| Richard III | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical re-release poster | |
| Directed by | Laurence Olivier |
| Written by | Laurence Olivier (uncredited) |
| Based on | Richard III byWilliam Shakespeare and stage adaptations byColley Cibber andDavid Garrick |
| Produced by | Laurence Olivier Alexander Korda (uncredited) |
| Starring | Laurence Olivier Ralph Richardson Claire Bloom Cedric Hardwicke John Gielgud Laurence Naismith Norman Wooland |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Helga Cranston |
| Music by | William Walton |
| Distributed by | London Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 161 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £6 million or $2 million[1] or £452,057[2] |
| Box office | US$2.6 million (US) £400,000 (GB) |
Richard III is a 1955 BritishTechnicolorfilm adaptation ofWilliam Shakespeare'shistoricalplay of the same name, also incorporating elements from hisHenry VI, Part 3. It was directed and produced byLaurence Olivier, who also playedthe lead role. Featuring many noted Shakespearean actors, including a quartet of knights, the film depicts Richard plotting and conspiring to grasp the throne from his brother KingEdward IV, played by SirCedric 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 theartistic licence that Shakespeare applied to 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. It was the only one not to be nominated forBest Picture at theAcademy Awards, thoughOlivier's performance was nominated. TheBritish Film Institute has pointed out that, given the enormous TV audience it received when shown in the United States onNBC in 1956, the film "may have done more to popularise Shakespeare than any other single work".[3] The film gained further popularity in the US through a 1966 re-release, which broke box office records in many US cities.[4] Many critics now consider Olivier'sRichard III his best Shakespearean screen adaptation.
KingEdward IV of England (SirCedric Hardwicke) has been placed on the throne with the help of his brother,Richard, Duke of Gloucester (SirLaurence Olivier). After Edward'scoronation in the Great Hall, with his brothers George and Richard watching, he leaves with his wife and sons. Richard contemplates the throne, before advancing towards the audience and then addressing them, delivering a speech that outlines his physical deformities, including ahunched back and a withered arm. He goes on to describe his jealousy over his brother's rise to power in contrast to his lowly position.
Richard dedicates himself to task and plans to frame his other brother,George, Duke of Clarence (SirJohn Gielgud), for conspiring to kill the King, and to have George sent to theTower of London, by claiming George will murder Edward's heirs. He then tells George he will help him get out. Having confused and deceived the King, Richard proceeds with his plans after getting a warrant, and enlists two ruffians (Michael Gough andMichael Ripper) to carry out his dirty work: George is murdered, drowned in a butt of wine. Though Edward had sent apardon to Richard, Richard stopped it passing. Richard goes on to woo and seduce theLady Anne (Claire Bloom), and though she hates him for killingher husband andfather, she cannot resist Richard's charms and ends up marrying him.
Richard then orchestrates disorder at court, fueling rivalries and stirring antipathy toward the Queen consort,Elizabeth (Mary Kerridge). The King, weakened by exhaustion, appoints Richard asLord Protector and dies soon after hearing of the death of George. His son, soon to becomeEdward V (Paul Huson), is met by Richard whilst en route toLondon. Richard has the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Hastings (Alec Clunes) arrested and executed, and forces the young King, along with his younger brother theDuke of York (Andy Shine), to have a protracted stay at the Tower of London.
With all obstacles now removed, Richard enlists the help of his cousinthe Duke of Buckingham (SirRalph Richardson) to alter his public image, and to become popular with the people. In doing so, Richard becomes the people's first choice to become the new King. Buckingham had aided Richard on terms of being given the title ofEarl of Hereford and its income, but balks at the idea ofmurdering the two princes. Richard then asks an ambitious knight, SirJames Tyrrel (Patrick Troughton), to kill the princes. Buckingham, having requested his earldom at Richard's coronation, fears for his life when Richard (angry at Buckingham's refusal) shouts, "I am not in the giving vein today!" Buckingham then joins the opposition against Richard's rule.
Richard, now fearful because of his dwindling popularity, raises an army to defend his throne and theHouse of York against theHouse of Lancaster, led by Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker), theEarl of Richmond and laterHenry VII of England, atBosworth Field. Before the battle, however, Buckingham is captured and executed. On the eve of the battle, Richard is haunted by the ghosts of all those he has killed in his bloody ascent to the throne, and he wakes up screaming. He composes himself, striding out to plan the battle for his generals, and gives a motivational speech to his troops.
