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Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (April 26, 1564 - April 23, 1616) is reputed to be the greatest of all writers in the English language, or indeed in any language. His ability to capture and convey the most profound aspects of human nature is regarded by many as unequalled, and the English Renaissance has often been called "the age of Shakespeare". He was among few playwrights who have excelled in both tragedy and comedy and several of his plays contain songs that are among the finest lyric poems in English. His prolific output is especially impressive in light of the fact that he lived only 53 years. "A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool." - Will Shakespeare

King Lear (Holm) (1997)

8.3/10
Director: Richard Eyre
Starring: Ian Holm, Barbara Flynn, Victoria Hamilton, Timothy West, Amanda Redman

Director Richard Eyre stages a bold, expressionistic interpretation of perhaps Shakespeare's most vivid and striking tragedy eliciting stunning perfor... Read more

King Lear (McKellen) (2007)

8.3/10
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Frances Barber, Ian McKellen, Jonathan Hyde

The Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptation of the famous tale of jealously and betrayal, filmed in high definition as it was performed live in 2007. K... Read more

King Lear (Olivier) (1984)

8.3/10
Director: Michael Elliott
Starring: Laurence Olivier, John Hurt, Robert Lindsay, Diana Rigg

Laurence Olivier stars in and produces this adaptation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, made exclusively for television. The ageing King Lear (Olivier... Read more

King Lear (Scofield) (1970)

8.3/10
Director: Peter Brook
Starring: Paul Scofield, Irene Worth, Jack MacGowran

To see Paul Scofield as Lear is to see nobility turn to pauperdom, pride to a frenzy of madness, manhood to senility, in the course of a single and un... Read more

Looking for Richard (1996)

7.4/10
Director: Al Pacino
Starring: Penelope Allen, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Conway, Al Pacino, Estelle Parsons, Aidan Qu...

A fascinating, documentary-style film about Al Pacino's staging of Richard III and his simultaneous exploration of the relevance of Shakespeare to peo... Read more

Love's Labour's Lost (1999)

6.1/10
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Alicia Silverstone, Nathan Lane, Richard Briers, Martin Scorses...

Shakespeare's breezy comedy is given some song-and-dance treatment in this mix of Bard and Broadway musical action that is set in the 1930's. A young... Read more

Macbeth (Fassbender) (2015)

6.6/10
Director: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor,...

The story of a fearless warrior and inspiring leader brought low by ambition and desire. A thrilling interpretation of the dramatic realities of the t... Read more

Macbeth (Fassbender) ( Blu-ray ) (2015)

6.6/10
Director: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor,...

Macbeth is the story of a fearless warrior and inspiring leader brought low by ambition and desire. A thrilling interpretation of the dramatic realiti... Read more

Macbeth (Polanski) (1971)

6.6/10
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw

Aka "The Tragedy of Macbeth". Roman Polanski's violent retelling of Shakespeare's story of the Scottish war hero, prompted by supernatural prophecy an... Read more

Macbeth (Welles) (1948)

6.6/10
Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy

This adaptation of the Bard was shot in 23 days on a western backlot at Republic Studios and is pure cinema: moodily magnificent photography reinforce... Read more