IMDb RATING
7.4/10
4.8K
YOUR RATING
Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
4.8K
YOUR RATING
- Writers
- William Shakespeare(plays "Richard III" and "Henry VI: Part III")
- Laurence Olivier(uncredited)
- David Garrick(textual alterations for his production of the play)
- Stars
- Writers
- William Shakespeare(plays "Richard III" and "Henry VI: Part III")
- Laurence Olivier(uncredited)
- David Garrick(textual alterations for his production of the play)
- Stars
Wallace Bosco
- Monk
- (as Wally Bascoe)
- Writers
- William Shakespeare(plays "Richard III" and "Henry VI: Part III")
- Laurence Olivier(uncredited)
- David Garrick(textual alterations for his production of the play)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSir Laurence Olivier used long takes throughout this movie to allow the actors and actresses to build their scenes more theatrically. His opening soliloquy was shot in one nine-minute take. When he almost dropped the King's crown in the first scene, rather than re-shoot, he used the accident to create a motif for the movie.
- GoofsIn the scene when Richard tells King Edward of Clarence's supposed treason, two monks are singing hymns from a large book: their lips are not only out of sync with their singing, but with each other.
- Quotes
Richard III: I'll drown more sailors than the mermaid shall,/ I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,/ Deceive more slyly than Ulysses could,/ And, like a Sinon, take another Troy./ I can add colours to the chameleon, /Change shapes with Proteus for advantages, /And set the murderous Machiavel to school./ Can I do this,and cannot get a crown?/Tut, were it farther off,/ I'll pluck it down.
- Crazy creditsMost of the film's credits are shown at the end. The opening credits show only the title of the film, William Shakespeare's name, and the names of the main actors.
- Alternate versionsReleased in Great Britain at 155 minutes; some of the prints released in the USA are 139 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Great Acting: Laurence Olivier (1966)
Review
Featured review
Excellent Version of the Play, With Olivier & More
This excellent production of "Richard III" features a terrific performance by Laurence Olivier in the lead role, plus a fine supporting cast, good color photography, and plenty of color and pageantry to set off the action. Richard III can be one of Shakespeare's most entertaining plays when it is done well, and this version does full justice to this classic play. It's especially enjoyable if you get the restored widescreen version.
Olivier is unsurpassed at performing Shakespeare, keeping the balance between giving life to his characters while making sure that they remain part of the play as a whole, rather than drawing all the attention to himself. This might be the best of all his screen Shakespearean roles, since Richard gives him so much to work with, and also because he has such an accomplished supporting cast to complement his own performance. Playing Richard gives him a chance to be charming, devious, tyrannical, and more, and the role offers some choice solo speeches plus other scenes that have excellent give-and-take with the other characters.
The rest of the cast also deserves praise. Ralph Richardson is ideally cast as Buckingham, a character who is so important both to the plot and also to showing us what Richard himself is all about. The rest of the cast includes good performances from Cedric Hardwicke, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, and others. Olivier's adaptation/revision of the script also works pretty well, maintaining the feel of the play while often highlighting scenes that make for particularly good cinema. It all makes this just what a movie version of Shakespeare should be.
Olivier is unsurpassed at performing Shakespeare, keeping the balance between giving life to his characters while making sure that they remain part of the play as a whole, rather than drawing all the attention to himself. This might be the best of all his screen Shakespearean roles, since Richard gives him so much to work with, and also because he has such an accomplished supporting cast to complement his own performance. Playing Richard gives him a chance to be charming, devious, tyrannical, and more, and the role offers some choice solo speeches plus other scenes that have excellent give-and-take with the other characters.
The rest of the cast also deserves praise. Ralph Richardson is ideally cast as Buckingham, a character who is so important both to the plot and also to showing us what Richard himself is all about. The rest of the cast includes good performances from Cedric Hardwicke, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, and others. Olivier's adaptation/revision of the script also works pretty well, maintaining the feel of the play while often highlighting scenes that make for particularly good cinema. It all makes this just what a movie version of Shakespeare should be.
helpful•132
- Snow Leopard
- Jan 22, 2002
Details
- 2 hours 41 minutes
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