Essential Art House: Richard III [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Laurence Olivier was the director, co-screenwriter (with Alan Dent), and star of this robust adaptation of Shakespeare's drama, which, as Bruce Eder has written, "was the final, crowning glory of the British studio system and the end of the great cycle of British films aimed at international audiences." Olivier begins his Richard III with Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) being crowned king. In the background of the celebration, Richard (Laurence Olivier) jealously views the proceedings and begins to pick off those obstructing his pathway to the throne. Eventually, Richard becomes king and, after proceeding with a succession of intrigues and duplicities, he finds his kingdom in dire peril, set upon by Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker) and mustering a final defense for his realm at the Battle of Bosworth. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (Vistavision)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Encoding: NTSC
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1956 (Laurence Olivier)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Won Best British Actor - 1955 (Laurence Olivier)
•     Won Best Film - Any Source - 1955 (Laurence Olivier)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Foreign Film - 1956

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 1956

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Cedric Hardwicke - Edward Plantagenet (King Edward IV)
       Laurence Olivier - Richard III
       John Gielgud - George, Duke of Clarence
       Nicholas Hannen - Archbishop of Canterbury
       Claire Bloom - Lady Anne Neville
       Ralph Richardson - Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
       Alec Clunes - Thomas, Lord Hastings

• Director:

  Laurence Olivier

• Producer:

  Laurence Olivier

• Play Author:

  William Shakespeare

• Screenwriter:

  Colley Cibber, Alan Dent, Laurence Olivier

• Cinematographer:

  Otto Heller

• Composer (Music Score):

  William Walton

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Muir Mathieson

• Editor:

  Helga Cranston

• Production Designer:

  Roger Furse

• Art Director:

  Carmen Dillon

• Co-producer:

  Alexander Korda

REVIEW:

• This 1955 film offers a rare boon, the opportunity to see three of the 20th century's greatest British actors -- Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Ralph Richardson -- acting together in the same production. Olivier, the director and star of Richard III, overarches the film in a portrayal of Richard that ranges from impishly wicked to fiendishly diabolical. Early on, he is perversely endearing. His hooked nose, his hunched back, and his halting gait make him a quaint sideshow. Later on, he is unabashedly horrifying. His serial murders of men, women, and children make him a grotesque main attraction that, curiously, still attracts as well as repels. We like Richard, for he is more audaciously sinister and wicked than the sum of all villains since Cain. He dares to do what we all would like to do to a haughty boss or a nincompoop neighbor, if we had no conscience. Often during his performance, Olivier turns away from his interlocutors and looks directly at the audience, confiding his inmost thoughts and feelings. This visual technique works well to establish a relationship with the audience. Gielgud and Richardson support Olivier with wonderful performances. Other distinguished British actors -- including Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Claire Bloom, and Stanley Baker -- also perform with savoir-faire. But the film is not perfect. Olivier sometimes takes unnecessary liberties with Shakespeare's text. Also, because the production was filmed in Technicolor, the reds and blues and yellows scream for attention in their vividness, often overpowering the importance of a dagger or a menacing smile. Nevertheless, Richard III is an extraordinary film that will likely survive the test of time. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

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