The Guinness Book of Records lists 410 feature-length film and TV versions of Shakespeare's plays, making Shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language.

, the Internet Movie Database lists Shakespeare as having writing credit on 1,800 films, including those under production but not yet released. The earliest known production is King John from 1899.

Comedies All's Well That Ends Well

Title Directors Starring Description All's Well That Ends WellTV1968Originally a Royal Shakespeare Company stage production, this was the first Shakespeare play broadcast in color by the BBC. The second of its two reels is believed to be lost. All's Well That Ends WellVideo1978A video recording of a 1978 New York Shakespeare Festival performance at the Delacorte Theatre, made by Jaime Caro for Theatre on Film and Tape. "All's Well That Ends Well"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1981 All's Well That Ends Well(National Theatre Live)TV2009Live performance broadcast from the National Theatre in London's West End.

As You Like It

Title Directors Starring Description As You Like ItSilent1912The film brings stage star Rose Coghlan to the screen for her motion picture debut. At 61–62, Coghlan is an older Rosalind than usual. Filmed mainly outdoors. Love in a WoodSilent1915A silent comedy film in a contemporary setting of the play. As You Like ItFilm1936Olivier's first performance of Shakespeare on screen. It was also the final film of stage actors Leon Quartermaine and Henry Ainley and featured an early screen role for Ainley's son Richard as Sylvius, as well as for John Laurie, who played Orlando's brother Oliver. Laurie would go on to co-star with Olivier in the three Shakespearean films that Olivier directed. As You Like ItTV1963A recording of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1961 performance for the BBC. In a 2015 retrospective for The Guardian, theatre critic Michael Billington praised Redgrave as having "the ability to give a performance [as Rosalind] that becomes a gold-standard for future generations". "As You Like It"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1978Recorded at Glamis Castle in Scotland, this was one of only two productions shot on location, the other being The Famous History of the Life of Henry the Eight. However, the location shooting received a lukewarm response from both critics and the BBC's own people, with the general consensus being that the natural world in the episode overwhelmed the actors and the story. Director Basil Coleman initially felt that the play should be filmed over the course of a year, with the change in seasons from winter to summer marking the ideological change in the characters, but he was forced to shoot entirely in May, even though the play begins in winter. This, in turn, meant the harshness of the forest described in the text was replaced by lush greenery, which was distinctly unthreatening, with the characters' "time in the forest appear[ing] to be more an upscale camping expedition rather than exile." As You Like ItTV1983 As You Like ItFilm1992Set in a modern, urban, environment. The film received mostly negative reviews. Time Out thought that the "… wonder is that they bothered to put film in the camera, for sadly this is Shakespeare sans teeth, eyes, taste, sans everything." Derek Elley in Variety characterised it as a "British low-budgeter, mostly shot on drab exteriors, [that] will be limited to literary students and the very dedicated, given careful nursing." "As You Like It"(Shakespeare: The Animated Tales)TV1994Animated with paint on glass using watercolors. As You Like ItFilm2006Branagh moved the play's setting from medieval France to a late 19th century European colony in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. It is filmed at Shepperton Film Studios and at the never-before-filmed gardens of Wakehurst Place. As You Like ItTV2010 As You Like ItVideo2010Recording of a performance at Shakespeare's Globe.

The Comedy of Errors

Title Directors Starring Description The Boys from SyracuseFilm1940A musical film based on a stage musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, which in turn was based on the play. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: one for Best Visual Effects (John P. Fulton, Bernard B. Brown, Joe Lapis) and one for Best Art Direction (Jack Otterson). Bhranti Bilas(Film1963The film relocates the story to modern day India. The film tells the story of a Bengali merchant from Kolkata and his servant who visit a small town for a business appointment, but, whilst there, are mistaken for a pair of locals, leading to much confusion. It is based on an 1869 play by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, which is itself based on The Comedy of Errors. Bhranti Bilas was remade in 1968 as the musical comedy Do Dooni Char, which in turn was later remade as Angoor. "The Comedy of Errors"(Festival)TV1967 Do Dooni CharFilm1968A musical comedy Bollywood adaptation based on the 1963 film Bhranti Bilas, which in turn was based on an 1869 play by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, which is itself based on The Comedy of Errors. Do Dooni Char was later remade as Angoor. The Comedy of ErrorsTV1978A TV adaptation of a musical based on the play, with a book and lyrics by Trevor Nunn and music by Guy Woolfenden. Angoor(Film1982A Bollywood adaptation, based on the 1968 film Do Dooni Char, which was based on the 1963 film Bhranti Bilas, which in turn was based on an 1869 play by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, which is itself based on The Comedy of Errors. "The Comedy of Errors"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1983 The Comedy of ErrorsTV1987Videotaped as part of PBS's Great Performances series at Lincoln Center, New York City, this production starring The Flying Karamazov Brothers combined Shakespeare with slapstick, acrobatics and juggling on the basis that "in Ephesus, you juggle or die!" with Shakespeare himself taking part in the action. The Comedy of ErrorsTV1989

