Richard III [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Laurence Olivier Laurence Olivier

Overview

Laurence Olivier was the director, co-screenwriter (with Alan Dent), and star of this robust adaptation of Shakespeare's drama, which, as Bruce Eder has written, "was the final, crowning glory of the British studio system and the end of the great cycle of British films aimed at international audiences." Olivier begins his Richard III with Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke) being crowned king. In the background of the celebration, Richard (Laurence Olivier) jealously views the proceedings and begins to pick off those obstructing his pathway to the throne. Eventually, Richard becomes king and, after proceeding with a succession of intrigues and duplicities, he finds his kingdom in dire peril, set upon by Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker) and mustering a final defense for his realm at the Battle of Bosworth.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/23/2013
UPC:	0715515104616
Original Release:	1955
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:38:00
Sales rank:	12,159

Special Features

*New high-definition digital master of the Film Foundation's 2012 restoration
*Audio commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and John Wilders
*Interview with actor Laurence Olivier from a 1966 episode of Great Acting
*Gallery of behind-the-scenes and production stills and posters
*Twelve-minute television trailer featuring footage of Olivier and other cast
*Trailer
*PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Amy Taubin

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Laurence Olivier	Richard III
Claire Bloom	Lady Anne
John Gielgud	Clarence
Ralph Richardson	Buckingham
Cedric Hardwicke	Edward IV
Mary Kerridge	Elizabeth
Pamela Brown	Jane Shore
Alec Clunes	Hastings
Stanley Baker	Henry Tudor
Michael Gough	Dighton
Laurence Naismith	Stanley
Norman Wooland	Catesby
Helen Haye	Duchess of York
John Laurie	Lovel
Esmond Knight	Ratcliffe
Andrew Cruickshank	Brankenbury
Clive Morton	Rivers
Nicholas Hannen	Archbishop of Canterbury
Russell Thorndike	Priest
Paul Huson	Prince of Wales
Douglas Wilmer	Dorset
Dan Cunningham	Grey
Michael Ripper	2nd Murderer
Stewart Allen	Page
Wally Bascoe	Monk
Norman Fisher	Monk
Terence Greenridge	Scrivener
Andy Shine	Young Duke of York,Beadle
Roy Russell	Abbot
George Woodbridge	Lord Mayor of London
Willoughby Gray	Priest
Peter Williams	Messenger to Hastings
Timothy Bateson	Ostler
Ann Wilton	Scrub woman
Richard Bennett	George Stanley
Patrick Troughton	Tyrell
John Phillips	Norfolk
Brian Nissen	Messenger
Alexander Davion	Messenger
Lane Meddick	Messenger
Robert Bishop	Messenger
Paul Huston	Edward, Prince of Wales
Deering Wells	Clergyman
John Greenwood	Knight
Bernard Hepton	Actor
Derek Prentice	Clergyman
William Walton	Composer

Technical Credits

Laurence Olivier

Alan Dent

Colley Cibber

Laurence Olivier	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
William Shakespeare	Playwright
Anthony Bushell	Assistant Director
Wally Veevers	Special Effects
Alan Dent	Screenwriter
Colley Cibber	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This 1955 film offers a rare boon, the opportunity to see three of the 20th century's greatest British actors -- Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Ralph Richardson -- acting together in the same production. Olivier, the director and star of Richard III, overarches the film in a portrayal of Richard that ranges from impishly wicked to fiendishly diabolical. Early on, he is perversely endearing. His hooked nose, his hunched back, and his halting gait make him a quaint sideshow. Later on, he is unabashedly horrifying. His serial murders of men, women, and children make him a grotesque main attraction that, curiously, still attracts as well as repels. We like Richard, for he is more audaciously sinister and wicked than the sum of all villains since Cain. He dares to do what we all would like to do to a haughty boss or a nincompoop neighbor, if we had no conscience. Often during his performance, Olivier turns away from his interlocutors and looks directly at the audience, confiding his inmost thoughts and feelings. This visual technique works well to establish a relationship with the audience. Gielgud and Richardson support Olivier with wonderful performances. Other distinguished British actors -- including Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Claire Bloom, and Stanley Baker -- also perform with savoir-faire. But the film is not perfect. Olivier sometimes takes unnecessary liberties with Shakespeare's text. Also, because the production was filmed in Technicolor, the reds and blues and yellows scream for attention in their vividness, often overpowering the importance of a dagger or a menacing smile. Nevertheless, Richard III is an extraordinary film that will likely survive the test of time.

All Movie Guide - Mike Cummings