Chimes at Midnight (1965) in Color — Starring Orson Welles & Keith Baxter

Chimes at Midnight (1965) — Buy This Classic in Color

Buy Chimes at Midnight (1965) — originally titled Campanadas a medianoche — en color and experience Orson Welles’ most personally felt masterpiece — a magnificent Shakespearean epic professionally restored and colorized in HD quality. Directed by and starring the incomparable Orson Welles as the unforgettable Sir John Falstaff, this daring adaptation draws from five of Shakespeare’s history plays to create a profound meditation on loyalty, power, and the cost of greatness. This essential classic film is available now as an instant, DRM-free digital download for €15.00.

Plot Summary

The film weaves together scenes from Shakespeare’s Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2), Henry V, Richard II, and The Merry Wives of Windsor to chronicle the boisterous, larger-than-life Falstaff (Orson Welles) and his deep bond with the young Prince Hal (Keith Baxter). As Hal matures and rises to become King Henry V, their friendship is tested by political intrigue, open rebellion in the English countryside, and the brutal chaos of the Battle of Shrewsbury — one of the most viscerally filmed battle sequences in all of cinema history. The story reaches its devastating conclusion as the newly crowned king publicly rejects his old companion, exploring themes of loyalty, honour, time, and the human capacity for cold-blooded betrayal.

Cast & Crew

• Starring: Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, John Gielgud, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, Marina Vlady, Walter Chiari, Michael Aldridge, Tony Beckley, Jeremy Rowe
• Director: Orson Welles
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Year: 1965
• Language: English

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This professionally restored and colorized version of Chimes at Midnight breathes spectacular new life into Welles’ cinematic triumph. Era-accurate colors vividly capture the muddy chaos of medieval battlefields, the golden opulence of royal courts, and the warm firelight of Falstaff’s earthy tavern world — heightening the emotional contrasts between revelry and tragedy that are the film’s defining quality.

The colorization process uses advanced digital techniques to ensure historically accurate colors while preserving every detail of the original cinematography.

Originally filmed in black and white, Chimes at Midnight expresses its themes through powerful visual contrast. In this colorized edition, those contrasts become even more vivid: the cold silver glitter of Henry IV’s court versus the warm, ale-soaked intimacy of the Boar’s Head Tavern. This classic movie is also available in colour for international audiences. Buy now for an instant, secure digital download with no DRM restrictions. Compatible with all devices that play MP4 files.

Historical Significance

Released in 1965, Chimes at Midnight is widely regarded as Orson Welles’ most deeply personal film — an extended meditation on friendship, aging, and the brutal calculus of political power. Despite serious distribution challenges that prevented the film from reaching wide audiences during Welles’ lifetime, it won the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and has since been recognized by critics worldwide as a masterpiece of Shakespearean cinema. Welles himself considered Falstaff the finest role he ever played, and the performance justifies that assessment entirely.

Technical Details

• Original Format: Black and White (1965)
• Colorized: Frame-by-frame HD restoration
• Resolution: HD 720p
• File Format: MP4 / MKV
• Running Time: 115 minutes
• Language: English
• Delivery: Instant download link on-screen and sent to your email upon purchase.
• Price: €15.00
• License: Personal, non-commercial use

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Who is Falstaff, and why is Welles’ performance so celebrated?
Sir John Falstaff is Shakespeare’s most beloved comic-tragic figure — a fat, cowardly, brilliantly witty knight whose humanity and warmth stand in sharp contrast to the rigid world of kings and battles. Welles brings enormous physical and emotional weight to the role, making Falstaff’s final rejection by Prince Hal one of cinema’s most heartbreaking moments.

Q: Which Shakespeare plays does the film draw from?
Welles combines elements from Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Henry V, Richard II, and The Merry Wives of Windsor into a cohesive narrative, streamlining the Bard’s sweeping history plays into a tightly focused father-son tragedy centered entirely on Falstaff.

Q: What makes the Battle of Shrewsbury sequence so revolutionary?
This ten-minute battle montage remains one of cinema’s greatest technical achievements — rapid editing, overlapping sound design, and gritty low-angle camerawork create the most viscerally convincing medieval battle sequence ever filmed. In this colorized edition, the muddy chaos of the battlefield becomes even more vivid and immediate.

Digital Download Questions

Q: Is this the original film with added color?
Yes, this is the original black-and-white film professionally colorized frame-by-frame for authentic, vibrant visuals.

Q: What devices can I watch this on?
Any device that supports MP4 playback, including Smart TVs, Windows/macOS computers, and iOS/Android devices.

Q: Is the download DRM-free?
Yes, this digital download is DRM-free for your personal use.

Q: How and when will I receive my download?
You will receive a secure download link on the confirmation page immediately after purchase. A copy of the link will also be sent to your email address.

Related Colorized Classics

• Citizen Kane (1941)
• Othello (1951)
• The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)