The Tragedy of Richard III (1983) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Jane Howell

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

23 January 1983 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Richard Duke of Gloucester, youngest brother of King Edward IV, will stop at nothing to get the crown...

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Mistrust Of Husband | Remake | William Shakespeare | Resentment Toward Usurper

Cast

Peter Aldwyn	...	Second Company
Peter Benson	...	King Henry VI
Brian Binns	...	Second Company
Gerald Blackmore	...	Second Company
Stephen Brigden	...	Second Company
Anthony Brown	...	Sir Richard Ratcliffe
David Burke	...	Sir William Catesby
Michael Byrne	...	Duke of Buckingham
Anne Carroll	...	Jane Shore
Paul Chapman	...	Earl Rivers
Michael Cogan	...	Second Company
Ron Cook	...	Richard III
Rowena Cooper	...	Queen Elizabeth
Arthur Cox	...	Lord Grey, Lord Mayor of London
Stuart Cox	...	Second Company
Annette Crosbie	...	Duchess of York
David Daker	...	Lord Hastings
Brian Deacon	...	Henry, Earl of Richmond
Jeremy Dimmick	...	Young Duke of York
Jonathan Evans	...	Second Company
Tenniel Evans	...	Lord Stanley
Derek Farr	...	Sir Robert Brakenbury, Earl of Surrey
Mark Fletcher	...	Second Company
Dorian Ford	...	Edward, Prince of Wales
Julia Foster	...	Queen Margaret
Derek Fuke	...	Sir Thomas Vaughan
Michael Gardiner	...	Second Company
Nigel Gomm	...	Trumpeter
David Goodwin	...	Second Company
Barry Grantham	...	Second Company
Alex Guard	...	Marquess of Dorset
Nick Hall	...	Second Company
Bernard Hill	...	Sir William Brandon
Paul Jesson	...	George, Duke of Clarence
Angus Kennedy	...	Second Company
Patsy Kensit	...	Lady Margaret Plantagenet
Hamish Kerr	...	Second Company
Hus Levant	...	Second Company
Brian Little	...	Drummer
Rusty Livingstone	...	Page to Richard
David Ludwig	...	Second Company
Peter Macklin	...	Second Company
Oengus MacNamara	...	Halberdier, Lord Lovell
Stephen Paine	...	Drummer
Brian Protheroe	...	King Edward IV
John Rankin	...	Second Company
Nick Reding	...	Ghost of the Prince of Wales
Martin Rutledge	...	Second Company
Peter Searles	...	Second Company
Frank Walsh	...	Trumpeter
Zoë Wanamaker	...	Lady Anne
Mark Wing-Davey	...	Sir James Tyrrel
Peter Wyatt	...	Duke of Norfolk

Also Known As:

Richard III (UK)
The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Richard the Third (USA) (video title)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Extras: Ross Kemp (#1.2)" (2005)

Superb, non-hammy working of the tale

In 1982, the BBC, in their undertaking to produce all of Shakespeare's plays, assembled a company of actors which would take us, in one logical arc, from Henry VI part one right through to Richard III. This is notable in that through all four plays, the principal actors keep their roles (although smaller roles are also undertaken). This gives an unparalleled clarity to the events as you see the chaste Margaret descend to Machiavellian plotting to destroy challengers to her grip on power, and then her downfall as Edward and then Richard take power. It is fitting that she, in a horrific scene at the end of this play, is seen atop a mound of dead. This was, after all, her legacy.

In a simple, but effective, set, with authentic costumes and asides taken directly to camera, this brings your closer to Shakespeare's work than much of the praised films and productions in the past.

If you found Olivier's version just too hammy to bear..... try this one.