The two forces engage in battle, with the Lancastrians having the upper hand.Lord Stanley (Laurence Naismith) betrays Richard and allies himself with Henry. Richard sees this and charges into the thick of battle, side by side with his loyal companion Sir William Catesby (Norman Wooland) to kill Richmond and end the battle quickly. Eventually, Richard spots Richmond and they briefly engage in a duel before being interrupted by Stanley's men. Richard and Catesby are able to escape the oncoming forces but, in doing so, Richard is knocked off his horse, loses his cherished crown, and becomes separated from Catesby, who is off seeking rescue. Searching desperately for Richmond, whom he has lost sight of, Richard cries out: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"
Catesby finds Richard and offers him withdrawal, but the King refuses to flee. Catesby is then killed by Richmond's men without Richard noticing. Richard then spots Stanley and engages him in single combat. Before a victor can emerge, the Lancastrian troops charge Richard and fatally wound him. The wounded murderous King convulses in spasms, offering his sword to the sky, and eventually dies of his wounds. Stanley orders Richard's body to be taken away and then finds his crown in a thorn bush. He then proceeds to offer it to Henry, leaving the throne of England in safe hands once again.
Olivier cast only British actors. Since the film was financed byAlexander Korda and produced by hisLondon Films, obtaining the required actors was not difficult, as many actors were contractually obliged to London Films. As with most films withensemble casts, all the players were billed on the same tier. However, Olivier played the title character and occupies the majority of screen time.
When casting the supporting roles, Olivier chose to fortify the already impressive cast with seasoned veterans, such asLaurence Naismith, and with promising newcomers, such asClaire Bloom andStanley Baker. For the murderers, Olivier originally wantedJohn Mills andRichard Attenborough. However, Mills thought the idea might be regarded as "stunt casting", and Attenborough had to turn down the part due to a scheduling conflict.[5] The film's marketers in the US picked up on the fact that the cast included four knights (Olivier, Richardson,Gielgud andHardwicke) and used this as a selling point.[5] The four members of the cast who had already achieved British knighthood were all listed as "Sir...." in the film credits.
Of Olivier's three Shakespeare films,Richard III had the longest gestation period: Olivier had created and been developing his vision of the character Richard since his portrayal forThe Old Vic in 1944. After he had made Shakespeare films popular withHenry V andHamlet, the choice ofRichard III for his next adaptation was simple, as his Richard had been widely praised on stage. For the stage production, Olivier had modelled some of the crookback king's look on a well-known theatrical producer at the time,Jed Harris, whom Olivier called "the most loathsome man I'd ever met".[7]Walt Disney is also said to have used Harris as his basis for theBig Bad Wolf in the filmThe Three Little Pigs.[8]Alexander Korda, who had given Olivier his initial roles on film, provided financial support for the film.[5] He was supported by the Woolf Brothers.[9]
Most of the dialogue is taken straight from the play, but Olivier also drew on the 18th century adaptations byColley Cibber andDavid Garrick, including Cibber's line, "Off with his head. So much for Buckingham!". Like Cibber and Garrick, Olivier's film opens with material from the last scenes ofHenry VI, Part 3, to introduce more clearly the situation at the beginning of the story.
A key change in the story involved the seduction of Anne. It is split into two scenes instead of one, and an element of perversity is added—whereas in the original play she is following a coffin with the corpse of her father-in-law, in this film the coffin contains the corpse of her husband. John Cottrell has been quoted as saying this makes "the young widow's seduction even more daring and revolting than it is in the original, and [gives] Anne's capitulation" in the second part after a passionate kiss "a new and neurotic twist".[10][11] This is accomplished by cutting lines, changing lines, and changing the sequence of some lines.
Olivier makes other small and subtle additions in the stage direction. When Richard's nephew makes a joke about his uncle's hunchback ("you should bear me on your shoulder"), Richard spins round and gives the boy a malevolent glare making the boy stagger back.[11] This bit of stage direction is original to Olivier. Olivier also silently mimes some actions spoken of in his soliloquies such as when he whispers insinuations about Clarence into the ear of King Edward.
