When King Henry IV ascends to the throne, his heir, the Prince of Wales, is befriended by Sir John Falstaff, an old, overweight, fun-loving habitual liar. Through Falstaff's eyes we see the ... Read allWhen King Henry IV ascends to the throne, his heir, the Prince of Wales, is befriended by Sir John Falstaff, an old, overweight, fun-loving habitual liar. Through Falstaff's eyes we see the reign of King Henry IV and the rise of Henry V.When King Henry IV ascends to the throne, his heir, the Prince of Wales, is befriended by Sir John Falstaff, an old, overweight, fun-loving habitual liar. Through Falstaff's eyes we see the reign of King Henry IV and the rise of Henry V.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 wins & 2 nominations total
- Pistol
- (as Michael Aldrich)
- Woman's Tailor
- (as Andres Mejuto)
- Northumberland
- (as Jose Nieto)
- Director
- Writers
- William Shakespeare
- Raphael Holinshed
- Orson Welles(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDespite portraying Falstaff as a grossly obese man, Orson Welles actually had to diet to slim down for the role.
- GoofsThe corpse of Hotspur opens and closes his mouth several minutes after his death.
- Quotes
Falstaff: My King! My Jove! I speak to thee my heart!
Henry V: I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers. How ill white hairs becomes a fool and jester. I have long dreamed of such a kind of man, so surfeit-swelled, so old, and so profane. But being awaked, I do despise my dream. Make less thy body hence and more thy grace. Leave gormandizing; know the grave doth gape for thee thrice wider than for other men.
[Falstaff laughs and rises]
Henry V: Reply not to me with a fool-born jest! Presume not that I am the thing I was.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 43rd Annual Academy Awards (1971)
I've read Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Julius Ceaser and I'm blessed that my public education provided me that much. But when it comes to Henry the IV, V, or VI I'm pretty much in the dark.
Chimes of Midnight did not leave me in the dark however. Orson Welles, I think, did a wonderful job of translating Shakespeaian dialogue into action that could be understood, jokes that could be understood, dramatic tension that could be understood.
Not only do i realize I am 400 years removed from Shakespeare but I am also 53 years removed from whatever audience Orson Welles intended this for in in 1965.
But I don't feel removed from the artistry that it took to make this film.
I could follow the plot, I knew where characters were emotionally, and even better, I understood the jokes. Which, for me, was a huge windfall and a source of amazement.
Orson Welles was dead before I was even born and I find him totally captivating and engaging in this film. He's lovable, he's a rapscallion, he's larger than life and he breaks your heart when he's denied by the newly crowned king.
I'm coming to this as an outsider. I loved Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil, I immensely enjoyed F is for Fake, and I've been looking to engage in more films starring or directed by Orson Welles, and I walked away from this film feeling like it filled a gap.
Here was his passion for gorgeous cinematography, here was his love of the stage, here was his brilliance at translating plays, here was his love for acting here was his passion for entertainment.
At no point did this film drag for me, and even now, in 2017 did the battle scene not only engage, but surprise me. This IS masterclass film making and this film deserved a wider audience back in 1965 and it deserves it still today.
Absolutely riveting and amazing work.
- robobalboa
- Nov 11, 2017
- How long is Chimes at Midnight?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight)
- Filming locations
- Pedraza, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain(London streets scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $800,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $126,724
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $13,630
- Jan 3, 2016
- Gross worldwide
- $126,724
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1