Campanadas a medianoche (Chimes at Midnight) (Falstaff) (1966)
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93% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
91% of users liked it
(1,964 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
- Directed By
- Orson Welles
- Written By
- William Shakespeare, Raphael Holinshed, Orson Welles
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Dec 22, 1965 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Pauline Kael, The New Republic
It takes large latent talent to tell the audience that you know that what you're doing isn't worth doing and still do it better than anyone else in the movie.
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Variety Staff, Variety
A personal viewpoint, it mixes the grotesque, bawdy, comic and heroic, and does have a melancholy under its carousing and battles.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Here is a film to treasure.
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, 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.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Evidently Mr. Welles's reading of Falstaff ranges between a farcical concept of him and a mawkish, sentimental attitude.
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Cast
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Orson Welles
as Sir John (Jack) Falstaff
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John Gielgud
as Henry IV of England
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Jeanne Moreau
as Doll Tearsheet
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Norman Rodway
as Henry Percy "Hotspur"
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Keith Baxter
as Prince Hal
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Margaret Rutherford
as Hostess Quickly
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Marina Vlady
as Kate Percy
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Alan Webb
as Shallow
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Walter Chiari
as Mr. Silence
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Michael Aldridge
as Pistol
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Tony Beckley
as Poins
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Patrick Bedford
as Bardolph
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Andrew Faulds
as Westmoreland
- Ingrid Pitt
- Keith Pyott
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Fernando Rey
as Worcester
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Ralph Richardson
as Narrator
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Jeremy Rowe
as Prince John
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Beatrice Welles
as Falstaff's Page
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José Nieto
as Northumberland
- Julio Peña
- Charles Farrell
