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On the brink of Civil War, King Henry IV (John Gielgud) attempts to consolidate his reign while fretting with unease over his son s seeming neglect of his royal duties. Hal (Keith Baxter), the young Prince, openly consorts with Sir John Falstaff (Orson Welles) and his company of "Diana s foresters, Gentlemen of the shade, Minions of the moon". Hal s friendship with the fat knight substitutes for his estrangement from his father. Both Falstaff and the King are old and tired; both rely on Hal for comfort in their final years, while the young Prince, the future Henry V, nurtures his own ambitions.
Orson Welles considered Chimes at Midnight his personal favorite of all his films. Perhaps the most radical and groundbreaking of all Shakespeare adaptations, the film condenses the Bard s Henriad cycle into a single focused narrative. Its international cast comprises of Jeanne Moreau, Fernando Rey, Margaret Rutherford, and Ralph Richardson as the narrator, in addition to Welles and Gielgud. The film s harrowing war scenes have proven especially influential, cited in Kenneth Branagh s Henry V as well as Mel Gibson s Braveheart.
Definative Restored Version
Review
"Greatness...Here is a film to treasure" --Roger Ebert
"A dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow. Magic" --Time Out
"Welles majestic portrayal of Falstaff as 'the old England, dying and betrayed'" --Total Film
"A dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow. Magic" --Time Out
"Welles majestic portrayal of Falstaff as 'the old England, dying and betrayed'" --Total Film
"A dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow. Magic" --Time Out
"Welles majestic portrayal of Falstaff as 'the old England, dying and betrayed'" --Total Film
"A dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow. Magic" --Time Out
"Welles majestic portrayal of Falstaff as 'the old England, dying and betrayed'" --Total Film
"A dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow. Magic" --Time Out
"Welles majestic portrayal of Falstaff as 'the old England, dying and betrayed'" --Total Film
"A dark masterpiece, shot through with slapstick and sorrow. Magic" --Time Out
"Welles majestic portrayal of Falstaff as 'the old England, dying and betrayed'" --Total Film
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By D. Kelly
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is purely a review of the new Mr Bongo DVD release of Orson Welles' 1965 film "Falstaff" (aka "Chimes at Midnight") released on the 30th of April 2012. I have bought two previous DVD releases of this superb Welles film only to be bitterly disappointed by the extremely poor quality of both. However, as the saying goes, third time lucky. I took the plunge with this new Mr Bongo version. I have previously bought several DVD releases from Mr Bongo and have been pretty impressed by them all, and now I can add their DVD release of "Falstaff" to that list as its an enormous improvement over the others. The image is anamorphic widescreen (enhanced for widescreen televisions) preserving the original 1.85:1 ratio and the grey tones and contrast are impressive. My only very slight concern is the image can appear a little soft at times, but that may be due to the original print used and may be how the film looked theatrically. There are no extras at all and no subtitles, but as far as bare bones DVDs are concerned, the film is really all you need as its quite excellent. The Mr Bongo release is the one to go for. There is no contest.
51 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
One of the finest of all Shakespeare films, and perhaps Orson Welles's masterpiece too, we have been waiting a very long time for "Chimes at Midnight" to appear on an English-produced DVD. Here it is at last.
Has it been worth the wait? For the film of course, yes. The acting, the cinematic imagination, the multi-layered panorama of Shakespeare's themes from the two "Henry IV" plays (with a little from "Henry V" and elsewhere added) from which Welles collated his script - all these are as wonderfully fresh, vivid and rich as when the film first appeared in 1965. "Chimes at Midnight" captures Welles himself as Falstaff at the height of his powers. John Gielgud was never better on film than here, as the tormented Henry IV; whilst the support from Keith Baxter's cold-fish Hal, Margaret Rutherford, Jeanne Moreau, Fernando Rey (dubbed into English) and the rest of a superb cast rises fully to his game.
This Cornerstone Media release uses the same basic restoration as the Spanish/English release Chimes at Midnight (Campanadas a medianoche) [Spanish Import] [DVD] on Suevia Films, so sound and image are not crystal clear. What's disappointing, is that cornerstone have reduced the contrast so that scenes which looked reasonably bold and vibrant in the Spanish release look pale and washed out here. This is a great pity, and the Suevia Films Chimes at Midnight (Campanadas a medianoche) [Spanish Import] [DVD] release is therefore still first choice, although the newcomer has the virtue of being a little cheaper and easier to find.
This film should be in the collection of everyone who cares about Shakespeare, Welles, or the art of cinema itself.
Has it been worth the wait? For the film of course, yes. The acting, the cinematic imagination, the multi-layered panorama of Shakespeare's themes from the two "Henry IV" plays (with a little from "Henry V" and elsewhere added) from which Welles collated his script - all these are as wonderfully fresh, vivid and rich as when the film first appeared in 1965. "Chimes at Midnight" captures Welles himself as Falstaff at the height of his powers. John Gielgud was never better on film than here, as the tormented Henry IV; whilst the support from Keith Baxter's cold-fish Hal, Margaret Rutherford, Jeanne Moreau, Fernando Rey (dubbed into English) and the rest of a superb cast rises fully to his game.
