Chimes at Midnight (1965)
91%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
3 wins & 2 nominations total
A classic story adapted by a filmmaker near his creative peak, Chimes at Midnight unites Welles and Shakespeare – and powerfully distills the best of both.
If you’re looking for a movie that’s more fun than homework, Chimes at Midnight might not be your cup of tea. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be rewarded with a Shakespearean masterpiece that showcases Orson Welles’ unmatched vision and imagination. The use of light in the forbidding castle is a wonder, and the tragedy is embodied in a passionately vigorous repertory of images. Plus, thanks to an astonishingly crisp restoration, you can appreciate it all on the big screen. So grab some popcorn and settle in for a glorious, flawed, and ultimately unforgettable experience.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Peppercorn-Wormser
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Pedraza, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1967
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 1967 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 14, 2004
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
Chimes at Midnight, History, Drama, Orson Welles, William Shakespeare, Raphael Holinshed, John Gielgud, Keith Baxter, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, Marina Vlady, directed by Orson Welles, produced by Ángel Escolano, Emiliano Piedra, Harry Saltzman, written by Orson Welles, box office gross $123.4K, reviewed by James Berardinelli, Richard Brody, Bill Goodykoontz, Chris Nashawaty, Peter Rainer, Joe Morgenstern, Matthew Rozsa, Eve Tushnet, Ann Birstein, Lauren Humphries-Brooks, Linda and Al Lerner, Mattie Lucas, starring Orson Welles as Falstaff, John Gielgud as Henry IV, Keith Baxter as Prince Hal, Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet, Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly, Marina Vlady as Kate Percy, MPAA rating not specified, Peppercorn-Wormser, Mono sound mix, rebellion, War of the Roses, ne’er-do-well, carouser, low-class friends, loyalty, redemption, usurpation, tragedy, restoration, Shakespearean masterpiece, stunning images, inspired direction, uniformly strong performances
Worldwide gross: $126,724
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,275,064
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,539
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 139,047
US/Canada gross: $126,724
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,275,064
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,128
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,630
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $137,142
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,820
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $800,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,049,392
Production budget ranking: 1,749
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,334,598
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$11,108,926
ROI to date (est.): -90%
ROI ranking: 1,960
Jeanne Moreau – Doll Tearsheet
John Gielgud – Henry IV
Margaret Rutherford – Mistress Quickly
Marina Vlady – Kate Percy
Keith Baxter – Prince Hal
Director(s)
Orson Welles
Writer(s)
William Shakespeare, Raphael Holinshed, Orson Welles
Producer(s)
Ángel Escolano, Emiliano Piedra, Harry Saltzman
Film Festivals
Venice
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
3 wins & 2 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (2)
Most are advised that watching the movie feels more like homework than entertainment.
August 30, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
…multiple dimensions of tragedy and devises a passionately vigorous repertory of images to embody it…
November 21, 2020
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Welles’ vision and imagination is unmatched in film. His use of light in a forbidding, dark castle is a wonder.
January 28, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Thanks to an astonishingly crisp restoration, Orson Welles’ 1965 Shakespearean masterpiece can now be appreciated by anyone who thought his best days behind the camera ended with Touch of Evil.
January 15, 2016 | Rating: A
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Quite likely the greatest Shakespearean film ever.
January 8, 2016
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
See it on the big screen if you can; for all of its flaws it’s a glory.
January 7, 2016
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
Welles may be best known for his 1941 film “Citizen Kane,” but as far as I’m concerned, “Chimes at Midnight” is his magnum opus.
December 18, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
Matthew Rozsa
matthewrozsa.com
…aside from that small tug on Superman’s cape I have only grateful praise for this thing.
August 14, 2020
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
[Chimes at Midnight] is a curiously mixed bag of a film in which defects often become virtues and difficult attempts succeed while easy ones fail.
May 6, 2020
Ann Birstein
Vogue
Chimes at Midnight is a unique achievement that few filmmakers have ever equaled.
November 2, 2019
Lauren Humphries-Brooks
Suddenly A Shot Rang Out
In this film, [Orson] Welles is bigger than life, literally and figuratively.
October 16, 2019
Linda and Al Lerner
Movies and Shakers
One can feel Welles’ energy and passion, but there is a sense of regret that hangs over Chimes at Midnight that is impossible to ignore, as if Falstaff has become a metaphor for Welles himself.
June 4, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row…
Plot
Sir John Falstaff (Orson Welles) is the hero in this compilation of extracts from Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” and other plays, made into a connected story of Falstaff’s career as young Prince Hal’s (Keith Baxter’s) drinking companion. The massive Knight roisters with and without the Prince, philosophizes comically, goes to war (in his own fashion), and meets his final disappointment, set in a real-looking late medieval England.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Orson Welles not only directed Chimes at Midnight, but also starred in the film as John Falstaff.
Orson-Welles.jpg
