William Shakespeare

Comic confrontation of the sexes in one of the most frequently-staged plays.

Filmed entirely on location in Great Britain, this film retraces the life of the king based on the surviving historical record. It reveals the true man behind Shakespeare's villain and exposes the extent to which Shakespeare bent the truth in order to please his own Tudor monarch. Features interviews with leading historians, including Phillippa Langley and authorities on Shakespeare, specially filmed sequences from the play and highly accurate historical...

This production is part of a famous series produced by BBC of all of William Shakespeare's plays. The resulting films, renowned for their loyalty to the text, utilized the best theatrical and television directors and brought highly praised performances from leading contemporary actors. Queen Elizabeth herself is said to have requested the return of Falstaff to the Bard's stage...supposedly she wanted to see him in love. What Shakespeare gave Her Majesty...

A "timeless comedy of love in the Forest of Arden. Shakespeare at his funniest, posing serious questions in the most lighthearted tone. Is there a "natural difference" between a Duke's daughter and a commoner? Are men really stronger than women or is it just their roles in society? Some of these characters briefly discard the roles they've played in life, while others adopt new ones. In the end, they all learn something about themselves."--Booklet...

Shakespeare's classic tragedy of jealousy, deceit, conspiracy, & murder. Othello's great love for Desdemona proves to be too much to bear.

Lear is an aging King who wants to retire by abdicating to his three daughters. However, in an act of petty ego stroking, he asks them who among them loves him most. While two daughters eagerly toady to him, his one loving daughter, Cordelia, refuses play along with this foolish charade. In a rage, Lear exiles her along with his one loyal aide who dares to stick up for her. This foolish move works to Lear's sorrow as his two remaining daughters cruelly...

Henry VI, Parts I and II and Richard III tell the story of an exceptionally turbulent period in British history. These exhilarating and emotionally charged films feature some of Shakespeare's most eloquent and powerful language.

With his wedding a week away, hot-blooded Claudio can't wait to marry the beautiful young Hero. To distract him, his best friend Don Pedro devises mischief: a romantic trap for the sharp-tongued Beatrice and the man she loves to hate, Benedick. Their amusement is almost spoiled by the jealous scheming of the rakish Don John, but love and laughter prevail when the local constable unwittingly exposes the plot--and all the trouble proves to be much ado...

"Breaking all conventional rules of drama, Shakespear creates neither a clear-cut hero nor a villain. Instead, this great tragedy presents complicated human beings in agonizing conflict with one another, and themselves."--Container.

With his wedding a week away, Claudio can't wait to marry the beautiful young Hero. To distract him, his best friend Don Pedro devises mischief: a romantic trap for the sharp-tongued Beatrice and the man she loves to hate, Benedick. Their amusement is almost spoiled by the jealous scheming of Don John, but love and laughter prevail when the local constable unwittingly exposes the plot--and all the trouble proves to be much ado about nothing (111 min.)....