King Lear (1987)

 

As the world recovers from the destruction of the Chernobyl disaster, William Shakespeare Jr. the Fifth  attempts to restore the human race's great works of art.

Radically obscurantist contemplation on Skakespeare's classic play presents itself as a wild associative stream of images and sound, in a for Godard typically brilliant montage, but presupposes an audience of polymaths; for everybody else it is of limited interest.

Halliwell (no star): "Sheer nonsense doodled by the director with someone else's money."

Maltin*1/2: "Bizarre, garish, contemporary punk-apocalyptic updating of Shakespeare classic. Little to be said about this pretentious mess except...avoid it." 

 

Ye yan (2006)

 

A loose adaptation of Hamlet, "The Night Banquet" is set in an empire in chaos. The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Minister and the General all have their own enemies they would like to finish off at a night banquet. 

More inspired by Shakespeare than a true adaptation of Hamlet, this sumptuous and obviously expensive production with visually stunning sets and martial arts scenes, but its narrative lacks logic and coherence and is difficult to follow.

 

 

The Tempest (1979)

Banished to a forsaken island, the Right Duke of Milan and Sorcerer Prospero gets the chance to take his revenge on the King of Naples with the assistance of his airy spirit-servant, Ariel.

From memory: Typical for its director, this idiosyncratic Shakespeare adaptation contrasts beauty with the vulgar and ordinary creating an aesthetically appealing work, albeit with not much mass appeal.

Halliwell (no star): "A punk version of Shakespeare's play; less horrendous than might have been supposed, but far from interesting in its own right."

 

New Acquisition: Macbeth (1948)

Need to rewatch Orson Welles' movies.