The Best Shakespeare Film Adaptations

Updated November 1, 2019 3.0k votes 484 voters 11.0k views37 items

List RulesMovies 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.

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Romeo + Juliet
Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio
Released: 1996
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 American romantic drama film adaptation of William Shakespeare's... more on Wikipedia
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Romeo and Juliet
Laurence Olivier, Michael York
Released: 1968
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian romance film based on the tragic play of the same... more on Wikipedia
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Hamlet
Kate Winslet, Robin Williams
Released: 1996
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Hamlet is a 1996 Shakespearean tragedy film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet,... more on Wikipedia
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Much Ado About Nothing
Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington
Released: 1993
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 British/American romantic comedy film based on William... more on Wikipedia
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Henry V
Christian Bale, Emma Thompson
Released: 1989
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Henry V is a 1989 British drama film adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh,... more on Wikipedia
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale
Released: 1999
Directed by: Michael Hoffman
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1999 romantic comedy fantasy film based on the play A Midsummer... more on Wikipedia
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Othello
Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh
Released: 1995
Directed by: Oliver Parker
Othello is a 1995 film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. It was... more on Wikipedia

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Julius Caesar
Marlon Brando, Deborah Kerr
Released: 1953
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Julius Caesar is a 1953 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film adaptation of the play by Shakespeare,... more on Wikipedia
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Richard III
Robert Downey Jr., Ian McKellen
Released: 1995
Directed by: Richard Loncraine
Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name,... more on Wikipedia
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Hamlet
Christopher Lee, Laurence Olivier
Released: 1948
Directed by: Laurence Olivier
Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and... more on Wikipedia
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Titus
Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange
Released: 1999
Directed by: Julie Taymor
Titus is a 1999 Italian-American-British fantasy thriller film adaptation of Shakespeare's... more on Wikipedia
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Henry V
Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton
Released: 1944
Directed by: Laurence Olivier
Henry V is a 1944 British Technicolor film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the... more on Wikipedia
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The Taming of the Shrew
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton
Released: 1967
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
The Taming of the Shrew is a 1967 film based on the play of the same name by William... more on Wikipedia
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Macbeth
Francesca Annis, Keith Chegwin
Released: 1971
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Macbeth is a 1971 British-American film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth.... more on Wikipedia
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Love's Labour's Lost
Alicia Silverstone, Kenneth Branagh
Released: 2000
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Love's Labour's Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William... more on Wikipedia
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Coriolanus
Jessica Chastain, Gerard Butler
Released: 2011
Directed by: Ralph Fiennes
Coriolanus is a 2011 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Coriolanus,... more on Wikipedia
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O
Julia Stiles, Martin Sheen
Released: 2001
Directed by: Tim Blake Nelson
O is a 2001 American drama film, and a loose modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's... more on Wikipedia
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Twelfth Night: Or What You Will
Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley
Released: 1996
Directed by: Trevor Nunn
Twelfth Night or What You Will is a 1996 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's... more on Wikipedia
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Richard III
Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud
Released: 1955
Directed by: Laurence Olivier
Richard III is a 1955 British Technicolor film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical... more on Wikipedia
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Taming of the Shrew
Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks
Released: 1929
Directed by: Sam Taylor
The Taming of the Shrew is the first sound film adaptation of the Shakespearean play of the... more on Wikipedia
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Macbeth
Orson Welles, Roddy McDowall
Released: 1948
Directed by: Orson Welles
Macbeth is a 1948 American film adaptation by Orson Welles of William Shakespeare's tragedy... more on Wikipedia
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Much Ado About Nothing
Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker
Released: 2012
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Much Ado About Nothing is a 2012 American romantic comedy film adapted for the screen,... more on Wikipedia
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The King
Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton
Released: 2019
Directed by: David Michôd
The King is a 2019 biographical drama film directed by David Michôd, based on several plays... more on Wikipedia
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Helen Mirren, Judi Dench
Released: 1968
Directed by: Peter Hall
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1968 film of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's... more on Wikipedia
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The Tempest
Russell Brand, Helen Mirren
Released: 2010
Directed by: Julie Taymor
The Tempest is a 2010 American film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare,... more on Wikipedia