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, Christopher Bowen

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

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Bowen	...	Prince Edward
Edward Jewesbury	...	King Henry
Ian McKellen	...	Richard III
Bill Paterson	...	Ratcliffe
Annette Bening	...	Queen Elizabeth
Matthew Groom	...	Young Prince
John Wood	...	King Edward
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Clarence
Maggie Smith	...	Duchess of York
Kate Steavenson-Payne	...	Princess Elizabeth
Robert Downey Jr.	...	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 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 | abuse of power | 

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Taglines:

I can smile, and murder while I smile

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | 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 USA:

$2,600,000

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lost its two Oscar nominations (Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design) to Restoration (1995), which also featured Sir Ian McKellen and Robert Downey, Jr.

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Goofs

Richard III died aged 32, after reigning for 2 years. Ian McKellen was in his mid-50s during filming and no attempt is made to hide his age. However he was not the first or last middle-aged actor to play the role.

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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

Version of Richard III (2015)

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Soundtracks

I'm Sitting On The Top Of The World
Performed by Al Jolson
Composed by Ray Henderson, Joe Young and Sam Lewis
Published by EMI United Partnership Ltd.
Redwood Music Corp.
Angle-Pic Music Co. Ltd.
EMI Catalog Partnership/EMI Feist Catalog Inc.
Ray Henderson Music Corp.
Cherio Corporation
(c) MCA Records Inc. Licensed courtesy of
MCA Strategic Marketing 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.