Chimes at Midnight (1965)

Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, John Gielgud, Margaret Rutherford, Jeanne Moreau, Walter Chiari, Alan Webb, José Nieto, Fernando Rey, Keith Pyott, Norman Rodway, Michael Aldridge, Tony Beckley, Patrick Bedford, Charles Farrell, (voice) Ralph Richardson.

Underseen and too often undersung Welles mash-up of different Shakespearean sources (primarily Henry IV Parts 1 & 2) depicting the story of recurring supporting player Falstaff (Welles), a portly and influential knight who serves as a father figure to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V (Baxter). An ambitious undertaking and brilliant assemblage, robustly performed by Welles with a disarmingly stumblebum nature; though liberties are taken with the general direction and tone of the text, it is reported that all of the dialogue comes straight from the plays. Marred by faulty dubbing and budgetary limitations, but the latter doesn’t result in a total wash, as it shows off strengths in staging and editing during the smoky, kinetic Battle of Shrewsbury scene, which is made to appear large in scale despite the production only having a few score extras in play. Released simply as Falstaff throughout most of Europe.

87/100