This Cornerstone Media release uses the same basic restoration as the Spanish/English release Chimes at Midnight (Campanadas a medianoche) [Spanish Import] [DVD] on Suevia Films, so sound and image are not crystal clear. What's disappointing, is that cornerstone have reduced the contrast so that scenes which looked reasonably bold and vibrant in the Spanish release look pale and washed out here. This is a great pity, and the Suevia Films Chimes at Midnight (Campanadas a medianoche) [Spanish Import] [DVD] release is therefore still first choice, although the newcomer has the virtue of being a little cheaper and easier to find.
This film should be in the collection of everyone who cares about Shakespeare, Welles, or the art of cinema itself.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was lucky enough to see a recent restoration (BFI I think) of this film in my local cinema. It looked fantastic. I would recommend waiting to see if that restoration comes out on DVD before purchasing this. To the best of my knowledge however, this Italian release is the best quality transfer so far available on DVD.
All that aside, this is a great film. Orson Welles excels as Falstaff, comic yet tragic, the blustering knight who manages to befriend the King in waiting. He brings out what, for me, are the essential elements of the character. Condensing Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and ignoring the events of The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Welles has managed to get a clear story together that examines Falstaff rather than Prince Hal, an interesting take on these well known plays.
Welles fits the role of the fat knight perfectly, as he chases after women, or wanders around a battlefield avoiding trouble. His take on the role plays up the comic elements, but at times this serves to heighten the tragedy. Also of note is a great performance from John Gielgud as Henry IV. He delivers his lines with such grace, dignity and clear diction that he really is a joy to watch.
The all important final scene, where Falstaff is rejected by Hal has a huge impact on the viewer, and fair takes the breath away.
All in all a great film for anyone who wants an enetertaining and easy introduction to Shakespeare. It is probably one of the more accessible on screen adaptations of the Bard's work. 5 stars.
All that aside, this is a great film. Orson Welles excels as Falstaff, comic yet tragic, the blustering knight who manages to befriend the King in waiting. He brings out what, for me, are the essential elements of the character. Condensing Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and ignoring the events of The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Welles has managed to get a clear story together that examines Falstaff rather than Prince Hal, an interesting take on these well known plays.
Welles fits the role of the fat knight perfectly, as he chases after women, or wanders around a battlefield avoiding trouble. His take on the role plays up the comic elements, but at times this serves to heighten the tragedy. Also of note is a great performance from John Gielgud as Henry IV. He delivers his lines with such grace, dignity and clear diction that he really is a joy to watch.
The all important final scene, where Falstaff is rejected by Hal has a huge impact on the viewer, and fair takes the breath away.
All in all a great film for anyone who wants an enetertaining and easy introduction to Shakespeare. It is probably one of the more accessible on screen adaptations of the Bard's work. 5 stars.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great item!
A really excellent item competitively priced and with reasonable postal charges for an overseas customer quickly posted - top marks!
Published 1 month ago by David W. Bishop
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Quality
I have been searching for this on DVD for a long time.
I previously purchased a Korean DVD with Korean Subtitles - it worked, because it gave me the chance to see it, but it... Read more
I previously purchased a Korean DVD with Korean Subtitles - it worked, because it gave me the chance to see it, but it... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Topperking99
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumph for Orson Welles as director and actor
King Henry IV (John Gielgud) is deeply concerned with his son's (Keith Baxter) lack of interest in his Princely duties. Read more
Published 12 months ago by The CinemaScope Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars
inspired by the work of William Shakespeare
Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight is considered to be one of the best Shakespearean films ever made. It is directed by and stars Orson Wells, with Wells playing the part of Falstaff. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Richard J. Brzostek
5.0 out of 5 stars
Waiting for review
I'm sorry I am not reviewing this dvd release. I'm hoping someone will review this Mr. Bongo release of Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight). Read more
Published 12 months ago by K. Beck
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welles at his best
Welles again demonstrates his consummate creativity, merging a number of scenes from Shakespeare's plays to carve the finest portraits of both the young Henry IV and his muse and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by rob crawford
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Chimes at Midnight - The times that we have seen!
I was lucky enough to see a recent restoration (BFI I think) of this film in my local cinema. It looked fantastic, and miles better than the print on this disc (although there... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars
MR WELLES
BESIDE,S SOME REVIWERS COMMENT.S ABOUT THE TRANSFER QUALITY LET,S BE GRTAFUL THAT THIS DVD IS AVALIABLE I FOUND A SPANISH DVD BUT IT COST AROUND £25. Read more
Published 18 months ago by A. Hussain
3.0 out of 5 stars
Buy Italian
I have to agree with some other reviewers - the version from the UK is unintelligible. I had to buy it again from Amazon Italy and it is like a different film i.e. Read more
Published 19 months ago by P. Radcliffe
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great film, awful sound
I have been waiting a long time for this film. I was not disappointed with the film, but the sound is awful, making large parts virtually incomprehensible. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jan Matthys
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