Chimes at Midnight 1965

Bosley Crowther, New York Times: Evidently Mr. Welles's reading of Falstaff ranges between a farcical concept of him and a mawkish, sentimental attitude. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: The one Welles film that deserves to be called lovely. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: The best and most touchingly personal of all Shakespeare adaptations, Chimes At Midnight is pervaded by melancholy and loneliness, even though its characters are almost seen never alone. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Welles' vision and imagination is unmatched in film. His use of light in a forbidding, dark castle is a wonder. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: "Chimes at Midnight" is one of Welles' peak achievements. Its depth of feeling seems very real, very deep indeed. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Quite likely the greatest Shakespearean film ever. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: Thanks to an astonishingly crisp restoration, Orson Welles' 1965 Shakespearean masterpiece can now be appreciated by anyone who thought his best days behind the camera ended with Touch of Evil. Read more

Pauline Kael, New Yorker: The film is a near-masterpiece. Read more

Bob Mondello, NPR: Sprawling, and hugely ambitious, and containing a glorious Wellesian Falstaff who's as majestic in folly as he is in girth. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Here is a film to treasure. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Welles's most human film, his most poignant, funny and empathetic. Read more

Pauline Kael, The New Republic: It takes large latent talent to tell the audience that you know that what you're doing isn't worth doing and still do it better than anyone else in the movie. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: A personal viewpoint, it mixes the grotesque, bawdy, comic and heroic, and does have a melancholy under its carousing and battles. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Of all the movies Welles made, it may offer the most clues to his imposing pachyderm soul. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: See it on the big screen if you can; for all of its flaws it's a glory. Read more