Directed by:
Richard LoncraineCinematography:
Peter BiziouComposer:
Trevor JonesCast:
Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, John Wood, Maggie Smith, Edward Hardwicke (more)Plots(1)
Shakespeare’s classic play about the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England is updated to an alternative 1930s setting in this celebrated film adaptation. A brutal civil war has erupted in England with the Houses of Lancaster and York battling for control of the throne. Amid the turmoil the despotic Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Ian McKellen) plots his own route to power, deviously scheming a murderous agenda that will lead to his installation as dictator monarch. Steeped in fascist iconography, the film openly draws from the aesthetic of the Third Reich, a stylistic choice that emphasizes the pure evil at the heart of Richard’s agenda. (British Film Institute (BFI))
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For someone who prefers to avoid all sorts of Shakespeare updates, this Richard III charmed me on the first listen. This is really just a loose adaptation set in a fictional fascist England of the 1930s, and only the number of great period songs can compete with the number of murders. Moreover, the cast is generous indeed - Bening and Scott Thomas are wonderful in addition to the demonic McKellen, but we also get Maggie Smith and Robert Downey Jr.
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