Thames Shakespeare Collection

"[Macbeth] ...a Macbeth for the Shakespeare lover.  Diane Wild, DVD Verdict
"[Twelfth] ...reveals the young Branagh's development as an interpreter of Shakespeare.  Shandy Casteel, PopMatters

Editor's Note This collection of televised adaptations includes some of Shakespeare's finest works, all produced for British television. Among them are interpretations of MACBETH (with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench), KING LEAR, ROMEO & JULIET, and TWELFTH NIGHT (directed by Kenneth Branagh).

	Ann Hasson
	Christopher Hollis
	Christopher Neame
	Frances Barber
	Greg Hicks
	Ian McKellen
	John Bown
	Judi Dench
	Julian Gartside
	Patrick Magee
	Patrick Mower
	Peter Dyneley
	Richard Briers
	Robert Coleby
	Robin Nedwell
	Wendy Alnutt
	Joan Kemp-Welch - [Romeo] Director
	Paul Kafno - [Twelfth] Director
	Philip Casson - [Macbeth] Director
	Tony Davenall - [King] Director

DVD Town 9 of 10
[Macbeth] More than any other playwright, Shakespeare's works have been tinkered with and tweaked until they become nearly unrecognizable. This production by the Royal Shakespeare Company combines minimalist staging with anachronistic costuming, performed in 1976, which Ian McKellen (Macbeth) says in his introduction was a golden year for the acting company...The performances themselves are what you'd expect: competent, and, well, Shakespearean. Which is to say, there's an awful lot of emotionÑliterally, actors emoting. Every scene is treated as an intense moment, with the lines delivered as if the actors were surrounded by Oscar voters instead of darkness. - James Plath