Chimes at Midnight
Director: Orson Welles
Year Released: 1965
Rating: 2.5
Welles mashes together several of the Bard's plays to focus in on the bumbling but noble drunkard Jack Falstaff and his relationship with the spirited Prince Hal (Keith Baxter), who would later go on to be King once his crotchety father Henry IV (John Gielgud) decides to kick it. It's an intriguing if muddled mixture of scenes marred by technical issues (the dubbing is, sadly, distracting), though the love Welles has for the Bard's characters and words is undeniable. It helps to be somewhat familiar with the works this is pulled from so as to avoid complete confusion, but even without that background information it's easy to appreciate Welles' technique and the locations (the battle scene at Shrewsbury is especially memorable).
