--- title: "Chimes at Midnight: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/chimes-at-midnight/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/chimes-at-midnight" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Chimes at Midnight (1965): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 10 reviews: 9 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics regard Chimes at Midnight as one of Welles’s major works, and the praise gathers in two places. The first is his own Falstaff, described as mercurial and moving, with several reviews noting the lonely pride and fear beneath the swagger. The second is the Battle of Shrewsbury, singled out again and again for its staging, its rhythmic editing and its refusal to make violence look handsome. Gielgud’s performance draws mention, as does the poignancy of Falstaff’s treatment by Hal, and more than one review credits Welles with making a great deal from a small budget. The reservations are mild and remarkably consistent: distracting flaws, an unfinished feel, an occasional lack of coherence. Nobody lets these lower the verdict beyond a shrug. The spread is narrow, and the only mixed notice is also the earliest, from Variety in 1965, which admires the performance more than the film around it. The warmest reviews arrive with the 2016 restoration. ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 5/5. 29 August 2016. Bowen presents the restoration as a revelatory release and calls the film Welles’s ultimate masterpiece. He especially praises the Battle of Shrewsbury for its inventive staging and unglamorous portrayal of violence. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/chimes-at-midnight-bd/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 2016. Brody celebrates the film as a major work by Welles and a landmark in cinema. He singles out Welles’s performance and the play-acting scene’s piercing self-recognition for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/orson-welless-mighty-chimes-at-midnight) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2016. Turan presents the film as a major, deeply affecting achievement, rich in melancholy and humor. He especially praises John Gielgud’s performance and the battle scenes’ imagery and rhythmic editing. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-chimes-at-midnight-review-20160101-column.html) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2006. Parkinson calls the film a melancholic masterpiece despite some distracting flaws. He especially praises Welles’s performance and the Battle of Shrewsbury sequence. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/chimes-midnight-review/) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 April 2015. The review is strongly positive, calling the film a moving and rewarding work. It singles out Welles’s performance as Falstaff and the poignancy of Falstaff’s rejection by Hal. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/falstaff-chimes-at-midnight-film-review-digitallyrestored-version-marks-orson-welles-centenary-and-film-s-50th-anniversary-10217086.html) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 June 2015. French calls the film a rich, elegiac masterpiece despite its flaws and unfinished feel. He especially praises Welles’s editing of the Battle of Shrewsbury and his mercurial performance as Falstaff. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/28/chimes-at-midnight-review-orson-welles-falstaff-messy-masterpiece) ## Time Out Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 2013. Time Out’s description presents the film as fascinating and highly resourceful. It singles out how Welles makes the most of a small budget. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/chimes-at-midnight) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1965. The review presents the film as a personal, melancholy blend of comedy and heroism. It praises Welles’s portrayal of Falstaff, noting the lonely pride and fear beneath his swagger. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1965/film/reviews/chimes-at-midnight-1200421131/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 69/100 (inferred from the text). The URL identifies this as a Great Movies review, but the page text is blocked. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-chimes-at-midnight-1965) ## The Skinny — Philip Concannon Rating ★★★★. 29 June 2015. Concannon praises the film as a thrillingly alive, rambunctious Shakespeare adaptation, despite occasional lack of coherence. He singles out Welles’s Falstaff performance and the film’s dazzling direction, editing and battle sequence. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/chimes-at-midnight) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/chimes-at-midnight.md