Richard III (1995)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Ian McKellen (writer) ...

Release Date:

29 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

What Is Worth Dying For... Is Worth Killing For.

Plot:

The classic Shakespearan play about a murderously scheming king staged in a alternative fascist England setting.

Plot Keywords:

1930s | William Shakespeare | Roman Numeral In Title | Grimness | Shakespeare's Richard III

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ian McKellen	...	Richard III
Annette Bening	...	Queen Elizabeth, wife of Edward IV
Jim Broadbent	...	Duke of Buckingham
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Lord Rivers
Nigel Hawthorne	...	George, Duke of Clarence
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Lady Anne
John Wood	...	King Edward IV
Maggie Smith	...	Duchess of York
Jim Carter	...	Lord Hastings
Edward Hardwicke	...	Lord Stanley
Adrian Dunbar	...	James Tyrell
Tres Hanley	...	Rivers' Mistress
Dominic West	...	Henry, Earl of Richmond
Roger Hammond	...	Archbishop
Tim McInnerny	...	Catesby

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London, England, UK

Company:

Bayly/Paré Productions

Trivia:

Richard Gloucester's black uniform is actually the tunic of an SS-Oberstgruppenfuhrer (Colonel General), minus the swastika insignia

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): As Richard finishes his dance with the queen (at the beginning) and they walk off the dance floor, the young prince slips and falls.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Prince of Wales: Goodnight Father.
King Henry: Goodnight son.
Prince of Wales: Goodnight your majesty.

Movie Connections:

References Citizen Kane (1941)

Soundtrack:

I'm Sitting On The Top Of The World

Exceptional performances enhance timeless themes.

Many productions throughout the years have presented Shakespeare in updated formats in order to make his plays more

contemporary with varying results. This production is one of the

most successful. Sir Ian McKellan's extraordinary performance

makes his character, although thoroughly self-serving, incredibly

magnetic. The film is enhanced by many other exceptional

performances, most notably by Robert Downey Jr., Jim Broadbent

and Kristin Scott Thomas. The setting makes the story more

realistic to modern viewers, which helps it to avoid the stiff, stagy

quality seen in most productions of this work. Making

Shakespeare more accessible to today's viewers without

butchering his amazing language is no mean feat, but this film

accomplishes it handily.