Chimes at Midnight (, released in most of Europe as Falstaff) is a 1965 period comedy-drama film written, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. Its plot centers on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff and his fatherly relationship with Prince Hal, who must choose loyalty to Falstaff or to his actual father, King Henry IV. The English-language film was an international co-production of Spain, France, and Switzerland.
Welles said that the core of the film's story was "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, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Ralph Richardson's narration is taken from the works of chronicler Raphael Holinshed.
Welles had produced a Broadway stage adaptation of nine Shakespeare plays, Five Kings, in 1939. In 1960, he revived this project in Ireland as Chimes at Midnight, which was his final stage performance. Neither of these plays was successful, but Welles considered portraying Falstaff his life's ambition and turned the project into a film. To get financing, he lied to producer Emiliano Piedra that he intended to make a version of Treasure Island, and keeping the film funded during its production was a constant struggle. Welles shot Chimes at Midnight in Spain between 1964 and 1965; it premiered at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, winning two awards there.
Initially dismissed by most film critics, Chimes at Midnight is now regarded as one of Welles's highest achievements, and Welles called it his best work. Welles felt a strong connection to the character of Falstaff and called him "Shakespeare's greatest creation". Some film scholars and Welles's collaborators have made comparisons between Falstaff and Welles, while others see a resemblance between Falstaff and Welles's father. Disputes over the ownership of Chimes at Midnight made it difficult to view the film legally until recently. It was released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray in 2015. A new restoration by Janus Films and The Criterion Collection screened at Film Forum in New York on January 1–12, 2016. The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on August 30, 2016.
Plot
Sir John Falstaff and Justice Shallow walk through the snow, then to a warm fire inside Shallow's home in Gloucestershire, as the two reminisce. King Henry IV of England has succeeded Richard II, whom he has killed. Richard II's true heir, Edmund Mortimer, is a prisoner in Wales, and Mortimer's cousins (the Percys) Northumberland, Worcester, and Northumberland's son Henry Percy (called "Hotspur") demand that the king rescue Mortimer. He refuses, and the Percys begin to plot his overthrow.
To Henry's great dissatisfaction, his son Prince Hal spends most of his time at the Boar's Head Tavern, drinking and carousing with prostitutes, thieves, and other criminals under Falstaff's fatherly influence. Falstaff insists that he and Hal should think of themselves as gentlemen, but Hal warns Falstaff that he will one day reject both this lifestyle and Falstaff. The next morning, Hal, Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Poins disguise themselves in Gadshill to prepare to rob a group of traveling pilgrims. After Falstaff, Bardolph, and Peto rob the pilgrims, Hal and Poins jump out in disguises and take the stolen treasure from Falstaff as a prank.
Back at the tavern, Falstaff begins to tell Hal and Poins with increasing exaggeration the story of how the money was stolen from him. Hal and Poins poke holes in Falstaff's tale until they reveal their prank. In celebration of the newly recovered treasure, Falstaff and Hal take turns impersonating Henry, with a cooking pot crown and vocal impressions. Falstaff's Henry chastises Hal for spending his time with common criminals, but names Falstaff as his one virtuous friend. Hal's Henry calls Falstaff a "misleader of youth".
Hal visits the king at the castle, and Henry scolds him for his criminal and unethical lifestyle. Henry warns Hal about Hotspur's growing army and its threat to his crown. Hal passionately vows to his unimpressed father that he will defend Henry and redeem his name. The King's army, including Falstaff, parades through the streets and off to war. Before the battle, Henry meets with Worcester and offers to forgive all of Hotspur's men of treason if they surrender immediately. Hal vows to kill Hotspur himself. Worcester returns to his camp and lies to Hotspur, telling him that Henry intends to execute all traitors.
The two armies meet in the Battle of Shrewsbury, but Falstaff hides in shrubs for most of the conflict. After a long, bloody fight, the king's men win the battle, after which Hotspur and Hal meet alone and duel; as Falstaff watches, Hal kills Hotspur. Henry sentences Worcester to death and takes his men prisoner. Falstaff brings Hotspur's body to Henry, claiming that he killed Hotspur; Henry does not believe him, looking disapprovingly at Hal and the ignoble company he keeps.
The narrator explains that all of Henry IV's rebellious enemies had been killed by 1408, but that Henry's health has begun to deteriorate. At the castle, Henry becomes upset when told that Hal is once again spending time with Falstaff, and collapses. Hal visits the castle and discovers that Henry is sicker than he had realized. Hal vows to Henry to be a good and noble king. Henry finally has faith in Hal and advises him on how to be a king. Henry dies and Hal tells his men that he is now King Henry V.
