6 Soviet screen adaptations of Shakespeare, which you can watch ONLINE

1. ‘Twelfth Night’ (1955) 

The first Shakespearean adaptation filmed in the USSR was watched by almost 30 million people in the first year of distribution! Foreign audiences also saw it: the movie by Yan Fried was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival. As Klara Luchko, who played Viola/Sebastian, recalled, it was very bold to send the movie “to England to be torn to pieces by Shakespeare scholars”. But, the audience received it with delight. By the way, Fried had to fight before Luchko was approved for the role: after ‘Cossacks of the Kuban’ (1949), Soviet functionaries wanted to see her only in the role of a girl from the people. 

2. ‘Othello’ (1955) 

Director Sergei Yutkevich was going to transfer Shakespeare’s tragedy to the screen even before the war. He gave the main roles to Sergei Bondarchuk and Irina Skobtseva, for whom ‘Othello’ became fateful in every sense – during filming, an affair began between them. A year later, the movie won the prize for best director at the Cannes Film Festival. The classic screen adaptation still amazes with its depth and dramatic story of immersion in the madness of jealousy.

3. ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (1961)

The wayward Katharina does everything to make potential suitors run away from her without looking back. Veronese Petruccio cunningly wins the favor of the beauty. But, on the day of the wedding, he begins to behave the same way she behaved with her admirers. And, over time, the obstinate Katharina becomes docile. 

The star of the movie was actress Lyudmila Kasatkina – she had already played Katharina in the theater and managed to transfer this vivid image to the screen. For this role, she received a prize at the Monte Carlo festival.  

4. ‘Hamlet’ (1964) 

Grigory Kozintsev was probably the most Shakespearean Soviet director: he staged his plays in the theater and wrote a book. He prepared for his black-and-white ‘Hamlet’ for eight years – the director deliberately refused color, it would have given unnecessary cheerfulness. 

The first Soviet screen adaptation of ‘Hamlet’ became an event. Foreign newspapers wrote that they had never seen such an impressive work with Shakespeare's play and called the movie a work of art. They also admired the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. But, most of all, they praised the lead actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky, who, as they wrote at the time, brought Shakespeare's hero as close to the viewer as possible. The Guardian critic noted that he had never seen such convincing actors on the English stage as in the Russian movie. The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe, BAFTA and the Golden Lion at the Venice Festival. 

5. ‘King Lear’ (1971) 

The King decides to divide his possessions among his three daughters, determining their shares according to the degree of love they demonstrate. As a result, he is banished from his own castle, becoming a victim of his own injustice. 

Kozintsev's screen adaptation was hailed as one of the liveliest Shakespearean productions in the press. At the same time, English director Peter Brook was filming his version of Lear – they corresponded and discussed their movies. The Soviet movie won awards at festivals in Chicago, Milan and Tehran. 

6. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (1973) 

Due to court intrigues, the wedding of Hero and Claudio is disrupted right at the altar. But, the lovers still manage to sort out the confusion and get married. In the light musical comedy, in which Shakespearean lines are interspersed with poems by Russian poetess Yunna Moritz, one of the main roles is played by Galina Loginova, Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich's mother.