Chimes at Midnight (1967)

I haven't even seen the whole thing, and it's STILL great.

I found a bootleg tape taken from Japanese laserdisc years ago. Unfortunately, the second half of the film wasn't on the tape. Infuriating, because it was shaping up to be possibly the greatest of Welles' films - which is, of course, really saying something. Regardless, this was mesmerising and a joy every moment to watch. The obvious low budget had no power to detract from the magic of the film (as in the unfortunate 'Othello'), and Welles' performance achieved some kind of perfection (as opposed to his 'Macbeth' - which would have been great if it had been a silent movie). Seriously, the man surpassed himself here. You don't feel you are watching a performance - Welles IS Falstaff. I was sceptical, but all the hype is absolutely true - at least based on the first half.

That it has remained commercially unavailable is some kind of crime, and with all of the obscure titles that are making their way to DVD these days it boggles the mind that this has still not been released in the US - although print quality may be an issue. Still, the tape I saw looked horrible and I was still enthralled. Seeing this in any form is a treat.

Even only half of this movie puts most everything else deep in the shade. I would not normally write a review for a film I never finished - but I would not normally count a film I never finished among my favorites. Despite the circumstances, I got more pleasure out of only half of this movie than I've gotten from literally hundreds of others that I've seen in their entirety, even some good ones - and that rates some kind of statement. May 26, 2007

Better than "Kane," better than "Touch of Evil"

This is Welles' most personal film; deftly editing Shakespeare's Henry IV plays, bits of Henry V and Merry Wives of Windsor, Welles tells the tragedy of Falstaff, the purest good man in all of English drama. The fat knight, who forsakes chivalrous blood-letting for merry cowardice, wine, women and song, represents all the virtues of a pre-modern England to be swept away by his protege, the politic, cunning, war-mongering Prince Hal. When Hal turns his back on Falstaff, who responds "Banish plump Jack and you banish all the world," this is Orson Welles speaking directly to an audience that had banished him since "Citizen Kane." This is his most personal, autobiographical film -- as if Welles stripped off the disguises he'd been wearing for years, let his fat and premature age and alternating gaiety and sadness be exposed to the camera, and truly found himself in Shakespeare.

Shot in Spain in the mid-60's on a meagre budget, but with a splendid cast of UK thespians, Welles here abandoned the pyrotechnic, baroque style of his famous films for a simple, almost John Ford-like elegance. His own performance as Falstaff is the most nuanced, subtle acting he ever did, without mannerism, a subdued and melancholy Falstaff who knows his era is passing. Years ago, I saw a lousy dupe print of this, and it has been out of circulation for years. I have heard its reappearence has been held up in some sort of legal limbo; too bad -- Chimes At Midnight cries out for the restoration that lesser Welles films like Mr Arkadin and Othello have already received.

A final note -- while this movie is notable for its relative simplicity of style, there is one amazing sequence -- Welles' wordless rendering of the battle of Shrewsbury, which begins with chivalric pageantry and ends in slow-motion as knights hack one another to death in the mud; a battle scene that rivals Kurosawa and Eisenstein, and shows that the trickster had a few moves up his sleeve in the twilight of his broken career.

July 19, 2006

Welles' final masterpiece deserves a proper DVD release

What a shame it is that Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight" isn't currently available on DVD. I was extremely fortunate to receive a VHS version as a gift before the usual legal wrangling over Welles' later works forced it out of print. According to wellesnet.com, a Spanish DVD is available, and there are plans to re-release it in the US, hopefully sometime after October 2004. Enter your email address in the "E-mail me when available" field on this site; you'll also be "voting" for the DVD's release!

(Since the film is currently unavailable in the United States, the following review is based on film screenings and the VHS copy I have. I'll update my review if and when the DVD is released in the US).

"Chimes at Midnight" is one of the great Shakespearean adaptations and a true 'lost classic'. It's also the last masterpiece that Orson Welles directed in his lifetime, and with 'Citizen Kane,' 'Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Touch of Evil' comprises a quartet of major cinematic works by Welles. Though rarely seen, "Chimes at Midnight" has influenced modern filmmakers. Mel Gibson, for example, admitted the famous "Battle of Shrewesbury" scene influenced his own "Braveheart."

The film is an inventive re-editing and condensation of Shakespeare's plays, spanning from the end of Richard II to the beginning of Henry V. The film shifts the focus from the titular English kings to the character of Jack Falstaff, played by Welles himself in a virtuoso performance. Falstaff's relationship with young Prince Hal (later Henry V) is explored, and uncannily parallels Welles' own experiences with the young talents of Hollywood.

There are several great performances, by John Gielgud as Henry IV, Keith Baxter as Hal, Kenneth Branagh look-alike Norman Rodway as Hotspur, Welles regular Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet, and the great Dame Margaret Rutherford (of "Miss Marple" fame) as Mistress Quickly.

"Chimes at Midnight" can be a jarring experience due to inconsistent film quality, low budget sets and Welles' flair for shock cuts. Once you adapt to the style and limitations, it's a truly rewarding experience. Welles has found a deeply moving story between the lines of Shakespeare's histories.

"Chimes at Midnight" was Welles' final attempt to popularize Shakespeare for the masses. With any luck, this film will eventually reach the wider audiences that Welles failed to achieve in his lifetime. August 4, 2004

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