#433. Chimes At Midnight (1965, Orson Welles)

Have I Seen It Before?: No


Thoughts Before Viewing: The more I'm reading up on this, the more interested I am.  I've always wanted to explore more Orson Welles (I've only seen Citizen Kane (1941) and Touch Of Evil (1958) and am glad he's featured plenty on this list.  I wasn't too excited about watching a Shakespeare adaptation initially but this Falstaff character actually sounds interesting.

Running Time: 115 minutes
Directed By: Orson Welles
Written By: William Shakespeare, Raphael Holinshed
Primary Cast: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford


Summary: The career of Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff as a companion to Prince Hal, son of King Henry IV, in the span of 1400-1413.



My Thoughts: Talk about a film I deeply respect, yet did absolutely nothing for me.  There was an undeniable ambition that went into this and I greatly admire it from a technical perspective.  However, Shakespeare does absolutely nothing for me.  I can't connect with the dialogue in any way.  Maybe I'm just too dumb for it.  I don't know.  Seeing that this is adapted directly from five different Shakespeare plays, this is sorely in Shakespeare dialect.  I think it's incredible how Orson Welles fused these stories together.  I was also entertained by all of the fat jokes throughout.  I was just bored by the typical Shakespearian presentation.



Does It Belong In The Book?: Yes.  Sorely for the ambition of adapting five different Shakespeare plays into one.



My Rating: 6/10