With well over 400 film and TV adaptations made of his works—more than 80 of Hamlet alone—William Shakespeare is credited as being the world’s most filmed author. And though they’re now synonymous with “high” culture, his works were always intended as popular entertainment, which is perhaps why Shakespeare and cinema have always so successfully aligned. Even when his words are amended, transposed, or pared away entirely, Shakespeare’s stories, characters, and imagery are able to translate seamlessly between countries and cultures around the world.
In this spirit, and to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his death, Bending the Bard: Cinematic Twists on Shakespeare presents seventeen “unconventional” cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. Freed from restrictions of a certain time, location, or even language, the filmmakers in this series have created works that both reflect and transcend their immediate cultural origins. The films span eight countries and seven decades of filmmaking, with genres ranging from sci-fi, Western, queer cinema, war propaganda, musical, and horror. . . to a samurai Macbeth, a Bollywood Othello, and a Finnish neo-noir Hamlet set in a rubber duck factory. Bringing together well-known classics alongside lesser-seen adaptations, Bending the Bard celebrates these unique, inventive films as well as the powerful way in which Shakespeare’s universal stories have become a shared global language.
Throne of Blood
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
One of the most enduring cinematic “twists on Shakespeare” is Akira Kurosawa’s take on Macbeth, which relocates the play to …
All Night Long
Directed by Basil Dearden
All Night Long takes the tragic sweep of Othello and narrows it into a brilliant drawing room thriller set in …
Henry V
Directed by Laurence Olivier
Tasked by Winston Churchill to create a rousing piece of morale-boosting, pro-British entertainment during the twilight years of World War …
Caesar Must Die
Directed by Vittorio Taviani, Paolo Taviani
Situated somewhere between the realms of documentary and drama, Caesar Must Die toys endlessly with the conventions of its genre, …
Forbidden Planet
Directed by Fred M. Wilcox
A major landmark in the evolution of cinematic science fiction, Forbidden Planet is credited with a number of pioneering achievements: …
Titus
Directed by Julie Taymor
Shakespeare’s bloodiest play springs vividly to life in Julie Taymor’s (Broadway’s The Lion King, Frida, Across the Universe) inventive cinematic …
Yellow Sky
Directed by William Wellman
Next screening: Sunday, September 25 @ 7 pm
The remote island of The Tempest becomes a desolate ghost town in William Wellman’s skillfully crafted Western. A gang of …
Hamlet Goes Business
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
Next screening: Saturday, October 1 @ 4 pm
Deadpan humor abounds in this tongue-in-cheek noir adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal Hamlet. When Hamlet (the delightfully named Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, munching …
Hamlet Act
Directed by Robert Nelson
Next screening: Saturday, October 1 @ 4 pm
Experimental filmmaker Robert Nelson brings his characteristic wit to this restaging of the famous “play rehearsal” scene from Hamlet, breaking …
Viola
Directed by Matías Piñeiro
Next screening: Monday, October 3 @ 7 pm
Beginning with Viola, director Matías Piñeiro embarked upon a cinematic exploration of Shakespeare’s “light” comedies, transmuting plays like Twelfth Night, …
The Princess of France
Directed by Matías Piñeiro
Next screening: Monday, October 3 @ 7 pm
Shifting focus from the women of Viola to the elliptical love affairs of a young man, the third entry in …
Makibefo
Directed by Alexander Abela
Next screening: Saturday, October 8 @ 4:30 pm
Shifting Macbeth from the Scottish Highlands to the beautifully Spartan desert coastline of Madagascar, Makibefo is as remarkable for its …
Romeo + Juliet
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Next screening: Saturday, October 8 @ 7 pm
Baz Luhrmann’s kinetic, modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet redefined the Bard for a generation of kids who came …
Kiss Me, Kate
Directed by George Sidney
Next screening: Sunday, October 9 @ 7 pm
Bright and colorful in the best MGM style, Kiss Me, Kate is an epic battle of the sexes brought to …
Omkara
Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
Next screening: Saturday, October 15 @ 3:30 pm
One of three Shakespearean “Bollywood” adaptations by director Vishal Bhardwaj, this take on Othello seamlessly transposes the play from Elizabethan …
My Own Private Idaho
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Next screening: Saturday, October 15 @ 7 pm
Drawing upon the inherent “road movie” qualities of Prince Hal and Falstaff’s adventures in Henry IV, indie auteur Gus Van …
Theatre of Blood
Directed by Douglas Hickox
Next screening: Sunday, October 30 @ 7 pm
Of all the campy, deranged, and occasionally homicidal roles memorably embodied by horror film icon Vincent Price, this was reportedly …