The greatest films to come out of Japan
We all know William Shakespeare is the king of literature and the stage, but what many don't know is that his genius even reaches the far corners of modern cinema. As someone who crafted story arcs and plot twists that have been studied for ages, it makes sense that filmmakers have drawn inspiration from his tales of love, comedy, and tragedy. And some have taken very questionable liberties with the material, too.
Click through the following gallery to see the rom-coms, dramas, musicals, and sci-fi adventures that based their stories on the Bard of Avon's work.
In Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night,' Viola is separated from her twin brother and disguises herself as a man, similar to how the film's Viola (Amanda Bynes) disguises herself as her twin brother to play on the boy's soccer team.
In homage to Shakespeare's Duke of Illyria, Channing Tatum plays Duke Orsino, soccer star of the Illyria team.
This zombie flick is actually a sci-fi take on 'Romeo and Juliet,' using the star-crossed lovers theme as a young zombie named "R" (Nicholas Hoult) falls in love with one of humanity's surviving females, Julie (Teresa Palmer).
This beloved '90s rom-com draws inspiration from 'The Taming of the Shrew,' as Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is looking for a date to prom, but will only be allowed to attend if her "shrewish" older sister, Kat, goes too.
Kat (or Katherina) is then set up with bad boy Patrick (Petruchio), who are, of course, played by Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger.
'Deliver Us From Eva' is also a version of 'The Taming of the Shrew,' starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, set entirely in African-American culture.
This film starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, and Jennifer Jason Leigh is 'King Lear' set on a farm. The sisters aren't villains, however, but rather just adults dealing with their traumatic pasts.
The name is a giveaway for this film starring Jet Li and Aaliyah, but instead of family loyalty, the film focuses on race, and instead of daggers, they use martial arts.
This re-imagined 'The Taming of the Shrew' focuses on the struggle between two key actors whose arguments jeopardize the play they're attempting to perform.
This film starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix combines 'Henry IV' and 'Henry V,' even using bard-like dialogue.
It's 'Romeo and Juliet' except in New York City instead of Italy, rival gangs instead of wealthy families, and song breaks instead of soliloquies.
One major difference is that the film really gave the character based on Juliet's nurse, Anita, an upgrade. It even earned Rita Moreno an Oscar!
Swapping out the desert island for an outer space oasis, this film is based on 'The Tempest.' The female lead, Anne Francis, falls in love with one of the outsiders despite her father's attempts to intervene.
This is a thinly veiled adaptation of 'Othello,' except the soldiers are replaced by preppy and manipulative high school students. Shakespeare's Othello becomes the film's Odin, and his enemy Iago was turned into Hugo.
This film is a pretty straightforward adaption of 'Macbeth,' except that it's relocated to feudal Japan.
The references aren't blatant, but the film resembles the story of 'Twelfth Night.' The main character, Terri (Joyce Hyser), is an aspiring teenage journalist who wants to be taken seriously, but isn't because she is a girl.
Terri disguises herself as a (super believable) boy when she starts attending a rival high school.
High school students put on a musical production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' but the plot onstage begins to spill into their real lives as Berke (Ben Foster) falls for Kelly (Kirsten Dunst) while pursing Allison (Melissa Sagemiller).
Inspired by Shakespeare's classic farce, 'The Comedy of Errors,' this film is based on the same plot of mistaken identity between two sets of identical female twins, played by Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin.
This Disney film is so iconic that it's easy to overlook its links to 'Hamlet,' like the "accidental" killing of the king by the prince's evil, power-hungry uncle. Plus Timon and Pumba are clearly versions of Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Director Akira Kurosawa re-imagined 'King Lear' with a Japanese warlord handing his empire off to this three sons, instead of the European king and his three daughters.
This film is an interesting take on 'Hamlet,' where two brothers help a woman regain control of her recently deceased father's "Elsinore" (the name castle where 'Hamlet' takes place) brewery from an evil relative.
John Turturro takes on the figure of Macbeth in this gritty drama in which his character plans a violent mob takeover at the urging of his Lady Macbeth-esque wife, played by Katherine Borowitz.
The title is a giveaway to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' but it's a fast-paced Woody Allen adaptation that will make you forget all about the bard. Plus there's a cast of Allen, Mia Farrow, Julia Hagerty, Tony Roberts, Mary Steenburg, and José Ferrer.
This isn't an adaptation, per say, but it borrows language, themes, and elements from Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' and 'Julius Caesar.' A funny homage is in Gretchen Weiners' infamous “Julius Caesar” rant.
This version of 'Hamlet' is set in the modern world, where a teenage boy suspects that the man wooing his recently widowed mother has ulterior motives.
One of Patrick Stewart's lesser-known films, this TV movie adaptation of 'King Lear' follows a self-made ranch tycoon who divides his holdings among his daughters.
The film, based on 'Othello,' was largely a way to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the time, including Dave Brubeck and Charlie Mingus.
Okay, so this film uses the same title of the play, but to those who aren't familiar with it, the romantic comedy, starring Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Beckinsale, might seem like a standalone.
This romantic musical puts a modern spin on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by focusing on a gay teen (played by Tanner Cohen, left), who uses a love potion to turn homophobic townspeople into homosexuals.
This black comedy retelling of 'Macbeth' uses a fast food restaurant in early '70s rural Pennsylvania as its backdrop.
See also: Iconic Jane Austen adaptations, from 'Clueless' to zombies
Movies you had no idea were based on Shakespeare plays
The Bard of Avon was born in April, 1564
MOVIES April 23
We all know William Shakespeare is the king of literature and the stage, but what many don't know is that his genius even reaches the far corners of modern cinema. As someone who crafted story arcs and plot twists that have been studied for ages, it makes sense that filmmakers have drawn inspiration from his tales of love, comedy, and tragedy. And some have taken very questionable liberties with the material, too.
Click through the following gallery to see the rom-coms, dramas, musicals, and sci-fi adventures that based their stories on the Bard of Avon's work.