Short answers, pulled from the story.
Chimes at Midnight adapts several Shakespeare plays to focus on the relationship between Falstaff, Prince Hal, and Henry IV. The story centers on betrayal of friendship and the death of Merrie England rather than a lament for Falstaff alone.
The film premiered at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Technical Grand Prize tied. It received minimal distribution in the U.S. the following year after an unfavorable advance review by Bosley Crowther.
Filming began in Colmenar in 1964 and continued through various locations including Cardona Madrid Pedraza and Soria. Production officially resumed in late February 1965 after running out of money in December 1964 and ended with filler shots closeups and the final rejection scene between March and April 1965.
Orson Welles played both Falstaff and Long John Silver while Burgess Meredith appeared as Prince Hal. Other cast members included John Emery as Hotspur Jeanne Moreau John Gielgud Margaret Rutherford and Keith Baxter as Dr. Livesey.
The sequence took ten days to shoot and six weeks to edit into a six-minute segment that critics called unlike any battle scene done on screen before. It used hand-held cameras wide-angle lenses slow motion and speed up shots to create a kinetic chaotic atmosphere resembling a disintegrating war machine.
Criterion released the restored version on DVD and Blu-ray on the 30th of August 2016 following a premiere on D.C.P. at Film Forum in New York City on the 1st of January 2016. A European release on DVD and Blu-ray occurred earlier on the 29th of June 2015.