Chimes at Midnight

The story focuses on the relationship between young Prince Hal, to whom the fat, cowardly, lying, and often drunk Falstaff serves as a surrogate father while King Henry pays little attention to his heir. Welles’s performance reflects a deep, personal, and poignant kinship with Falstaff, who, though often a clown, represents decency in a cruel and violent world. Welles the director balances the warm and comic episodes with one of the most memorable battle scenes ever depicted in motion pictures.