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:

Power Conquers All

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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

It was writer and director Richard Loncraine's idea to make the Duke of Clarence an amateur photographer, symbolizing that he was only recording events without understanding them.

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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

Version of Riccardo III (da Shakespeare) secondo Carmelo Bene (1981)

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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

Delightful contemporary turn of a classic piece of literature.

When I see how wonderful this Richard III is, it immediately makes me question what in the world has Kenneth Branagh been doing all these years? Certainly nothing as imaginative, as provocative as this.

Deprived of Shakespeare as a child, I have been forced to catch up piece meal through film. Al Pacino's "Looking for Richard" gives attention to Richard III, from a far different perspective, but both that film and this agree that it has all the key elements of great drama: evil ambition, betrayal, rivalry.

The casting is tremendous with Ian McKellen (from his own stage play) and Kristen Scott-Thomas in the leads-thankfully there is no Kenneth Branagh to be found. And is this guy Jim Broadbent any good, or what? For my money he steals every scene he plays in "Little Voice", he's subtly brilliant here in a lesser role. Only Annette Benning seems a little overmatched in her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth, but that's hardly surprising.

The accessibility of the current version, the setting in 1930's Fascist Europe, gives the story a vibrancy that is present from the first frame to the last.

Challenging, fun, and educative-far more than most films deliver. I highly recommend.

Details

Country:

UK USA

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