Review of Chimes at Midnight (1965) by Stuart K — 05 Sep 2012

By the mid 1960's, Orson Welles was now in exile from Hollywood and living in Europe. As far as Hollywood was concerned, he was a washed-up hack who blew his chance, but in Europe, he did The Trail (1962) and here he did an adaptation of a 1939 play he did on Broadway called Five Kings.

It's an epic production, done on the cheap, but Welles is quite imaginative in his direction and writing. It begins in 1400, when King Richard II has been assassinated by King Henry IV (John Gielgud), yet the cousins to the rightful heir to the throne, Northumberland (Jose Nieto), Worcester (Fernando Rey) and Hotspur (Norman Rodway) plot to overthrow the king.

Meanwhile, Henry IV's son Prince Hal (Keith Baxter) spends a lot of time with Sir John Falstaff (Welles), drinking at the Boar's Head Tavern, ran by Mistress Quickly (Margaret Rutherford). Falstaff becomes involved with prostitute Doll Tearsheet (Jeanne Moreau) and gets into trouble with men wishing to banish him, but Falstaff finds a way in which he can redeem himself, and he goes to take part in the Battle of Shrewsbury, even though he's out of out shape and drunk.

There's something tragi-comic about the whole enterprise, but despite being done on the cheap in quite shabby sets, it works. It has a rawness which makes it watchable, and Welles was always watchable.

The cast of old thesps make it good, with a good, dry narration by Ralph Richardson. It's a little seen gem, but it's now starting to be reclaimed as a great Welles film, and although it's slow-burning, it pays off.