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Letterboxd Showdown: The Play's The Thing (Or at least, the adaptation is)

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 Lion King
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • Forbidden Planet
  • West Side Story
  • Hamlet
  • Ran
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • Gnomeo & Juliet
  • Romeo + Juliet
  • Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead