The Merry Wives of Windsor (1965 film)

The Merry Wives of Windsor
Directed by	Georg Tressler
Written by	William Shakespeare (play) Norman Foster Otto Nicolai Georg Tressler
Produced by	Norman Foster
Starring	Norman Foster Colette Boky Charles Igor Gorin
Cinematography	Hannes Staudinger
Edited by	Paula Dvorak
Music by	Otto Nicolai
Production companies	Wien-Film B.H.E. Productions Ltd
Release date	February 1965 (1965-02)
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	Austria United Kingdom
Language	German

The Merry Wives of Windsor (German: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) is a 1965 Austrian-British historical comedy film directed by Georg Tressler and starring Norman Foster, Colette Boky and Charles Igor Gorin. ^{[1] [2]} It was written by Foster and Tressler as a film musical adaptation of Otto Nicolai's opera after Shakespeare's play. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Cast

• Norman Foster as Sir John Falstaff
• Colette Boky as Mistress Ford
• Charles Igor Gorin as Mr. Ford
• Mildred Miller as Mistress Page
• Lucia Popp as Mistress Ann
• John Gittings as Dr. Cajus
• Rosella Hightower as Ballerina
• Edmond Hurshell as Herr Reich
• Marshall Reynor as Spärlich
• Ernst Schütz as Fenton

Reception

Variety wrote: "All in all, it's a fast-running pic with a series of pleasant optical and scenic gags. ... Also this Austrian production may be termed an interesting document for it gives opera lovers in distant areas the opportunity to see a first-class opera production. In addition, it is something for future generations. The singers are excellent. In particular, this goes for Foster and Colette Boky. Latter, a Canadian soprano, is also an optical treat. ... Austrian Georg Tressler has contributed a competent directorial job within limits. The camera work deserves compliments, too." ^[6]

References

1. "The Merry Wives of Windsor". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
2. Sammons p.88
3. Hardy, Thomas (29 January 2009), "XXXII 'Had I wist before I kist.'", A Pair of Blue Eyes, Oxford University Press, ISBN   978-0-19-953849-2 , retrieved 12 March 2025
4. Cahir, Linda Costanzo (24 December 2014). Literature into Film: Theory and Practical Approaches. McFarland. ISBN   978-0-7864-8299-3.
5. Bianco e nero (in Italian). Centro sperimentale di cinematografia. 1965.
6. "The Merry Wives of Windsor". Variety . 238 (7): 6. 7 April 1965. ProQuest   1017124955.

Bibliography

• Eddie Sammons. Shakespeare: A Hundred Years on Film. Scarecrow Press, 2004.

External links

• The Merry Wives of Windsor at IMDb