Richard III (1995)

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Directed by Richard Loncraine.

Starring Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey, Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Ian McKellen.

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Richard Loncraine takes Shakespeare's classic tale of treachery, Richard III, and transplants it to the 1930s. Ian McKellen is Richard who, as the film opens, begins plotting against his brother Edward, who has just ascended to the throne after a bloody civil war. Richard begins by seducing and wedding Lady Anne (Kristin Scott Thomas), whom he made a widow during the war. With the help of some loyal henchmen, Richard succeeds in murdering his older brother Clarence (Nigel Hawthorne), which so upsets Edward that he dies. Eventually, the crown falls to the young Prince of Wales (Marc Williamson). Richard is assigned to be the young king's protector, but instead, he has the boy and his brother jailed in the Tower of London. Richard seizes control over the country, but his ruthless quest for power eventually makes him powerful enemies, led by Henry Richman (Dominic West), who attempt to stop him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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Richard III
by JimBell in JimBell Blog

loved it.

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"Richard III is a 1995 adaptation of a modern stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play. Set in 1930s England, it chronicles the rise to power of an evil man. Unlike, say, Macbeth who is a man who happens to have severe failings, Richard is a mono-dimensional personification of evil. So why, some Shakespeare critics ask, is this rather soap-operaish play the second most produced (after Hamlet)? My guess is because we have all encountered or observed people acting in an evil way, so it does not surprise us—in fact, fascinates us—to see someone so overtly villanous. The production makes the move to the 1930s very well, and it deseved the two Oscar nominations for costumes and for set design. Music is used to good effect, with the wonderful Stacey Kent and orchestra doing the best Shakespeare song you’ll ever hear (the lyrics are actually by Shakespeare’s rival Christopher Marlowe). And as the happy-go-lucky music opens the movie, the plotting of murd ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

Visually striking and highly imaginative, Richard Loncraine's screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III ranks as one of the best -- or at least the most cinematic -- versions of the bard's work to ever appear on screen. Here, the story is moved into the 1930's as a neo-fascist government has taken power in England, and Richard (Ian McKellen) ruthlessly climbs through its ranks, using murder, marriage, seduction, and deception to get to the top. While the staging takes certain minor liberties with the story, and at 105 minutes the text has been condensed a bit, Loncraine's direction gives this production a dynamic visual strength that matches the power of its story, and McKellen's performance as Richard is nothing short of superb, with Jim Broadbent, Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, and (most surprisingly) Robert Downey, Jr. all delivering fine support. The following year, another excellent and unconventional film version of the same play appeared, Al Pacino's Looking For Richard. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tags: fivestar , deception , murder , fascism , manipulation
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