Orson Welles tricked a producer to fund his lifelong obsession with Shakespeare's greatest creation.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Orson Welles spent decades obsessed with Sir John Falstaff, finally bringing his vision to the screen in 1965. To secure financing for this period drama, he lied to producer Emiliano Piedra about making a version of Treasure Island. The result was a masterpiece born from deception, struggle, and creative genius.

Welles first encountered the character of Falstaff as a student in 1930, eventually calling him Shakespeare's greatest creation. His journey to adapt the character spanned decades, beginning with a failed 1939 Broadway production titled Five Kings. By 1960, he revived the project in Ireland, but it was not until he met Spanish producer Emiliano Piedra in 1964 that the film became a reality. Welles secured the budget by promising a Treasure Island adaptation, though he never intended to film it, instead using the same sets and actors for both projects.

The production was a logistical nightmare. With a budget of only $800,000, Welles faced constant financial crises and limited availability of his lead actors. John Gielgud was available for only ten days, and Jeanne Moreau for five. To compensate for the lack of extras during the famous Battle of Shrewsbury, Welles used rapid editing and inventive camera work to turn 180 people into an army of thousands. The sequence took six weeks to edit, creating a chaotic, anti-war atmosphere that critics now rank among his finest achievements.

The film is a complex reconstruction of five Shakespearean plays, primarily Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. Welles famously transposed dialogue and altered scenes to focus on the father-son dynamic between Falstaff and Prince Hal. Despite being dismissed by critics upon its 1966 premiere, the film is now considered Welles's best work. Ownership disputes long kept it from public view, but recent restorations have finally allowed audiences to appreciate this deeply personal, technically daring exploration of betrayal and mortality.

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