# Most expensive Shakespeare film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-shakespeare-film/836609 "2019-07-06T02:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-shakespeare-film/836609/22 "2019-07-08T14:06:30Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > Branagh’s\* Henry V\* was done for about fourpence, and the battle site was a piece of shrubland round the back of Shepperton studios. Yes, the battle scenes were definitely its weak point. The cost-cutting showed. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-shakespeare-film/836609/23 "2019-07-08T15:58:50Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > \*Ran \*(1985) is not a direct adaptation of _King Lear_, but it’s more than “inspired by.” It was the most expensive Japanese film up to that time with a budget of $11 or $12 million. Using the latter figure, one inflation calculator gave me a figure of $28.6 million in 2019 dollars. I was going to mention _Ran_ here. I just posted about it in the other Shakespeare thread. Not often one gets a chance to mention a Kurosawa film twice in the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-shakespeare-film/836609/24 "2019-07-08T20:55:33Z")
I just saw a live performance of _Henry V_ a couple of days ago, and ironically, there’s a Chorus that basically apologizes for the lack of expensive scenes and special effects, and asks the audience to use their imaginations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-shakespeare-film/836609.md?page=1)