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Letterboxd Showdown | To Be or Not to Be

Best Shakespeare film adaptations

In joyous celebration of Akira Kurosawa’s King Lear re-imagining, Ran, re-releasing in select US and Canadian theaters for its 40th anniversary, this week’s Showdown is straight-up Shakespearean. To thine own self be true as you pen a list of your ten favorite adaptations of the Bard’s plays—be they contemporary teen rom-coms or period-accurate costume dramas. All the world may be a stage, but no pro-shot theatre, please (with apologies to National Theatre Live). This means that Ethan Hawke’s Hamlet is eligible, but Andrew Scott’s isn’t. Alack!

  • The Bad Sleep Well
  • Chimes at Midnight
  • Richard III
  • Romeo + Juliet
  • Hamlet
  • 10 Things I Hate About You
  • Shakespeare Behind Bars
  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • Macbeth
  • The Tragedy of Macbeth