William Shakespeare died over 400 years ago and yet the legacy of his plays remains as embedded in our culture as ever.
In honour of this year’s National Shakespeare Day (23 April), here’s a rundown of seven of the best Shakespeare-inspired films to grace the big screen.
From 1930s Hollywood to contemporary British animation, which will you add to your watchlist in the run-up to National Shakespeare Day 2022?
1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935)
The claim to the earliest of Shakespeare’s plays to make it onto the big screen likely goes to 1929’s The Taming of the Shrew starring Mary Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks.
But Max Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream isn’t too far behind.
Born in Austria in 1846, Reinhardt later bought and renovated a Salzburg castle that would go onto be a filming location for The Sound of Music. Long before that, however, he was forced to flee Austria for America, as Nazi antisemitism grew.
In the US, he gathered stars James Cagney, Olivia de Haviland, and Mickey Rooney (as Puck), and filmed the surreal masterpiece A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The film was nominated for the best picture Oscar at the 8th Academy Awards ceremony.
2. Throne of Blood (1957)
The films of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa have inspired some cinematic greats.
Seven Samurai and Yojimbo influenced both The Magnificent Seven and Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti-Western Dollars trilogy. The Hidden Fortress, meanwhile, has been cited by George Lucas as a leading influence when he began writing Star Wars.
In the brooding and atmospheric Throne of Blood, Kurosawa takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”.
The action is transplanted from Scotland to feudal Japan. While little of the play’s dialogue remains, the intrigue and mystery of the mist-covered battlefields and shadowy castles – rendered in stark black and white – remain true to Macbeth’s unnerving spirit.
Kurosawa regular Toshirô Mifune takes the lead in this epic, samurai take on one of Shakespeare’s best-loved tragedies.
3. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Kenneth Branagh is currently enjoying big-screen success with his semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film, Belfast. And yet it is Shakespeare who has provided the inspiration for many of the director’s previous film successes.
Branagh not only began his directing career with a Shakespeare adaptation (1989’s Henry V), but he has gone on to direct six of the Bard’s works in total. Arguably, the best is 1993’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Branagh writes, directs, and stars as Benedick. The film also boasts an extraordinary supporting cast that includes Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Beckinsale (in her first film).
A sunny Tuscany setting with great central performances and laugh-out-loud comedy moments, it’s a feelgood film that delights in showcasing the enduring power of Shakespeare’s work.
4. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Australian Baz Luhrmann entered the public consciousness with his directorial debut Strictly Ballroom (1992). He truly reached international audiences, though, with his big-screen Shakespearian adaptation Romeo + Juliet.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles, this is Shakespeare as a high-octane thriller.
Keeping the Shakespearean dialogue but displacing the action to the modern setting of “Verona Beach”, the familiar story of young love and rival gangs is imbued with relevance and immediacy.
Luhrmann’s stylish, bravura filmmaking makes for an unforgettable experience.
Alongside Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet is the central film in Luhrmann’s “Red Curtain Trilogy” that ended with Moulin Rouge! (2001).
5. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
It isn’t just Shakespeare’s plays that have inspired filmmakers. The man himself has intrigued, due in part to his modest Stratford origins and the little that is known about him from that point on.
Directed by John Madden (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), from a screenplay co-written by Tom Stoppard, Shakespeare in Love won an impressive seven Oscars, including the coveted best picture prize.
The film stars Joseph Fiennes as the famous playwright, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, and Judi Dench.
While writing Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare falls in love with Paltrow’s Viola de Lesseps. Familiar quotations and plot devices allude to Shakespeare’s works, while real-life characters combine with fiction to create a maelstrom of Shakespearean romance, comedy, and tragedy.
6. Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
A child-friendly take on the classic tragedy, Gnomeo & Juliet (voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt respectively) pits the Redbrick and Bluebury tribes against each other.
Two garden gnomes from different sides of the fence meet by chance and fall in love. Unfortunately, the feud that rages between the household’s human inhabitants has spilt into their respective gardens, making fraternisation impossible.
Lawnmower races, insecticide vandalism, and a friendly flamingo named Featherstone all feature in a lively, animated retelling. But will love prevail?
7. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, have made 18 films as a writer/director team, achieving huge success. From Blood Simple (1984) to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), they have been nominated for 13 Academy Awards.
The pair have won an Oscar each, best director for Fargo and best adapted screenplay for No Country for Old Men.
The Tragedy of Macbeth marks the first solo outing for either of the brothers.
Written and directed by Joel Coen, the film stars Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Corey Hawkins, Kathryn Hunter and, in cameo, Brendan Gleeson. Filmed in arresting monochrome, this is Shakespeare stripped back – a tense, agoraphobic nightmare reminiscent of Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood.
Both the incredible cinematography and production design have been recognised with Oscar nominations. Denzel Washington is also nominated in the best actor category.
