Campanadas a medianoche (Chimes at Midnight) (Falstaff) (1966)

92% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(1,887 ratings)

The legendary Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff, the notoriously drunken, obese, and yet charming companion of the young Henry V, steps up from supporting character in several plays to the central focus of Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight, considered by many critics the best of the… More The legendary Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff, the notoriously drunken, obese, and yet charming companion of the young Henry V, steps up from supporting character in several plays to the central focus of Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight, considered by many critics the best of the director's acclaimed Shakespeare films. The script borrows scenes from several plays, but draws most heavily on the two parts of Henry IV, focusing on the shifting relationship between Falstaff and Prince Hal. Beginning as the prince's companion in debauchery and idleness, the corpulent jokester finds himself falling out of favor as the prince comes to terms with the importance of his destiny as England's future leader. While Falstaff's ample wit is still much in evidence, the film places greater emphasis on the tragic character beneath all the joviality, with Welles perfectly embodying this mixture of spiritually youthful prankster and sad adult. While his towering performance naturally takes center stage, the other cast members are also superb. The film's visual elements are also strong, with Welles' attention to composition matching his sensitivity to character. There are technical imperfections due to the film's extremely limited budget, including an inconsistent soundtrack, but they are unable to overshadow the film's many achievements. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Orson Welles
Written By: William Shakespeare, Raphael Holinshed, Orson Welles
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 22, 1965 Wide

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
A personal viewpoint, it mixes the grotesque, bawdy, comic and heroic, and does have a melancholy under its carousing and battles.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Here is a film to treasure.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Evidently Mr. Welles's reading of Falstaff ranges between a farcical concept of him and a mawkish, sentimental attitude.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The one Welles film that deserves to be called lovely.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Top-notch Shakespeare and top-notch filmmaking, a rare combination that, when it works, is like nothing else in the whole world.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
Despite its many faults, it deserves to be seen.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Perhaps the only one of Welles' films that can really give Citizen Kane a run for its money as the filmmaker's finest work.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Orson Welles' brooding, sometimes brilliant art-house film dwells on the tragic side of one of Shakespeare's most famous comic characters.
, Time Out
Welles waddles through the foreground with an eye on his own problems of patronage, while behind the camera he conjures a dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's a delightfully playful rip at history and the traditional way of filming Shakespeare.
, Film4
A brooding masterpiece.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Mythically beautiful.
Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
A tour-de-force of Wellesian immensity.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stephen M

Considering that just about everything Orson Welles directed after "Citizen Kane" was compromised by studio interference and/or budgetary constraints, it's remarkable that he made as many brilliant movies as he did. "Chimes at Midnight" is one of his very… More
Considering that just about everything Orson Welles directed after "Citizen Kane" was compromised by studio interference and/or budgetary constraints, it's remarkable that he made as many brilliant movies as he did. "Chimes at Midnight" is one of his very best. Magnificent yet flawed, so well does this film mirror both its creator and the character he plays in it, lovable rogue Sir John Falstaff, that its very flaws almost become virtues. Though it is directed, photographed and edited with extraordinary skill, "Chimes at Midnight" contains some of the worst dialogue synching I have ever come across. A restoration of the film has long been rumoured, but such is the quantity of slapdash dubbing, short of creating a brand new soundtrack, no amount of judicious tweaking is ever likely to completely reunite Shakespeare's words with the lips that are uttering them. In spite of this, in spite of the difficult language and the dizzying editing style, which exhilarated but ultimately exhausted me, "Chimes at Midnight" is a wonderful movie.
Stella D

magnificent. the finest shakespeare adaptation i've seen with one of the finest battle scenes ever filmed! absolutely breathtaking. it's criminal that this doesn't have a criterion and armageddon does
Mike T

Complaints about low-quality dubbing seem unfair in the face of such stunning images and inspired direction. Orson Welles' vision is strange, powerful and inspiring. He always finds surprising ways to shoot and cut his films, and just looking at them is thrilling enough for me.… More
Complaints about low-quality dubbing seem unfair in the face of such stunning images and inspired direction. Orson Welles' vision is strange, powerful and inspiring. He always finds surprising ways to shoot and cut his films, and just looking at them is thrilling enough for me. The performances are uniformly strong as well.
Simeon D

Visually stupendous exercise from Orson Welles that should be at the front line of Great Movies next to his other masterpieces. I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, and I found this laugh out loud hilarious at some times and emotionally resonate at others. 100/100 More at:… More
Visually stupendous exercise from Orson Welles that should be at the front line of Great Movies next to his other masterpieces. I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, and I found this laugh out loud hilarious at some times and emotionally resonate at others. 100/100 More at: http://thegreatestreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/obscure-cinematic-gem.html