Richard III is a 1955 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical play Richard III, including elements of Henry VI, Part 3. It was directed and produced by Laurence Olivier, who also played the lead role. The cast includes many noted Shakespearean actors, including a quartet of acting knights. The film depicts Richard plotting and conspiring to grasp the throne from his brother King Edward IV, played by Cedric Hardwicke. In the pr...
more
Richard III is a 1955 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical play Richard III, including elements of Henry VI, Part 3. It was directed and produced by Laurence Olivier, who also played the lead role. The cast includes many noted Shakespearean actors, including a quartet of acting knights. The film depicts Richard plotting and conspiring to grasp the throne from his brother King Edward IV, played by Cedric Hardwicke. In the process, many are killed and betrayed, with Richard's evil leading to his own downfall. The prologue of the film states that history without its legends would be "a dry matter indeed", implicitly admitting to taking artistic licence with the events of the time.
Of the three Shakespearean films directed by Olivier, Richard III received the least critical praise at the time, although it was still acclaimed, and it was the only one not to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, though Olivier's acting performance was nominated. The...
less