In general the lengthy play is heavily cut. In an interview with Roger Manvell, Olivier discussed how unwieldy and complex the play is:
If you are going to cut a Shakespeare play, there is only one thing to do, lift out scenes. If you cut the lines down merely to keep all the characters in, you end up with a mass of short ends. This is one of the problems withRichard III. To start with it's a very long play. It's not until the little princes come on that the story forms that nice river sweep, going swiftly to its conclusion from about halfway through the play. The first part up until that moment is an absolute delta of plot and presupposed foreknowledge of events. After all,Richard III forms the last part of a cycle of four plays.[11][12]
The character ofQueen Margaret is cut entirely, the role of the Duchess of York (Helen Haye) is significantly reduced, the role of Edward IV's wife Elizabeth is also reduced, and the execution of Clarence and other scenes are abridged.[13] These cuts were made to maintain the pace of the film and to cut down the running time, as a full performance of the play can run upwards of four hours. Richard is made more directly responsible for the death of Edward IV than in the play, as Edward has his fatal attack only moments after Richard informs the assembled nobles that Clarence is dead.
Gerry O'Hara was Olivier's assistant director, on hand to help since Olivier was acting in most of the scenes.
Olivier was very precise in getting many of the visual details of the period correct. Actor Douglas Wilmer (Dorset) recounts that when he casually told Olivier that one piece ofheraldry on the set was incorrect, Olivier started pumping as much information out of him as possible as if he was "drilling for oil".[11]
Olivier made the unusual decision to deliver his soliloquies bydirectly addressing the film audience, something not often done before in film. Near the beginning of the film Richard's herald drops his coronet, a mistake that Olivier decided to keep in, as part of the motif of accidental loss of the crown continued in the final battle.
Most of the film was shot atShepperton Studios, but the climacticBattle of Bosworth Field abruptly opens up the setting, as it was shot outdoors, in the Spanish countryside. During one sequence therein, Olivier suffered an arrow wound to the shin when his horse jerked forwards causing the expert archer to miss.[14] Fortunately, it was on the leg Richard was supposed to limp on, allowing the scene to continue.[4]
Wilmer also notes:
What really amazed me was his energy. His work programme was exhausting; yet he could just sit down in a chair and close his eyes for a short time, then walk straight onto the set and act a long scene perfectly despite the enormous burden he carried of being producer, director, and leading man.[11]
During filming, Olivier's portrait was painted bySalvador Dalí. The painting remained one of Olivier's favourites until he had to sell it to pay for his children's school fees.[15]
Thecinematography for the film was byOtto Heller, who had worked on many European films before coming to the UK in the early 1940s. The film uses theTechnicolor process, which Olivier had earlier rejected for hisHamlet after a row with the company.[16] The use ofTechnicolor resulted in bright, vibrant colours. Korda had suggested that Olivier also use the new extremewidescreen format,CinemaScope, but Olivier thought it was nothing more than a gimmick, and chose the less extremeVistaVision format instead.[5]
The score was composed by SirWilliam Walton, who worked on all of the films Olivier directed exceptThe Prince and the Showgirl. The music was conducted byMuir Mathieson, who collaborated on all of the films Olivier directed, except forThree Sisters. The film's music was also used for a set of readings of speeches from the play onaudio CD featuringJohn Gielgud. The Chandos catalogue notes that Walton used the main theme throughout the film, especially towards the closing scenes.
In all of the theatre's repertoire, it's hard to find a more malodorous fellow than Richard III. The character is so convincing that most of us who think of that king at all instantly see the slit-eyed, snaky, deformed embodiment of evil probably best depicted by Laurence Olivier.
