What film adaptations of William shakespeare's plays have been made?

Answer 1

A great many of Shakespeareâ?? plays such as â??Hamletâ??, â??Macbethâ??, â??Allâ??s Well That Ends Wellâ??, â??he Taming of the Shrewâ?? as well as many others have been made into films. However, none have graced the screen more than his tragedy â??Romeo and Julietâ??.

Answer 2

It depends whether you count Made-for-TV Movies, because the BBC made film versions for broadcast of every single Shakespeare play in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many plays have been done in made-for-TV versions but have not been filmed for the big screen.

If you don't count those, and you don't count the innumerable movies which were "inspired by" or "based on" the plays, or filmed performances of the plays, these are the plays which have been adapted for the screen, with the dates of the most recognizable filmed versions.

Hamlet (1948, 1969, 1996, 2000)

Julius Caesar (1953)

King Lear (1916) (It's been made for TV millions of times)

Macbeth (1948, 1972, 1997)

Othello (1922, 1952, 1995)

Romeo and Juliet (1936, 1955, 1968, 1996)

Titus Andronicus (1999)

Coriolanus (2011)

Henry V (1944, 1989)

Richard III (1955, 1995)

As You Like It (1934, 2007)

Love's Labour's Lost (2000)

Measure for Measure (2007) (Not well known, but it was made)

The Merchant of Venice (2005)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935, 1999)

Much Ado About Nothing (1994)

The Taming of the Shrew (1929, 1967)

The Tempest (2010)

Twelfth Night (1996)

Answer 3

William Shakespeare did not make any movies, because they were not invented until over two hundred years after his death.

But since movies have been invented, a lot of movies have been adaptations of Shakespeare plays. The first Shakespeare movie was made in 1899, when Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree played the part of King John. Sarah Bernhardt was the first Hamlet in 1900. There have been hundreds and hundreds and hundreds since then. Everyone must have a personal list, but these are 10 good ones to start with.

1. Much Ado About Nothing, 1994, starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. It's gorgeous to watch, very funny and easy to follow.

2. Romeo and Juliet, 1968, starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Very beautiful, and a super performance by the teenage stars.

3. Othello, 1952, starring Orson Welles and Suzanne Cloutier. This is a real visual feast, and Welles puts in a great performance.

4. Henry V, 1989, starring Kenneth Branagh and a cast of just about every brilliant English actor who ever played Shakespeare. This is a spectacular film with plenty of action. Nobody misses.

5. Twelfth Night, 1996, starring Helena Bonham-Carter and Imogen Stubbs. Again a wonderful film visually, with an excellent cast all around.

6. A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1999, with Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale. This version is the clearest exposition of this complicated story, with solid performances from just about everyone.

7. Richard III, 1995, with Ian McKellen. This updated version (still with Shakespeare's dialogue) makes sense of the political machinations of the evil King Richard. McKellen is awesome.

8. The Taming of the Shrew, 1967, with Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. More of Zeffirelli's beautiful camerawork, plus Liz and Dick.

9. The Tempest, 2011, starring Helen Mirren, directed by Julie Taymor. Another feast for the eyes, and Mirren is spectacular, as she always is.

10 Macbeth, 1971, directed by Roman Polanski. Polanski's dark vision of this play still holds up after forty years and has never been surpassed cinematically.

Answer 4

It depends whether you count made-for-TV movies, because the BBC made film versions for broadcast of every single Shakespeare play in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many plays have been done in made-for-TV versions but have not been filmed for the big screen.

If you don't count those, and you don't count the innumerable movies which were "inspired by" or "based on" the plays, or filmed performances of the plays, or silent treatments (Shakespeare was a favourite in the silent era) these are the plays which have been adapted for the screen, with the dates of the most recognizable filmed versions.

Hamlet (1948, 1969, 1996, 2000)

Julius Caesar (1953)

Macbeth (1948, 1972, 1997)

Othello (1952, 1995)

Romeo and Juliet (1936, 1955, 1968, 1996)

Titus Andronicus (1999)

Coriolanus (2011)

Henry V (1944, 1989)

Richard III (1955, 1995)

As You Like It (1934, 2007)

Love's Labour's Lost (2000)

Measure for Measure (2007) (Not well known, but it was made)

The Merchant of Venice (2005)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935, 1999)

Much Ado About Nothing (1994)

The Taming of the Shrew (1929, 1967)

The Tempest (2010)

Twelfth Night (1996)

All-in-all, Shakespeare derivatives in one form or another have hit either the big or the small screen about a thousand times. And they are making more every day.

Answer 5

It depends on what counts as a "movie". The BBC made versions of all of Shakespeare's plays in the late 1970s and early 1980s for broadcast on television, and these are available on DVD. However, if you mean which of Shakespeare's plays have been adapted into movies for the big screen, then not all of them have been. In the 1930s Hollywood made films of The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like it, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Orson Welles made film versions of Othello, Macbeth and Henry IV (both parts). Laurence Olivier made film versions of Hamlet, Henry V, and Richard III. The 1953 Julius Caesar (with Marlon Brando) was notable, and this same play and its sequel Antony and Cleopatra were filmed by Charlton Heston. Franco Zeffirelli filmed The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Roman Polanski made a notable film of Macbeth in 1972 and the same year Peter Brook made a startling film of King Lear. Kenneth Branagh has filmed Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Love's Labour's Lost and As You Like It. Trevor Nunn made an excellent film of Twelfth Night. Ian McKellen's Richard III is notable, as is Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus and Robert deNiro's Merchant of Venice. The Midsummer Night's Dream with Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline is excellent. Julie Taymor's films of Titus Andronicus and The Tempest were well-received. The 2013 production of Romeo and Juliet was not so much so. Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing is a treasure. And the newest one is Cymbeline starring Dakota Johnson.These are high-profile films, but there are loads of low-budget indie productions out there, and we should not forget that Shakespeare films were popular in the silent era as well. You'd never think that a film had been made of King John but in fact the first ever Shakespeare film was of that very play, in 1899. That was a popular play back then, but now it has pretty much fallen off the map.So, what plays are only available in made-for-TV form?

• Histories: Henry VIII, Henry VI (all three parts) and, apart from the 1899 silent, King John. There is an indie Richard II.
• Tragedies: Timon of Athens
• Comedies: A Winter's Tale, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors (unless you want it completely rewritten as a musical), The Merry Wives of Windsor, All's Well that Ends Well, Pericles Prince of Tyre, Troilus and Cressida. There is an indie Measure for Measure (2006).

Answer 6

Hey, I'll give you more than 3! We're talking big screen movies here, right? Hamlet (millions of times), Romeo and Juliet (lots), Othello, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Henry V, Richard III, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost, Cymbeline, Coriolanus, and The Tempest (lots but rarely straight).

Answer 7

Look under Shakespeare on screen wikipedia

Answer 8

well The Lion King is based on mid summer nights dream and shes the man was based on twelfth night so i guess that's a re make :)