is exiled. Romeo's departure leaves Juliet open to the demands of her father, who insists upon her immediate marriage to Tybalt. In terror she flees to the old Friar, who gives her a powerful sleeping potion, and on the day she is to marry Tybalt, her friends are horrified to see her fall into a deathlike swoon. She is interred in the vault of her ancestors, and Romeo, hearing of her death, returns home, enters the vault and after gazing upon the face of his beloved plunges a dagger into his heart. Juliet awakens to see him expiring, and in her agony seizes the same dagger, inflicts a death-wound, and expires beside her lover.
- DirectorMichael BarryStarsAndrew OsbornJohn BaileyRosalie CrutchleyTwo teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
- DirectorNorman CampbellRichard MonetteStarsJames BlendickNicholas PennellHubert KellyTwo 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.
- StarsAndrew MarrRazia IqbalMark RylanceRichard II is a historical drama by William Shakespeare that depicts the downfall of King Richard II of England and his replacement by Henry Bolingbroke, who becomes King Henry IV. The movie adaptation of the play has been made several times, with different actors playing the main roles. The plot of the movie follows the main events of the play, which are: Richard II is a weak and wasteful king who alienates his nobles and commoners by his mismanagement of the country and his arbitrary decisions. He banishes his cousin Henry Bolingbroke and seizes his inheritance after the death of Bolingbroke's father, John of Gaunt. Bolingbroke returns from exile with an army and invades England while Richard is away fighting in Ireland. He gains support from many nobles and commoners who are dissatisfied with Richard's rule. He captures Richard and forces him to abdicate the throne. Bolingbroke is crowned as King Henry IV and tries to consolidate his power by pardoning some of Richard's supporters and executing others. He also faces rebellions from some nobles who are unhappy with his usurpation. Richard is imprisoned in Pomfret Castle, where he laments his loss of kingship and identity. He is eventually killed by an assassin who claims to act on Henry's behalf, but Henry denies any involvement and vows to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to atone for his sins. The movie is a tragedy that explores themes such as power, legitimacy, loyalty, identity, and divine right. It shows the contrast between Richard's poetic and eloquent speeches and Henry's pragmatic and political actions. It also foreshadows the troubles that Henry will face in his reign, as depicted in the subsequent plays of Shakespeare's second tetralogy: Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V.
- Over 300 Shakespeare films from all over the world were produced during the silent era, most of which are now lost. This compilation from the BFI National Film and Television Archive showcases some of the very best material that survives.
- DirectorBaldassarre NegroniStarsV. CocchiPina FabbriAn early silent, Italian version of Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale.
- DirectorTim SuppleStarsParminder NagraRonny JhuttiChiwetel EjioforMulticultural version of the Shakespearean tale Twelth Night, Made in modern day society featuring Anglo-Indian cast.
- DirectorPhillip SchopperStarsClaire BloomJohn BarrymoreSarah BernhardtClaire Bloom has performed leading and important supporting roles in numerous plays by William Shakespeare, starting while she was still in her teens. In this documentary, she discusses her experiences and performs monologues and soliloquies from 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'The Merchant of Venice,' 'As You Like It,' 'Richard III,' 'Hamlet,' and 'King Henry the Eighth,' among others. Film and television footage from her earlier performances is also featured, as is a brief clip of Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet in a 1900 silent film version of that play.
- DirectorSacha BennettStarsRobert LindsayHarry JarvisTamzin MerchantShakespeare's classic comedy: Young lovers living under an oppressive state-rule flee their home-city to change their lives, and end up changing the world. After all, love changes everything.
- DirectorRichard OlivierSteve RuggiStarsVincent BrimbleChristian CamargoToby CockerellIn the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
- DirectorDominic CookeTim Van SomerenStarsMarcus AdolphyTom AndersonPaul BentallAegeon of Syracuse has come to Ephesus to seek his son, who went in search of his missing twin and mother months ago. Unfortunately, Ephesus has just declared war on Syracuse, and will instantly put to death any Syracusean found within their borders unless a ransom's paid. Meanwhile, the son, Antipholus, and his servant, Dromio (also an identical twin), keep running into strangers who seem to know them...
