Shakespeare on Film

A selection of Shakespeare's works adapted for the big screen. Some adaptations are true to the bard's text while other take a more playful approach.
Updated October 2, 2022
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William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet
VHS
Coriolanus [2011 film]
Ralph Fiennes
Hamlet
Olivier, Laurence, 1907-1989.
DVD
Shakespeare's melancholy Dane is tasked with avenging his father's death by killing his uncle, but finds himself delayed in carrying it out by quirks of circumstance and his own complex, brooding nature.
Much ado about nothing
DVD
Tale of love and jealousy set in Italy.
Hamlet
Branagh, Kenneth.
DVD
Murder and violence, revenge and intrigue, sex and desire, paranoia and madness. The heady brew of passion and emotion that makes up Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet has intoxicated audiences of all ages. The story of the Prince of Denmark, who seeks revenge for his father's murder at the hands of his...
Macbeth [1948 film]
Orson Welles
Romeo and Juliet
Zeffirelli, Franco.
DVD
A young couple shares love despite prohibitive conflict between their families in this adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play.
10 things I hate about you
Junger, Gil
DVD
A smart, hip look at dating in the nineties and the extremes some guys will go to just to get the girl they want. A retelling of Shakespeare's play, The Taming of the Shrew.
A modern interpretation of Taming of the Shrew set in an American high school.
Othello
Parker, Oliver.
DVD
Shakespeare's tale of the wicked Iago and his attempts to enact revenge on his master by convincing him of his wife's infidelity.
Titus [1999 film]
Julie Taymor
An adaptation of the revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus.
West Side story
Robbins, Jerome
DVD
Gang rivals and ethnic tension arise in the midst of love on New York's West side. Best Picture, Best Director-Robert Wise, Best Supporting Actor-George Chakiris, and Best Supporting Actress-Rita Moreno.
Inspired by Romero & Juliet
Lion king
Allers, Roger
DVD
Contains new musical number not in the original version and remastered animation.
Inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Shakespeare in love
DVD
A comedy about the greatest love story almost never told.
A creative imagining of a love affair of Shakespeare's that inspired his play Romero & Juliet.
She's the man
DVD
Viola, disguised as her twin brother Sebastian, joins the high school boys' soccer team and helps win the big game while unexpectedly falling for Duke. High school politics and twisted love triangles become a major challenge.
Loosely based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and set in a modern day boarding school.
Richard III
DVD
An adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal tale of lust, murder, treachery, and the ruthless pursuit of power.
A Thousand Acres [1997 film]
Jocelyn Moorhouse
A modern-day retelling of King Lear

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