Richard III

3/11/19562h 35m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Conscience is a word that cowards use. ~

Overview:

Having helped his brother King Edward IV take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne, and his brother George, Duke of Clarence, Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.

Director:

Laurence Olivier

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

england
coronation
based on play or musical
betrayal
king
hunchback
tower of london
15th century
british monarchy
vistavision

Cast

Laurence Olivier

~ as ~

Richard III

Cedric Hardwicke

~ as ~

King Edward IV of England

Nicholas Hannen

~ as ~

Archbishop

Ralph Richardson

~ as ~

Duke of Buckingham

John Gielgud

~ as ~

George, Duke of Clarence

Mary Kerridge

~ as ~

Queen Elizabeth

Pamela Brown

~ as ~

Jane Shore

Paul Huson

~ as ~

Edward, Prince of Wales

Claire Bloom

~ as ~

The Lady Anne

Wallace Bosco

~ as ~

Monk

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
7
Whilst Laurence Olivier has been acclaimed by many as the greatest exponent of Shakespeare ever, it is pretty clear in this strongly cast adaptation of probably my favourite of his histories, that Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud were every bit as good as he ever was. Add to this excellent cast Sir Cedric Hardwicke (and his instantly recognisable voice) as Edward IV; Mary Kerridge's excellent performance as Queen Elizabeth (Woodville) and a host of accomplished British stage actors and the scene is set for a rousing and luscious depiction of betrayal, lust and power. It is a bit over-theatrical at times, and the stage-bound nature of the vast majority of the production can be a little limiting, but Olivier directs himself and the others pretty much as I imagine the bard himself might have done. The dialogue is delivered in a focused and effective fashion and the "method" acting is largely left at the stage door as this epic tale of treachery and duplicity gathers pace and the internecine nature of the characterisations and their intrigues are readily brought to the fore. It does require a bit of concentration, but I found it positively flew by on a big screen that had me glued from the start. I reckon this is as good an interpretation of William Shakespeare as you will ever see, and is well worth a watch.