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
The Shakespeare Collection: Series 3 (BBC) (1980)
8.5/10
Starring: John Cleese, Warren Mitchell, Jane Lapotaire, Jonathan Pryce
In 1978, the BBC set itself the task of filming all of William Shakespeare's plays for television. The resulting productions, renowned for their loyal... Read more
The Taming Of The Shrew (1967)
7.2/10
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern, Alfred Lynch, A...
An exquisite mounting of Shakespeare's comic look at male-female relationships stars Richard Burton as Petruchio, the wily gentleman from Verona who t... Read more
The Taming of the Shrew (BBC) (1988)
7.2/10
Director: Jonathan Miller
Starring: John Cleese, Sarah Badel
Jonathan Miller's sympathetic, vibrant and hilarious adaptation brilliantly blends the more subtle essences of Shakespeare's classic comedy with the p... Read more
The Taming of the Shrew - Shakespeare Retold (2005)
Director: David Richards
Starring: Shirley Henderson, Rufus Sewell, Jaime Murray, Stephen Tompkinson, Twiggy, Davi...
Katherine (Shirley Henderson) is a successful politician with a chance at the party leadership, but her abrasive temper has left her a 38-year-old sin... Read more
The Tempest (1979)
6.6/10
Director: Derek Jarman
Starring: Heathcote Williams, Karl Johnson, Toyah Wilcox
British helmer Derek Jarman's film version of Shakespeare's most fanciful play is definitely one of a kind. The plot remains intact, however, liberty... Read more
The Tempest (2010)
5.4/10
Director: Julie Taymor
Starring: Alan Cumming, Alfred Molina, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, Helen Mirren, Djimo...
The world of Shakespeare is filmmaker Julie Taymor's ("Titus") stage in this vivid version of the Bard's fantastical drama, the story of exiled female... Read more
The Tempest (BBC) (1979)
5.4/10
Director: John Gorrie
Starring: Michael Hordern, Derek Godfrey, David Waller
In this BBC adaptation of one of Shakespeare's final plays, a tempest of wind and rain raised by the magician Prospero shipwrecks Alonso, King of Napl... Read more
The Thames Shakespeare Collection (1970)
Director: Kenneth Branagh, Joan Kemp-Welch, Philip Casson
Starring: Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Marie Kean, Ian McDiarmid, Patrick Magee, Ray Smith, W...
From royal family struggles and star-crossed lovers to a shipwreck romance and witches' prophecies, this acclaimed collection features the four of Sha... Read more
The Winter's Tale (1999)
7.7/10
Director: Robin Lough, Gregory Doran
Starring: Antony Sher, Alexandra Gilbreath
The complete and unedited production of Shakespeare's classic play performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1999 at the Barbican. King Leontes of... Read more
Throne of Blood (1957)
8.1/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Kurosawa's version of 'Macbeth' spares no effort in creating an atmosphere of obsessive madness and supernatural compulsion. The black and white contr... Read more