— Richard Harrison[17]
Richard III opened at theLeicester Square Theatre on 13 December 1955, with QueenElizabeth II and Prince Philip attending the premiere.[18] Alexander Korda had sold the rights to the film toNBC in the US for $500,000 (about $4.44 million in today's dollars) and the film was shown on Sunday, 11 March 1956.[1][19] While many sources refer to the "simultaneous release" in the US ofRichard III on television and at the cinema, it was in fact shown first on television.[20] It was not shown during prime time, but rather at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon, so prime time ratings for that day were not affected by any pre-emptions for a special programme. It was the first 3-hour telecast of a film ever in the US and the first time that a film in the US had premiered on two media on the same day.[21] It had its US theatrical premiere at 8:30 p.m. at theBijou Theatre in Manhattan.[22]
The film, although slightly cut for television, was generally well received by critics, with Olivier's performance earning particular notice, but as a result of its simultaneous release through television and cinemas in the US, it was a box office failure, and many critics felt at the time that it was not as well-made as Olivier's previous films. However, the airing on US television received excellent ratings, with an audience estimated at between 25 and 40 million.[23] The film's failure at the US box office effectively ended Olivier's career as a director of Shakespearean films. Hisproposed film ofMacbeth, which had been intended to go into production during 1957,[24] in the end finally failed to gain financing.[25]
When the film was reissued in 1966, it broke box office records in many US cities.[4] Its critical reputation has since grown considerably, and many critics now consider it Olivier's best and most influential screen adaptation of Shakespeare.
In contrast to his previous work, Olivier was only nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor (his fifth nomination in the category). The award went toYul Brynner for his performance inThe King and I.
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actor | Laurence Olivier | Nominated | [26] |
| Berlin International Film Festival | International Silver Bear | Won | [27] | |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film from any Source | Won | [28] | |
| Best British Film | Won | |||
| Best British Actor | Laurence Olivier | Won | ||
| David di Donatello Awards | Best Foreign Production | Won[a] | [29] | |
| Best Foreign Actor | Won | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best English-Language Foreign Film | Won | [30] | |
| Jussi Awards | Best Foreign Actor | Laurence Olivier | Won | [31] |
| Nastro d'Argento | Best Foreign Film | Nominated | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Foreign Films | 3rd Place | [32] | |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Laurence Olivier | Nominated | [33] |
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes the film holds an 81% rating based on 21 reviews.[35] However, Olivier's direction has been criticised for being far more restricted in its style in comparison to the bold filming ofHenry V, or the moody photography ofHamlet,[citation needed] and the reviewer for theAllMovie website complained that Olivier too far outshone the supporting cast.[36] There were some complaints about geographical inaccuracies in the film. For example, the Battle of Bosworth Field was filmed in a region of Spain that does not resemble any locations in England.[citation needed] InThe New York Times, Olivier observed that the film makesWestminster Abbey and theTower of London "practically adjacent", but adds that "if they weren't like that, they should have been".[37]
TheBritish Film Institute suggests Olivier'sRichard III may have done more to popularise Shakespeare than any other piece of work.[23] According to them, the 25–40 million viewers during its airing on US television, "would have outnumbered the sum of the play's theatrical audiences over the 358 years since its first performance."[23]
A three-disc vinyl box set of the soundtrack was issued shortly after the film was released.
The film has since been released on VHS numerous times, but these releases are made from cropped low quality sources. Carlton Entertainment released the first DVD in 2000 presented in a widescreen ratio. This release was presented in 1.78:1 but is non-anamorphic and zoomed in the most compared to the later releases. In 2002, Wienerworld released a special edition DVD with a new 1.66:1 widescreen transfer, a trailer, and star bios. In 2004,Criterion digitallyrestored the film in its original 1.66:1widescreen format and re-constructed it to match the release script. Unlike the previous releases before it that were made from different and inferior source elements, Criterion performed their own restoration and digital transfer. It was released in a 2-disc special edition, including an essay by film and music historian Bruce Eder, an interview with Olivier, and other numerous special features.[38] The DVD is subtitled in English, with a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio track. The DVD also contains a commentary by Russell Lees and John Wilders. The second disc of the DVD features a 1966 BBC interview with Olivier byKenneth Tynan entitledGreat Acting: Laurence Olivier. It also contains a gallery ofposters, production stills and twotrailers.[38]The film was given a Blu-ray release in the UK by Network, and later in 2012 by The Criterion Collection for DVD and Blu-ray in the United States. Both releases featured a restoration from the original film elements by the Film Foundation in conjunction with ITV Global, owners of the London Films/Rank library.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by split fromBest Foreign Language Film | Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film 1957 | Succeeded by |
| Films as director |
|
|---|---|
| Productions | |
| Publications |
|
| Depictions |
|
| Related |
|
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
