Film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays are increasingly popular and now figure prominently in the study of his work and its reception. This lively Companion is a collection of critical and historical essays on the films adapted from, and inspired by, Shakespeare's plays. An international team of leading scholars discuss Shakespearean films from a variety of perspectives: as works of art in their own right; as products of the international movie industry; in terms of cinematic and theatrical genres; and as the work of particular directors from Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles to Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh. They also consider specific issues such as the portrayal of Shakespeare's women and the supernatural. The emphasis is on feature films for cinema, rather than television, with strong coverage of Hamlet, Richard III, Macbeth, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet. A guide to further reading and a useful filmography are also provided.

‘Cogently organised … anyone wishing to purchase a single volume on the subject would do well to go for (this).’

Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘A well-priced, intelligently written collection which brings together familiar strands of critical analysis.’

Source: Shakespeare Yearbook

'Thanks to the diversity of approaches the Companion can be recommended as a valuable source of information and sound introduction to the state of the art.'

Source: Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik