Richard III
Directed by Laurence Olivier
from the play by William Shakespeare as adapted by David Garrick and Colley Cibber
1955/UK
London Film Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Richard III: Conscience is a word that cowards use.[/box]
Olivier makes a detestable yet somehow seductive Richard and gathers quite the cast around him.
This is the Shakespeare play with a few insertions from the Henry VI plays for exposition. The time is at the tail end of the Wars of the Roses which pitted the House of York against the House of Lancaster. Richard’s brother King Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) sits on the throne of England. Richard is determined to get the crown. His other brother, the Duke of Clarence (John Gielgud), and Edward’s two young sons stand in his way. Richard’s first step is to seduce Anne (Claire Bloom), widow of the Lancastrian Prince of Wales. He accomplishes this despite having killed both her father and her brother.
Richard becomes best buddies with his cousin the equally ruthless Duke of Buckingham (Ralph Richardson). He then convinces Edward to have Clarence executed for treason. On his sickbed, Edward pardons his brother but Richard intercepts the message and has Clarence murdered. This treachery kills Edward. Next is to rid himself of the two little princes. We follow the bloody story and Richard takes the throne. But Henry Tudor, the Earl of Richmond, is waiting in the wings to become Henry VII, Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, thus finally ending the War of the Roses.
This is a handsome production with some superb Shakespearian acting. Richard’s villainy knew no limits! Anyone who enjoyed Olivier’s other two Shakespeare films, Henry V and Hamlet, would surely enjoy this.
Laurence Olivier was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-P0xHwjxiI
Trailer
