“What’s past is prologue,” Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest. And he sure was right—for the work of the playwright, who was born 450 years ago today, is still performed not only on stage, but also—to even bigger audiences—on film. To celebrate Big Will’s 450th, here is a list of standout big-screen Shakespeare performances.

Kenneth Branagh portrayed Henry V in the 1989 film adaptation, which he directed as well. The New York Times said his performance was “tight-lipped and steely but also immensely intelligent,” and has “psychological heft and intelligent weight.” The most memorable scene is the St. Crispin’s Day speech, in which Branagh gives a moving delivery of the speech that ultimately inspires his troops to carry on: […continued]

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