Falstaff (1965)

Falstaff: Directed by Orson Welles. With Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud. The career of Shakespeare’s Sir John Falstaff as a roistering companion to young Prince Hal, circa 1400 to 1413.

“By far the best of Welleu0026#39;s three Shakespearean adaptations this is also arguably THE best Shakespeare on screen. Most filmmakers go for the tragedies – vide Welles himself – or settle for Romeo and Juliet but the History plays are seldom tackled. Here the maestro dips into several texts – most heavily into the two parts of Henry 1V but also Merry Wives, Henry V, Richard 11 – and then welds them together seamlessly to give an in-depth portrait of Falstaff. With a nice touch of irony the narration is spoken by Ralph Richardson who, prior to Welles here, was the definitive Falstaff – and remains so as far as theatre is concerned. Itu0026#39;s hard to fault so I wonu0026#39;t try, merely revel in a touch of greatness. 10/10”