Richard III (1995)

The classic Shakespearean play about a murderously scheming king staged in an alternative fascist England setting.

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Ian McKellen,

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian McKellen	...	Richard III
Annette Bening	...	Queen Elizabeth, wife of Edward IV
Jim Broadbent	...	Duke of Buckingham
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Lord Rivers
Nigel Hawthorne	...	George, Duke of Clarence
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Lady Anne
John Wood	...	King Edward IV
Maggie Smith	...	Duchess of York
Jim Carter	...	Lord William Hastings
Edward Hardwicke	...	Lord Thomas Stanley
Adrian Dunbar	...	James Tyrell
Tres Hanley	...	Rivers' Mistress
Dominic West	...	Earl of Richmond
Roger Hammond	...	Archbishop Thomas
Tim McInnerny	...	Sir William Catesby

Storyline

William Shakespeare's classic play is brought into the present with the setting as Great Britian in the 1930s. Civil war has erupted with the House of Lancaster on one side, claiming the right to the British throne and hoping to bring freedom to the country. Opposing is the House of York, commanded by the infamous Richard who rules over a fascist government and hopes to install himself as a dictator monarch.

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Plot Keywords:

england | 1930s | murder | king | taking up with husband's killer | 

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Taglines:

What Is Worth Dying For... Is Worth Killing For.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ricardo III

Filming Locations:

Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£403,233 (UK) (17 May 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mayfair Entertainment International, British Screen, Bayly/Paré Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian McKellen enjoyed acting with Robert Downey Jr. in Restoration, and asked him to play the part of Rivers, expecting him to turn the role down as too small. To McKellen's surprise, Downey immediately cleared his diary and and took the part.

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Goofs

When King Edward dies we see the crew in the background, with video monitors and costume pieces.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Prince of Wales: Goodnight Father.
King Henry: Goodnight son.
Prince of Wales: Goodnight your majesty.

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Connections

References White Heat (1949)

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Soundtracks

"Come Live With Me"
Paraphrased from "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love,(1599)" by Christopher Marlowe
Performed by Stacey Kent and Vile Bodies
Music composed by Trevor Jones
Arranged by Colin Good
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

User Reviews

Justice made to Richard III

To me, "Richard III" is one of the greatest books ever written and certainly Shakespeare's finest. It may be lacking in character development and psychology, but it more than makes up for that with a brilliant concept: have the villain as main character and make the audience his playful confident. The concept is aided further by eminently quotable lines and one great scene after the other of scheming, fiendishness and confrontations. One of the few pieces of criticism you can successfully throw at Shakespeare is that his central characters are often meek or feeble. Not so here! Tudor propaganda this might have been (it quite grotesquely disregards historical fact in a few places), this is storytelling at its finest.

Richard Loncraine's 1995 film places the story in a fictitious 30s England reminiscent of early Nazi Germany. The device serves to make the proceedings more accessible (if only marginally since the original language has thankfully been preserved). It also makes for amusing situations (Richard of York telling his monologue while taking a leak in a public restroom - "my Kingdom for a Horse!" bellowed from a paralyzed jeep) and serves as further proof of the Bard's timelessness.

Beyond the visual feats - and they are quite excellent without exception, including Trevor Jones underrated dark jazzy score - lies what should be our main concern: the cast. Sir Ian McKellen as Richard is a Machiavellian wonder, blowing both Lawrence Olivier's rendition and McKellen's earlier work away. His fiendish creation is a joy to watch and root for, despite the increasing gruesomeness of his crimes. The byzantine plot demands that recognizable faces be cast in supporting roles and the characters are magnificently portrayed by eminent actors giving it their best and succeeding admirably. Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and Kristin Scott-Thomas are expectedly great, but the truly outstanding supporting performances come as surprises: Annette Benning is all grief and fury, Adrian Dunbar is eerie yet very human as Richard's pet killer Tyrell and Nigel Hawthorne is incredibly moving as the meek Clarence. Even Robert Downey Jr. manages to hold his own against this impressive array of actors.

All in all if you can appreciate the language (that only gets better with repeated readings/viewings) and have a thirst for fine acting, it would be criminal to ignore this masterpiece.