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Richard III

  • 19551955
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 41m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
4.8K
YOUR RATING
Richard III (1955)
Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
Play trailer3:06
1 Video
93 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
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
    • Laurence Olivier
  • 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
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Cedric Hardwicke
    • Nicholas Hannen
    • Laurence Olivier
  • 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
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Cedric Hardwicke
    • Nicholas Hannen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 55User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
    • 88Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:06
    Watch Trailer

    Photos93

    Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson in Richard III (1955)
    Claire Bloom, Mary Kerridge, Laurence Naismith, and Douglas Wilmer in Richard III (1955)
    Mary Kerridge in Richard III (1955)
    Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson in Richard III (1955)
    Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson in Richard III (1955)
    Laurence Olivier in Richard III (1955)
    Laurence Olivier in Richard III (1955)
    Laurence Olivier in Richard III (1955)
    1 sheet, 27 x 40 in
    Due, 39 x 55 in
    Richard III (1955)
    Laurence Olivier in Richard III (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Laurence Olivier
    Laurence Olivier
    • Richard III
    Cedric Hardwicke
    Cedric Hardwicke
    • King Edward IV of England
    Nicholas Hannen
    Nicholas Hannen
    • Archbishop
    Ralph Richardson
    Ralph Richardson
    • Duke of Buckingham
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • George, Duke of Clarence
    Mary Kerridge
    Mary Kerridge
    • Queen Elizabeth
    Pamela Brown
    Pamela Brown
    • Jane Shore
    Paul Huson
    Paul Huson
    • Edward, Prince of Wales
    Stewart Allen
    • Page to Richard
    Claire Bloom
    Claire Bloom
    • The Lady Anne
    Russell Thorndike
    • First Priest
    Wallace Bosco
    • Monk
    • (as Wally Bascoe)
    Norman Fisher
    • Monk
    Andrew Cruickshank
    Andrew Cruickshank
    • Brackenbury
    Clive Morton
    Clive Morton
    • The Lord Rivers
    Terence Greenidge
    • Scrivener
    Norman Wooland
    Norman Wooland
    • Catesby
    Alec Clunes
    Alec Clunes
    • The Lord Hastings
      • Laurence Olivier
    • 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

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sir 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.
    • Goofs
      In 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 credits
      Most 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 versions
      Released in Great Britain at 155 minutes; some of the prints released in the USA are 139 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in Great Acting: Laurence Olivier (1966)

    User reviews55

    Review
    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.
    helpful•13
    2
    • Snow Leopard
    • Jan 22, 2002

    FAQ1

    • What is the band shown on Richard's leg during the conclusion of the film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 11, 1956 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • La Mancha, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
    • Production companies
      • London Film Productions
      • L.O.P.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 41 minutes
      • Color

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