Shakespeare - Stage to Screen

Shakespeare's plays were meant to be watched (that's why he wrote them, after all), but most of you can't just whisk your students off to the theatre at a moment's notice. There's nothing like live performance, but films based on Shakespeare are a fine compromise. But which film should you show?

We've cataloged a few films for five of Shakespeare's plays: Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and King Lear. You'll find vital information that will help you decide which film is right for your classroom.

Hamlet

Hamlet (1948)

This film stars Sir Laurence Olivier, who also directed. It won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 155 min (2 hr 35 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.9/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No. Nearly half the dialogue is excised, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern aren't in the film

Hamlet (1990)

This version stars Mel Gibson as Hamlet and Glenn Close as Queen Gertrude. Like Olivier's version, this film cuts much of the play's dialogue, but Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are here.

  • Rating: PG
  • Runtime: 135 min (2 hr 15 min)
  • IMDb user score: 6.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
  • Metacritic: 53/100
  • Complete Text? No. 

Hamlet (1996)

Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this film, which sets the story in the 19th century. All of Shakespeare's original dialogue is present, however, making it the longest of the Hamlet films: it's four hours long. It's a star-studded performance featuring Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, and other luminaries.

  • Rating: PG-13
  • Runtime: 242 min (4 hr 2 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? Yes. Every line of the play is in this film.

Hamlet (2000)

This version sets Hamlet in New York City in the year 2000. Denmark becomes the "Denmark Corporation," and Castle Elsinore becomes "Hotel Elsinore," Denmark Corporation's HQ. The plot remains largely the same, though some aspects have been changed. The dialogue has been reduced but not modernized. Ethan Hawke stars.

  • Rating: R
  • Runtime: 112 min (1 hr 52 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 6.0/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 55%​
  • Metacritic: 70/100
  • Complete Text? No.

Macbeth

Macbeth (1948)

Orson Welles directed and stars in this film, notable for having a very small budget, which required Welles to finish filming in just 23 days.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 112 min (1 hr 52 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 7.5/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 86%​
  • Metacritic: 70/100
  • Complete Text? No. Welles both added and subtracted dialogue, and some dialogue was cut by censors. He also introduces a new character.

Throne of Blood (1957)

Akiro Kurosawa directed this film, which largely hews to the plot of Macbeth but is set in feudal Japan. In this version, Macbeth is a Samurai commander named Washizu. Toshiro Mifune stars.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 105 min (1 hr 45 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 8.2/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 98%​
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No — the film is in Japanese, after all. Much of the plot remains intact, however.

Macbeth (1971)

A brutal, bleak film by Roman Polanski, this version of Macbeth is very violent and contains nudity. Some passages from the play were cut.

  • Rating: R
  • Runtime: 140 min (2 hr 20 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 7.5/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 86%​
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No.
  • Content Warning: Graphic Violence, Nudity

A Performance of Macbeth (1979)

This production by the Royal Shakespeare Company stars Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench. This version is notable for its minimalism in set design: It was performed on a bare, circular stage, and lighting changes are the only changes that alert the audience to a shift of setting.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 145 min (2 hr 25 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 7.6/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: N/A​
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? Yes

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet (1936)

This film stars Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, who, at 42 and 37 respectively, were regarded as too old to play the teenaged Romeo and Juliet. Still, this film is well regarded.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 125 min (2 hr 5 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 6.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 75%​
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No. Approximately half Shakespeare's original dialogue is used.

Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, this film is seen by many critics as the best film version of Romeo and Juliet, and it was the first to cast actors that were close in age to the titular characters. One scene contains nudity.

  • Rating: PG
  • Runtime: 138 min (2 hr 18 min)​
  • IMDb user score: 7.7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 97%​
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? Yes
  • Content Warning: Nudity​

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Baz Lurhmann directed this film, which transplants the Montagues and Capulets to the present day and transforms them into rival crime syndicates. Some dialogue is cut, some characters are changed. The dialogue that remains, however, is unchanged from Shakespeare's original. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes star.

  • Rating: PG-13
  • Runtime: 120 min (2 hr)​
  • IMDb user score: 6.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
  • Metacritic: 60/100
  • Complete Text? No.

Othello

The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice (1952)

Orson Welles stars in and directed this film which, much like his earlier Macbeth, had a very low budget. Still, by all accounts it's a fine movie.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 90 min (1 hr 30 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No.

Othello (1965)

Sir Lawrence Olivier and Dame Maggie Smith star in this film, another low-budget production. Based on a stage production, the film uses the same sets. Some critics derided Olivier's performance as Othello; he devised his own accent for the film, and he played the role in blackface, a fact that could bother students. Be prepared to discuss the issue.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 165 min (2 hr 45 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.3/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No, though the majority of the play is here.

Othello (1995)

This film stars Laurence Fishburne as Othello, Irene Jacob as Desdemona, and Kenneth Branagh as Iago.

  • Rating: R
  • Runtime: 123 min (2 hr 3 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.0/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No. Some lines are cut, and this film introduces scenes not in the play.

King Lear

King Lear (1971, United Kingdom)

This film was directed by Peter Brook and stars Paul Scofield as King Lear. Divisive among critics, the production has been likened to some of Samuel Beckett's work. Lear as absurdist theatre.

  • Rating: PG-13
  • Runtime: 137 min (2 hr 17 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.2/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No.

Korol Lir (1971, USSR)

Directed by Grigori Kovintsev, this black-and-white film hews closer to a traditional reading of Shakespeare.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 139 min (2 hr 19 min)
  • IMDb user score: 8.4/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: N/A​
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No.

King Lear (1983)

This film was originally broadcast on British television. It stars Sir Laurence Olivier, who won an Emmy for his performance.

  • Rating: Unrated
  • Runtime: 158 min (2 hr 38 min)
  • IMDb user score: 7.7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No.

Ran (1985)

Akira Kurosawa's take on King Lear takes place in the Sengoku period of feudal Japan. Aging warlord Hidetora Ichimonji divides his lands among his three sons, and tragic events follow. Ran mostly follows the plot of King Lear, though some portions differ substantially.

  • Rating: R
  • Runtime: 163 min (2 hr 43 min)
  • IMDb user score: 8.3/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
  • Metacritic: N/A
  • Complete Text? No.