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Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight) (1965)
Directed By: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, John Gielgud
Welles apparently worked on the play that would later become Chimes at Midnight for a great deal of time before the film started production. It was originally pieced together from a number of Shakespeare's other works, then constantly edited and cut down after each unsuccessful attempt at performing it. He struggled to find funding for this version, and even had to resort to deceit to get it made. It's as though the universe itself were trying to tell him to just let it go, but he wouldn't listen.
The result of Welles' labour is a theatrical production that feels very much like a stage play put to film, for better or worse. I am not familiar with the original works that Chimes at Midnight was derived from, because they weren't covered in my classes in school, and I had no desire to read Shakespeare on my own accord. I found his writing unnecessarily verbose, and that problem naturally persists here.
Unfortunately, the film is plagued with technical issues regarding its sound. The dialogue is barely audible at times, and almost always muffled. Characters speaking off screen or with their backs turned to the camera are clearly dubbed in, and when they are side-on or in the distance, the sound is sometimes out of sync. It was incredibly distracting to the point where I had to turn on the subtitles. I didn't find the story to be compelling either, and all the comedic elements fell completely flat. This was a tedious viewing experience for me, though I'm sure fans of Shakespeare will find it more interesting.
The result of Welles' labour is a theatrical production that feels very much like a stage play put to film, for better or worse. I am not familiar with the original works that Chimes at Midnight was derived from, because they weren't covered in my classes in school, and I had no desire to read Shakespeare on my own accord. I found his writing unnecessarily verbose, and that problem naturally persists here.
Unfortunately, the film is plagued with technical issues regarding its sound. The dialogue is barely audible at times, and almost always muffled. Characters speaking off screen or with their backs turned to the camera are clearly dubbed in, and when they are side-on or in the distance, the sound is sometimes out of sync. It was incredibly distracting to the point where I had to turn on the subtitles. I didn't find the story to be compelling either, and all the comedic elements fell completely flat. This was a tedious viewing experience for me, though I'm sure fans of Shakespeare will find it more interesting.
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