Chimes at Midnight
| Chimes at Midnight | |
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U.S. theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Orson Welles |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Orson Welles |
| Based on |
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| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Ralph Richardson |
| Music by | Angelo Francesco Lavagnino |
| Cinematography | Edmond Richard |
| Edited by | Fritz Muller |
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Production
company |
Internacional Films Esrolano
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| Distributed by | Peppercorn-Wormser Film Enterprises |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | Spain Switzerland |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
| Box office | 516,762 admissions (France) |
Chimes at Midnight (onscreen title and UK title: Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight), Spanish release: Campanadas a medianoche), is a 1965 English-language Spanish-Swiss co-produced film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The film's plot centres on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff and the father-son relationship he has with Prince Hal, who must choose between loyalty to his father, King Henry IV, or Falstaff.
Welles said that the core of the film's story was "the betrayal of friendship." It stars Welles as Falstaff, Keith Baxter as Prince Hal, John Gielgud as Henry IV, Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet and Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly. The script contains text from five of Shakespeare's plays; primarily Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, but also Richard II and Henry V, as well as some dialogue from The Merry Wives of Windsor. Ralph Richardson's narration is taken from the works of chronicler Raphael Holinshed.
Welles had previously produced a Broadway stage adaptation of nine Shakespeare plays called Five Kings in 1939. In 1960, he revived this project in Ireland as Chimes at Midnight, which was his final on-stage performance. Neither of these plays was successful, but Welles considered portraying Falstaff to be his life's ambition and turned the project into a film. In order to get initial financing, Welles lied to producer Emiliano Piedra about intending to make a version of Treasure Island, and keeping the film funded during its production was a constant struggle. Welles shot Chimes at Midnight throughout Spain between 1964 and 1965; it premiered at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, winning two awards there.
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