- DirectorDerek JarmanStarsPaul ReynoldsPhillip WilliamsonJudi DenchAn unseen woman recites Shakespeare's sonnets - fourteen in all - as a man wordlessly seeks his heart's desire. The photography is stop-motion, the music is ethereal, the scenery is often elemental: boulders and smaller rocks, the sea, smoke or fog, and a garden. The man is on an odyssey following his love. But he must first, as the sonnet says, know what conscience is. So, before he can be united with his love, he must purify himself. He does so, bathing a tattooed figure (an angel, perhaps) and humbling himself in front of this being. He also prepares himself with water and through his journey and his meditations. Finally, he is united with his fair friend.
- DirectorPeter DuguidClifford WilliamsStarsDonald SindenJohn WelshIan RichardsonTwo unrelated men, strangers to each other, are identical twins - and so, even more confusingly, are their servants.
- DirectorJirí TrnkaStarsJoss AcklandAnn BellRichard BurtonThe first puppet kinescope in the world. It is based on the famous poetic comedy by William Shakespeare. Three worlds meet in this story: the noble world of three Athens couples, a common popular world of tradesmen amateur theatre and a fairy-tale happiness of magic creatures as elves and nymphs. The film is considered the most remarkable Jirí Trnka's work and a milestone in the history of the world animation.
- DirectorWilliam WoodmanStarsDuane BlackEdward EdwardsRoberta FarkasExiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.
- DirectorJoseph PappStarsFrances ConroyRichard DreyfussRaul JuliaVideo production of Shakespeare's stage play about Othello, a Moorish general in Venice deeply in love with his wife Desdemona and, unbeknown to him, deeply hated by his trusted ensign and best friend, Iago, who has death on his mind.
- DirectorMichael BuffongStarsDon WarringtonAlfred EnochMiltos YerolemouDon Warrington stars as the tragic monarch in this acclaimed version of the Shakespeare play recorded at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
- StarsPeter HoldwayJim ZidarJared DoreckKing Lear is an in-depth study of love, power and death. Through this film Shakespeare is saying, "Don't blame the gods or the heaven's for the horrors committed on earth. No. Blame hellish inhumanity on those who inhabit the earth."
- DirectorAntoni CimolinoStarsColm FeoreElizabeth AdamsAnousha AlamianHis succession plan will slay you. Charismatic, cunning and utterly ruthless, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Colm Feore) is the very embodiment of lethal ambition as he maneuvers and murders his way to the throne of England. But once he reaches the top, the only way is down and in Richard's growing roster of vengeful enemies, none are more menacing than the ghosts of his past.
- DirectorCarlyle StewartStarsGeoffrey AndersonTui AsauTom BowerAfter the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.
- DirectorJohn GorrieStarsEric PorterJanet SuzmanJohn ThawThe Thane of Cawdor plots to become King of Scotland.
- DirectorDavid GilesStarsJanet SuzmanCharles GrayMarilyn TaylersonViola and Sebastian are lookalike twins, separated by a shipwreck. Viola lands in Illyria, where she disguises herself like her brother and goes into the service of the Duke Orsino. Orsino sends her to help him woo the Lady Olivia, who doesn't want the Duke, but finds that she likes the new messenger the Duke's sending. Then, of course, Viola's brother shows up, and merry hell breaks loose. Meanwhile, Olivia's uncle and his cohorts are trying to find some way to get back at Olivia's officious majordomo, Malvolio.
- DirectorDeborah WarnerStarsFiona ShawGraham CrowdenRichard BremmerThe incompetent Richard II is deposed by Henry Bolingbroke and undergoes a crisis of identity once he is no longer king.
- DirectorGeorge SchaeferStarsLilli PalmerMaurice EvansPhilip BourneufThe shrew Katharina meets her match in the wily Petruchio.
- DirectorNorman CampbellPeter DewsStarsShaun Austin-OlsenRod BeattieAnthony BekennThe swaggering Petruchio agrees to marry the spitting hellcat, Katherine.
- DirectorDeclan DonnellanStarsGrace AndrewsTom CawteRyan DonaldsonCheek by Jowl's adaptation of the Shakespearean play "The Winter's Tale". Determined that his wife has been unfaithful, King Leontes goes down a path of tyranny- exiling friends, courtiers, and even family.
- DirectorGregory DoranStarsTheo AffailSegun AkingbolaAdjoa AndohThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.