The Winter's Tale

Memorably framed by a depiction of Shakespeare himself, this is one of the most successful (and longest) of the surviving silent Shakespeare films.

The Italian adaptation from Milano Films memorably frames the story with a depiction of Shakespeare himself, beginning with the Bard reading The Winter’s tale to a group of friends and concluding with an audience applauding him.

An admirably clear interpretation, using some impressively large sets and attractive location work, the story essentially follows that of the play, but Autolycus is cut and Antigonus is thrown into a volcano rather than killed by a bear. Reissued several times under various titles, the presentation here is based on a 1919 rerelease print, complete with English intertitles.