Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Orson Welles
Cast
Orson Welles,
Keith Baxter,
John Gielgud,
Jeanne Moreau,
Margaret Rutherford,
Marina Vlady
Genre
Comedy,
Drama,
History
John Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most complex and overlooked characters. He is the funny, loyal, and often drunk companion of King Henry IV’s son, Prince Hal. Here he takes center stage in one of Orson Welles’s greatest films, a superlative which makes it also one of the greatest films of all time.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
Playing Falstaff might have been Welles’s creative and physical destiny: in the character he found a dignity and sensuality in his, by then, overweight form. The confidence and panache of his staging is a treat.
Entertainment Weekly by Chris Nashawaty
It’s a feast for the ears, eyes, and soul.
Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer
It is quite likely the greatest Shakespearean film ever and, except for Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons, it’s also Welles’s greatest film – which is saying something.
Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips
Chimes at Midnight is one of Welles' peak achievements. Its depth of feeling seems very real, very deep indeed.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
A masterpiece.
Chicago Reader by Dave Kehr
The one Welles film that deserves to be called lovely; there is also a rising tide of opinion that proclaims it his masterpiece.
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
It's powerful stuff.
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
The best and most touchingly personal of all Shakespeare adaptations, Chimes At Midnight is pervaded by melancholy and loneliness, even though its characters are almost seen never alone.
Slant Magazine by Chuck Bowen
Welles is at the height of his powers while reveling in the poetic force of Falstaff’s weakness.
Time Out by Staff (Not Credited)
Most of all, Chimes at Midnight is gorgeously, heartbreakingly sad, shot through with romantic surrender and the ache of loss.
NPR by Bob Mondello
Sprawling, and hugely ambitious, and containing a glorious Wellesian Falstaff who is as majestic in folly as he is in girth.
The New York Times by Bosley Crowther
A confusing patchwork of scenes and characters.
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