Chimes at Midnight

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Ed . Fal and Hal A pas de deux of a not-so-tried-and-true friendship of convenience. Orson Welles' Falstaff falls far short of a knight in shining armour. His bestie, the original Shallow Hal, uses Falstaff for amusement until he ends his louche lifestyle for more serious matters. Welles' film has grown in esteem over the years. Welles embodies Falstaff not only in the onscreen role but also in some ways in his real life. I viewed his performance with a combination of awe and sadness, as he not only just refused to play nice with studios and financial backers but also lied in order to get funds to start projects such as this one. Contrast this with John Cassevetes who stayed true to his vision yet acted in films great and not-so-great in order to fund and complete his dreams. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review Isa B Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight) is on a shortlist of greatest films ever made. It is the greatest Shakespearean adaptation in existence. The poor dubbing even somehow adds to the film's greatness. It's as if someone back in the 1400s had a cinema camera and filmed it. Certain elements of the film which might be considered technical flaws in another film are assets to Chimes at Midnight. Orson Welles was born to play Falstaff. I highly recommend! 100/100 🏆 Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Alec B Welles is obviously a great Falstaff but not in the ways you'd expect. His bold performance consistently defies conventional takes on the character. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/14/23 Full Review Irene M I watched it when really tired and fell asleep :( Essentially its a lot of Shakespearean dialogue outside of a play. Good to see Orson Welles. the battle scene was gruesome. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Superlatively photographed and well-acted version of Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, concentrating on the changing relationship between Falstaff and Hal, as the responsibilities of kingship force a cooling of their hedonistic games. The final cold rebuttal and Falstaff's subsequent death are especially moving. A very fine adaptation by Welles. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Tony S Superb Shakespeare adaptation by a great director, with an excellent twist on a character of Falstaff and probably the best of Welles's acting career on display. In fact, this is might as well be an improvement on a how Falstaff was handled by the master himself and all that is communicated by just one look and a smile. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/26/21 Full Review Read all reviews

Chimes at Midnight

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