When the political and moral corruption of Vienna force the Duke Vincentio into hiding, he leaves his deputy, Angelo, to oversee the city. As his first action, Angelo imprisons Claudio, a young nobleman who has committed the capital offense of getting his fiancée Juliet pregnant. Angelo agrees to spare Claudio's life if Isabella, the condemned man's virginal sister, will become his lover. Disguised as a friar, the Duke returns to manipulate the players and ensure that justice is served. Oscar winner Sir John Gielgud stars as the upstanding Duke in one of Shakespeare's darkest plays.