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))
(more)Cast
Ian McKellen
UK
Best movies:
Pet Shop Boys: Videography (1991) (video compilation)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Annette Bening
USA
Best movies:
American Beauty (1999)
Mother and Child (2009)
Valmont (1989)
Jim Broadbent
UK
Best movies:
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
War and Peace (2016) (series)
Robert Downey Jr.
USA
Best movies:
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Oppenheimer (2023)
Nigel Hawthorne
UK
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The Plague Dogs (1982)
Tarzan (1999)
Kristin Scott Thomas
UK
Best movies:
Bitter Moon (1992)
I've Loved You So Long (2008)
The English Patient (1996)
Maggie Smith
UK
Best movies:
Edward Hardwicke
UK
Best movies:
Love Actually (2003)
The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Othello (1965)
Adrian Dunbar
UK
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The Hollow Crown (2012) (series)
The Crying Game (1992)
Dominic West
UK
Best movies:
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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
300 (2006)
Tim McInnerny
UK
Best movies:
Eddie the Eagle (2016)
Inspector George Gently (2007) (series)
Race (2016)
Christopher Bowen
Best movies:
Endeavour (2012) (series)
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003) (TV movie)
Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) (series)
James Dreyfus
France
Best movies:
Gormenghast (2000) (series)
House of the Dragon (2022) (series)
Notting Hill (1999)
Donald Sumpter
UK
Best movies:
Chernobyl (2019) (series)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
Jesus of Nazareth (1977) (TV movie)
Bill Paterson
UK
Best movies:
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Chaplin (1992)
Marco Williamson
Best movies:
Richard III (1995)
Roger Hammond
UK
Best movies:
The King's Speech (2010)
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Edward Jewesbury
UK
Best movies:
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Henry V (1989)
The 10th Kingdom (2000) (series)
Bruce Purchase
New Zealand
Best movies:
Othello (1965)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) (TV movie)
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