Coriolanus (2011)

A contemporary staging of Shakespeare's classic play about the titular Roman warrior, CORIOLANUS stars Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt.

Source: "For his debut as a director, Ralph Fiennes has pulled the Shakespearean tragedy "Coriolanus" into the present-day world of 24-hour news coverage of riots and politics.

Fiennes takes the lead as a great but proud and flawed Roman general in the movie, which had its premiere Monday at the Berlin film festival. He stars alongside Vanessa Redgrave, who plays his iron-willed mother, Volumnia, Jessica Chastain as his wife Virgilia and Gerard Butler, cast as Coriolanus' sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius.

Fiennes said he had thought about making a film of "Coriolanus" -- a tale of heroism, political manipulation, unrest and revenge -- since appearing in the play on stage a decade ago. He gave some thought to setting the movie in ancient Rome or in the 19th century.

"(But) I kept on seeing images in the newspaper or television which seemed to come from this story," Fiennes told reporters -- citing Russia's wars in Chechnya, riots in Athens and the latest global economic crisis. The film starts with a food shortages riot in a city in crisis. "I felt more and more convinced that the world around us was the right setting for the piece," he said."

IMDb

Video includes movie clips and press coverage from B.I.F.F.

> More video clips

Anonymous (2011)

A political thriller about who actually wrote the plays of William Shakespeare - Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford - set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her.

Rhys Ifans (Edward De Vere)
Vanessa Redgrave (Queen Elizabeth I)
Joely Richardson (Princess Elizabeth, younger version played by her mom)
David Thewlis (William Cecil)
Rafe Spall (Shakespeare)
Jamie Campbell-Bower (young De Vere)
Derek Jacobi (narrator of prologue)

Directed by Roland Emmerich

From Rope of Silicon:

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds ranging from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud, namely: who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Roland Emmerich, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis
Photo: Zimbio

Rafe Spall and Rhys Ifans at press conference,
with Rhys' comments getting a laugh from the rest of the cast...

(16 short videos from press conference... you can cycle through or view on Youtube)

David Thewlis:"Some rather extreme things happen and some extreme claims are made but nobody can say it didn't happen which I think is the nice thing about it."

IMDb

Wikipedia

Howard's End (1992)

"Howards End is E.M. Forster's beautifully subtle story of the crisscrossing paths of the privileged and those they disdain--and of a remarkable pair of women who can see beyond class distinctions. Dramatic and tragic, but also surprisingly funny, this James Ivory film focuses on a pair of unmarried sisters (Emma Thompson, who won an Oscar, and Helena Bonham Carter) who befriend a poor young clerk (Samuel West) and, without meaning to, ruin his life. Meanwhile, Thompson also makes the acquaintance of a dying neighbor (Vanessa Redgrave), who leaves her a family home in her will--which her husband (Anthony Hopkins) destroys. But, ironically, he meets and falls in love with Thompson, even as their paths once more intersect with the increasingly miserable young clerk. Nuanced acting, gorgeous but muted cinematography, and a beautifully economical script by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, which also won an Oscar. "
[Amazon review by Marshall Fine]

Trailer (with spoilers - basically gives away plot)