List Rules Movies based on or adapted from the plays of William Shakespeare using the original text - no modernized versions.
List of the best Shakespeare film adaptations. There is no single human being in the history of entertainment who has spawned more adaptations than William Shakespeare. This list compiles the absolute greatest big screen adaptations of original Shakespeare works. His plays now live on in these major motion pictures, and are ranked by on this list by the community in order of excellence.
Romeo and Juliet began as a tragic play that may have first been published as early as the 1590s. 400 years later, in the 1990s, Baz Luhrmann came adapted the Shakespearean story for his film, Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles. Kenneth Branagh has also made more movie adaptations of William Shakespeare plays than just about anyone else between Hamlet, Henry V, and Much Ado About Nothing. The famous Shakespeare drama "Othello" has also been transformed into numerous film adaptations, most notably Tim Blake Nelson's O.
Vote up your favorite Shakespearean adaptation below or add the Shakespeare-based films and movies you love that aren't already on the list.
list ordered by
1
68 27
Much Ado About NothingKate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 British/American romantic comedy film based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh who ...more
2
70 30
Romeo and JulietLaurence Olivier, Michael York, Olivia Hussey Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian romance film based on the tragic play of the same name by William Shakespeare. The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars ...more
3
80 43
Romeo + JulietClaire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harold Perrineau Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 American romantic drama film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in ...more
4
68 39
HamletKate Winslet, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal Hamlet is a 1996 Shakespearean tragedy film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the titular role as Prince ...more
5
44 25
Henry VChristian Bale, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench Henry V is a 1989 British drama film adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name about King Henry V of England. The film stars ...more
6
34 19
HamletChristopher Lee, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also ...more
7
36 21
A Midsummer Night's DreamMichelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale, Sophie Marceau A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1999 romantic comedy fantasy film based on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. It was directed by Michael Hoffman. The ensemble cast ...more
8
32 21
Richard IIIRobert Downey Jr., Ian McKellen, Annette Bening Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, starring Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott ...more
9
27 17
The Taming of the ShrewElizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Michael York The Taming of the Shrew is a 1967 film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare about a courtship between two strong-willed people. The film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli ...more
10
24 16
Julius CaesarMarlon Brando, Deborah Kerr, John Gielgud Julius Caesar is a 1953 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film adaptation of the play by Shakespeare, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the uncredited screenplay, and produced by John Houseman. ...more
11
27 20
Henry VLaurence Olivier, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks Henry V is a 1944 British Technicolor film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought ...more
12
22 16
A Midsummer Night's DreamHelen Mirren, Judi Dench, Diana Rigg A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1968 film of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Peter Hall. It was the first live-action color film version of the play, unless one ...more
OthelloLaurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Sheen Othello is a 1995 film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. It was directed by Oliver Parker and stars Laurence Fishburne as Othello, Irène Jacob as Desdemona, and ...more
14
25 20
Twelfth Night: Or What You WillHelena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley, Kyra Sedgwick Twelfth Night or What You Will is a 1996 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, directed by Trevor Nunn and featuring an all-star cast. The adaptation is given a northern Central ...more
15
23 18
Much Ado About NothingNathan Fillion, Amy Acker, Clark Gregg Much Ado About Nothing is a 2012 American romantic comedy film adapted for the screen, produced, and directed by Joss Whedon, from William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The film stars Amy ...more
16
29 25
MacbethOrson Welles, Roddy McDowall, Alan Napier Macbeth is a 1948 American film adaptation by Orson Welles of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth.
17
31 28
Richard IIILaurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Stanley Baker Richard III is a 1955 British Technicolor film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical play of the same name, also incorporating elements from his Henry VI, Part 3. It was directed and ...more
TitusAnthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Jonathan Rhys Meyers Titus is a 1999 Italian-American-British fantasy thriller film adaptation of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus, about the downfall of a Roman general. Starring Anthony Hopkins and ...more
19
22 25
MacbethFrancesca Annis, Keith Chegwin, Jon Finch Macbeth is a 1971 British-American film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Directed by Roman Polanski, it retells the story of the Highland lord who becomes King of Scotland ...more
20
14 16
Julius CaesarCharlton Heston, Christopher Lee, Diana Rigg Julius Caesar is a 1970 British independent film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, directed by Stuart Burge from a screenplay by Robert Furnival. The film stars Charlton Heston, Jason ...more
21
13 18
CoriolanusJessica Chastain, Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes Coriolanus is a 2011 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Coriolanus, directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes in his directorial debut.
22
13 20
Love's Labour's LostAlicia Silverstone, Kenneth Branagh, Emily Mortimer Love's Labour's Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. It was the first feature film to be made of this ...more
The TempestRussell Brand, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina The Tempest is a 2010 American film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, featuring Helen Mirren in the principal role of Prospera. The film is directed by Julie Taymor and ...more
24
13 20
OthelloOrson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Hilton Edwards Othello is a 1952 drama film based on the Shakespearean play, made by Mercury Productions Inc. and Les Films Marceau and distributed by United Artists when released in the United States in 1955. ...more
25
9 15
As You Like ItBryce Dallas Howard, Kevin Kline, Alfred Molina As You Like It is a 2006 film adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. It stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Rosalind, David ...more
26
14 22
HamletBill Murray, Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles Hamlet is a 2000 American film written and directed by Michael Almereyda, set in contemporary New York City, and based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet as a ...more
27
13 21
OJulia Stiles, Martin Sheen, Josh Hartnett O is a 2001 American drama film, and a loose modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. The film's intended release date was April 1999, but due to the Columbine High School massacre, ...more
28
7 15
HamletInnokenty Smoktunovsky, Anastasiya Vertinskaya, Vadim Medvedev Hamlet is a 1964 film adaptation in Russian of William Shakespeare's play of the same title, based on a translation by Boris Pasternak. It was directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Iosif Shapiro, ...more
29
9 18
Taming of the ShrewMary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Dorothy Jordan The Taming of the Shrew is the first sound film adaptation of the Shakespearean play of the same name. The movie was directed by Sam Taylor, adapted by Taylor from William Shakespeare's play, ...more
30
7 16
King LearDonatas Banionis, Juozas Budraitis, Regimantas Adomaitis King Lear is a 1971 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev, based on William Shakespeare's play King Lear. The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich composed the score.
31
6 15
The Comedy of ErrorsRoger Daltrey, Wendy Hiller, David Kelly The Comedy of Errors is a 1983 comedy TV movie written by William Shakespeare and directed by James Cellan Jones.
32
7 17
Henry IVClaudia Cardinale, Marcello Mastroianni, Leopoldo Trieste Henry IV is a 1984 Italian drama film directed by Marco Bellocchio. It is based on the Luigi Pirandello play of the same name and has music by Ástor Piazzolla. It was entered into the ...more
33
6 17
Scotland, PAChristopher Walken, Amy Smart, Andy Dick Scotland, PA is a 2001 film directed and written by William Morrissette. It is a modernized version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The film stars James LeGros, Maura Tierney, and Christopher ...more
34
3 15
CymbelineHelen Mirren, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson Cymbeline is a 1982 comedy drama film directed by Elijah Moshinsky.
35
1 17
Twelfth NightVadim Medvedev, Mikhail Yanshin, Georgiy Vitsin Twelfth Night is a 1955 Soviet comedy film by Lenfilm based on Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Script by Yan Frid. USA release date: March 3, 1956.
