Richard III (1995)

The classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Ian McKellen (screenplay), Richard Loncraine (screenplay)

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Bowen	...	Prince Edward of Lancaster
Edward Jewesbury	...	King Henry VI
Ian McKellen	...	Richard III - Duke of Gloucester
Bill Paterson	...	Ratcliffe
Annette Bening	...	Queen Elizabeth
Matthew Groom	...	Young Prince Richard of York
John Wood	...	King Edward IV
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Duke of Clarence
Maggie Smith	...	Duchess of York
Kate Steavenson-Payne	...	Princess Elizabeth of York
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Lord Rivers
Tres Hanley	...	Air Hostess
Tim McInnerny	...	Catesby
Stacey Kent	...	Ballroom Singer
Jim Carter	...	Lord William Hastings

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 III (Sir Ian McKellen), who rules over a fascist government and hopes to install himself as a dictator monarch.

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Plot Keywords:

fascist | dog | tank | battle | widow | 

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Taglines:

...I am determined to prove a villain, and hate the idle pleasures of these days...

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Ian McKellen made Queen Elizabeth an American, because this way, she and her family could be seen as social climbers, from commoners to royalties.

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Goofs

This is not a historical drama, nor a biopic. It is an allegory which mixes and unsolved murders from the 1480s with costumes and customs from the 1930s, to make an artistic statement about the similarities between these two eras. While the movie portrays several historical figures, they are not intended to perfectly resemble their real-life counterparts, and their words and actions are never claimed to be what the real people said and did.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Prince Edward: Goodnight, your majesty.
King Henry: Goodnight, son.
Prince Edward: Father.

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Alternate Versions

The UK (video) release has the cast credits in order of appearance.

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Connections

Referenced in The Oprah Winfrey Show: Summer Movie Reviews (1996)

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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

"Richard III" may not have the all-encompassing understanding of uman nature seen in "Hamlet" or the grace and mastery of "The Tempest", but for my money is one of the greatest plays ever written and certainly Shakespeare's most entertaining.

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 structural and technical 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.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Richard III

Filming Locations:

Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$91,915, 1 January 1996

Gross USA:

$2,684,904

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,748,518

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mayfair Entertainment International, British Screen Productions, Bayly/Paré Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital Dolby Stereo Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1