When a fully-restored version of Orson Welles' long-lost Chimes at Midnight appeared in theatres in early 2016, it marked the conclusion of a creative journey that had begun nearly a century earlier. In 1930, a 15-year-old Welles combined several Shakespeare plays to create a three-and-a-half-hour school play called The Winter of Our Discontent.
In 1939, Welles staged Five Kings – an even longer version of the same basic concept – as part of the Mercury Theatre's season. Welles played the role of Sir John Falstaff, who was the closest thing the play had to a central character. Alas, critics tore the work to bits, and the idea was set aside once again. Still, Welles fell deeper in love with the character of Falstaff over the years, calling him "Shakespeare's greatest creation". In 1960, he took yet another stab at his Shakespearean experiment: it was now called Chimes at Midnight, and Welles was still playing Falstaff (by this point, there was no one else he could have played: he had grown to Falstaffian proportions). The reviews were good, but ticket sales were not, so the play closed rather quickly.
Any other man might have let it go by that point, but Welles was determined to try once again. In 1964, he began pre-production on a film version of Chimes at Midnight.
The film version of Chimes is based on four of Shakespeare's plays; primarily Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, but also Richard II and Henry V. Some dialogue is also taken from The Merry Wives of Windsor.
We follow the young Henry and his escapades with the drunken fool and exciting, and never boring fat man, Falstaff. Through the many bars, to the many women, to the few battles they went on, the young Henry is a good warrior, and also a wild young man. But it all changes the day he becomes king...
Read more / Download movie Originally published at MovieWorld.ws
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