Falstaff, Shallow, and Silence sit in front of the fire, continuing the film's first scene. They receive news of Henry IV's death and that Hal's coronation will be held that morning. Falstaff becomes ecstatic and goes directly to the castle, thinking he will become a great and powerful nobleman under Henry V. At the coronation, Falstaff cannot contain his excitement and interrupts the ceremony, announcing himself to Hal. Hal turns his back on Falstaff and proclaims that he is now finished with his former lifestyle. As Falstaff looks up at Hal with a mixture of pride and despair, the new king banishes him. The coronation continues into the castle as Falstaff walks away, claiming he will be sent for that evening. That night, Falstaff dies at the Boar's Head Tavern, and his friends mourn him, saying he died of a broken heart. Hal goes on to become a good and noble king.
Cast
Original stage productions Welles's inspiration for Chimes at Midnight began in 1930 when he was a student at the Todd Seminary for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois. He tried to stage a three-and-a-half-hour combination of several of Shakespeare's historical plays called The Winter of Our Discontent in which he played Richard III.France, Richard. The Theatre of Orson Welles. Lewisberg and London: Bucknell University Press. 1977. . pp. 24-26. School officials forced him to make cuts to the production. Chimes at Midnight originated in 1939 as a stage play called Five Kings, which Welles wrote and partially staged. It was an ambitious adaptation of several Shakespeare plays that chronicled the stories of Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI and Richard III. Its sources were Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3, and Richard IIIsometimes collectively called the "War of the Roses cycle". The grouping of Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V is often called the Henriad.
Five Kings (1939)
Five Kings was announced as part of the newly revived Mercury Theatre's second season in 1938. John Houseman had secured a partnership with the prestigious Theatre Guild to produce the play for , with an initial tour of Baltimore, Boston, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia before debuting on Broadway. Welles intended to stage only the first part of the playwhich was primarily taken from Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 and Henry Vduring the tour while simultaneously rehearsing Part Two and finally debuting the full production on Broadway. Houseman said the play's aim was "to combine the immediate quality of the Elizabethan with all the devices and techniques possible in the modern theatre." The cast included Welles as Falstaff, Burgess Meredith as Prince Hal, John Emery as Hotspur, Morris Ankrum as Henry IV and Robert Speaight as the Narrator.France, Richard. Orson Welles on Shakespeare. New York/London: Routledge. 2001. . pp. 174-175. The play's music was by Aaron Copland. Welles commissioned an elaborate revolving set, but it was not completed during the five weeks allotted to rehearsals.
Welles avoided attending the rehearsals or finishing the play's final script and instead often went out drinking and socializing with co-star Meredith, with the result that only specific scenes or fragments of the play were ever rehearsed. The Baltimore performance was eventually dropped and at the first dress rehearsal in Boston, it was discovered that the play was over five and a half hours long and contained 46 scenes. Welles cut 14 scenes and shortened others, which caused the built-in timer for the revolving set to move out of synchronization. Five Kings, Part 1 premiered at the Colonial Theatre in Boston on February 27, 1939, and was a disaster. Critics were either scathing or apologetic, and only the play's battle scenes received praise. By the end of the Boston run, the Theatre Guild was on the verge of dropping the production, and canceled the D.C. engagement. Welles then edited the show to three and a half hours. The play closed after only a few performances in Philadelphia, and the Theatre Guild terminated its contract with the Mercury Theater. Photographs of the play's rehearsals show similarities to Chimes at Midnight, including the Boar's Head Tavern set and the character blocking of the "chimes at midnight" scene with Falstaff, Shallow, and Silence.
Chimes at Midnight (1960)
Welles returned to the project in 1960, with performances in Belfast and Dublin. This version, retitled Chimes at Midnight, was produced by Welles's old friend Hilton Edwards through his Dublin-based company Gate Theatre. The cast included Welles as Falstaff, Keith Baxter as Prince Hal, Hilton Edwards as the Narrator, Reginald Jarman as Henry IV, and Alexis Kanner as Hotspur. At one point, Welles and Edwards wanted Micheál Mac Liammóir to replace Jarman, but Mac Liammóir would only accept the role of Prince Hal. Hilton Edwards was officially credited as director, but Welles is usually acknowledged as the actual director and often directed rehearsals. Welles's alleged biological son Michael Lindsay-Hogg also worked on the play as an actor and as Edwards's personal assistant. Welles's opinion of Falstaff had grown since first playing the part, and his new version of the play focused more upon the relationship between Falstaff and Prince Hal than on Hal's defeat of Hotspur. Most of the scenes from Henry V used in the first version were removed. Welles intended to perform the play in Belfast, Dublin, and London before filming it in Yugoslavia.