Orson Welles's favorite film of his own.
Chimes at Midnight was based on the play Five Kings. It was written by Orson Welles and condensed William Shakespeare's Henry IV, V, VI, and Richard III into one show. He produced the show in New York in 1939 but the opening night, where part 1 was acted, was a disaster and part 2 was never put on. He revamped the show and revisited it in 1960. But again, it was not successful. However, this later production was used as the base for the movie.
In August 2004 restoration work began on the film by the same team that restored Welles's Othello.