Love's Labour's Lost

Title Directors Starring Description Love's Labor LostAnimation1920 "Love's Labour's Lost"(Play of the Month)TV1975 "Love's Labour's Lost"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1985 Love's Labour's LostFilm2000Branagh's film turns Love's Labour's Lost into a romantic Hollywood musical. Set and costume design evoke the Europe of 1939; the music (classic Broadway songs of the 1930s) and newsreel-style footage are also chief period details.

Measure for Measure

Title Directors Starring Description Measure for Measure()Film1943 "Measure For Measure"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1979 Measure for MeasureTV1994Modern dress version of Shakespeare's "problem comedy" emphasizing the darker elements of the play and eliminating most of the humor. Measure for MeasureFilm2006Contemporary re-working of Shakespeare's problem play set in the British army. M4M: Measure for MeasureFilm2015All-male cast version Measure For MeasureFilm2019Adaptation set in modern-day Australia

The Merchant of Venice

Title Directors Starring Description The Merchant of VeniceSilent1914An early film of the play, now assumed to be lost. The Merchant of VeniceSilent1916The film was made by Broadwest. The company hired the complete stage cast of the play and filmed at Walthamstow Studios using largely natural light. The film marked the screen debut of Matheson Lang who went on to become one of the leading British actors of the 1920s. The Merchant of VeniceFilm1922Der Kaufmann von VenedigSilent1923Peter Paul FelnerWerner Krauß (Shylock) Henny Porten (Portia) Harry Liedtke (Bassanio) Carl Ebert (Antonio) Max Schreck (Doge von Venedig)A relatively late silent movie, making significant changes in the plot, nevertheless considered as a masterwork, mostly due to its stunning cast. The Merchant of VeniceTV1947 "The Merchant of Venice"(Sunday Night Theatre)TV1955 "The Merchant of Venice"(Play of the Month)TV1972 The Merchant of VeniceTV1973An adaptation from Jonathan Miller's acclaimed 1970 Royal National Theatre staging. The Merchant of VeniceTV1976 "The Merchant of Venice"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1980 The Merchant of VeniceTV1996 The Merchant of VeniceTV2001 The Maori Merchant of Venice(Film2002The play was translated into Māori in 1945 by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, and his translation is used for the film. It is the first Māori-language film adaptation of any of Shakespeare's plays, and the first feature length Māori film. The film was shot in Auckland, but "recreates 16th century Venice, with costumes and surroundings to fit the original setting". The Merchant of VeniceFilm2004

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Title Directors Starring Description The Merry Wives of Windsor(Film1950 "The Merry Wives of Windsor"(Sunday Night Theatre)TV1952 Chimes at MidnightFilm1966Welles said that the core of the film's story was "the betrayal of friendship." 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. Richardson's narration is taken from the works of chronicler Raphael Holinshed. Welles had previously produced a Broadway 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 adapting Treasure Island, and keeping the film funded during 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. The Merry Wives of WindsorTV1980 "The Merry Wives of Windsor"(BBC Television Shakespeare)TV1982Jones originally wanted to shoot the episode in Stratford-upon-Avon but was restricted to a studio setting. Determined that the production be as realistic as possible, he had designer Dom Homfray base the set on real Tudor houses associated with Shakespeare: Falstaff's room is based on the home of Mary Arden (Shakespeare's mother) in Wilmcote, and the wives' houses are based on the house of Shakespeare's daughter Susanna, and her husband, John Hall. For the background of exterior shots, he used a miniature Tudor village built of plasticine.

A Midsummer Night's Dream