Essential Art House: Richard III

The last time I saw Laurence Olivier's rendition of Richard III before procuring the DVD I am now reviewing, was about thirty years ago. I loved it then and never forgot it. Most particularly, I never forgot Olivier's portrayal . . . Olivier's transformation into a conscienceless, subhuman fiend, yet with enough subtlety that this evil creature is competently portrayed as disguising his true nature from most of his acquaintances. Viewing once again, on the DVD, Olivier's portrayal, and all of the great portrayals (Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom . . .) in this lavish though realistic production, my concluding opinion is that it has lost none of its power, none of its gripping intensity.I received my DVD of Richard III subsequent to having just viewed Olivier's Hamlet. Without question Hamlet is the better play. It has so much more depth, dealing as it does, in this flesh dimension, with the value of existence itself. Hamlet is an extraordinary person: among the highest type of human being-questioning himself, questioning life, even while knowing the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, though uncertain as which course of action his unique circumstance demands, while always thirsting for true true justice. So the prince of Denmark takes the play to all of the above mentioned places; all of the levels, high and low, that exist in an intelligent, sensitive, questioning human being. Whereas the character Richard III is a devil, a monster, a creature of the lowest order, the drama's plot being relatively simple: tracing Richard's lust for power and the corpses this lust leaves in its wake. Yet the play is an historical epic; or certainly raised to that level with Olivier's colorful production. However, though I consider Olivier's rendition of prince Hamlet to be one of the two greatest performances of all of the movies I have seen in my life (the other being Frederick March's rendition of Matthew Harrison Brady, i.e. William Jennings Bryan, in the classic Inherit the Wind), Olivier's performance as Richard is not lacking in the slightest way! What determines that his performance as Hamlet is more remarkable is not Olivier's superior talent in that play as contrasted with his performance as Richard. The contrast is between the plays themselves and between the two different roles. The nuances of Hamlet's character, including his sensitivity, intelligence, depth of soul, make Hamlet a more demanding role than that of Richard, thus requiring use of the widest range of acting talent that can be required by any role.Richard III is different than Hamlet, but it is a great play in its own right, and I think no better rendition of it can be found anywhere than that of the Olivier/Korda production beautifully captured on this DVD.Stanley I. Brookoff (author of HYPERSPACE, the novel [not science-fiction]) Hyperspace

It is marvelous to watch Laurence Olivier strut and fret his hour on the stage. He has the uncanny ability to almost make you like Richard as he closes in to talk to the camera, closes in to talk to you, occasionally cracking an almost mischievous smile making you his confident. He is so magnificent an actor that he almost overwhelms the beautiful Shakespeare verse, making its majesty serve his purpose well. Even at his most nasty, such as deliberately lowering his hand which as King a courtier must kiss, causing the courtier to kneel, it is almost impossible to hate Richard.Olivier plays Richard with a slight humpback, a game leg and a deformed hand, but he loses nothing in the way of virility. When he runs he scurries along rather like a crab, again not a creature inspiring contempt or pity but rather a sort of camaraderie. At one point he even swings down a bell rope, the bell ringing wildly its exuberant clang echoing Richard's triumph over becoming king. He gives one of his half-grins, almost a chuckle, when he leans towards us and hopes his new kingship "will leave the world to me to bustle in." In his very first scene, peering familiarly at the viewer he sets the tone for the whole movie with his superb rendering of the famous winter of our discontent speech.The film is full of nuances which you may not notice the first time you view it. For instance, just after Edward IV is crowned, he passes his mistress Jane Shore and playfully touches her cheek with his scepter. The Queen scowls. Mistress Shore leaves all alone in her own carriage and is frequently seen in the company of lords, a knowing smile on her face.The Earl of Richmond who destroys Richard at the Battle of Bosworth is a noble looking young man, a far cry from the real lanky- haired,suspicious, somewhat shabby future Henry VII. Of course we have to go with Shakespeare, here, who was writing to glorify the new Tudor regime. But Olivier manages to give Richard a multi-layered personality and although the villain of the piece, an arch-villain in Shakespeare's eyes, you can't altogether hate him and that is Laurence Olivier's magic as the greatest Shakespearean actor ever.The costumes and sets are magnificent, the colors rich. The use of shadows is effective and Richard casts a lot of them, and of course they are symbolic. "Richard III" is a work of art, a meticulous production from the hands of a master- the director, producer and star, Laurence Olivier.

To some people - including myself - this is the definitive version and portrayal of Richard. It is certainly the performance that established Olivier as a leading young Shakespearean actor on the London stage. This is a traditionally set and performed production - no goofy modernism or minimalism or politics - delivered by classically trained actors that happen to be legends of the English stage. These are people interested in the English language and its beauty and power. Olivier, Gielgud, Richardson, Hardwicke - all renowned for various Shakespearean roles. Claire Bloom is great as Lady Anne. I wish Olivier had given us a film version of Macbeth with her as Lady Macbeth. Production values and design match the performances.

This 2-disc edition is specifically interesting for its special feature: The Trial of Richard III, which was done in the manner of Crown Court with historians and trial lawyers assessing the case against Richard. As it was unscripted - although the protagonists worked from notes - there was real determination and anger in the adversarial setting, with a particularly withering performance from they then-young David Starkey ragging the lawyers.The film itself is a classic and will always be worth seeing in a comparative exercise about editing and staging, but it is the special feature trial which makes this edition the one to buy.

I think this is STILL the best version of Richard III although many other fine actors have taken-up the role. I'm not sure if it's Olivier's speech or his acting generally because he really COULD ham a role if he wished but as with Henry V, I found him and his version to be superior to Branagh's and I have purchased and seen both several times. The cast includes Ralph Richardson, Cedrick Hardwicke, beautiful Claire Bloom and John Gielgud, probably the greatest Shakespearean actor of his generation. Also included in this 'Special Edition' is The Trial of Richard III.

The wonderful bonus of this edition (totally ignored in Amazon's product description, sadly) is the 2nd of the 2 discs "The Trial of Richard III". This is a three & half hour modern court room enactment, with a jury, examining the question " Is it most probable that Richard was responsible for the murder of the Princes in the Tower?" This was produced for television in 1984 & I had searched for a long time for a copy of it. The 'trial' is a serious & reasonably scholarly examination of this vexed question that has bedevilled Richard's reputation for over 500 years & will doubtless continue to do so. Witnesses for the prosecution include Dr. Starkie (very young looking, but as rude & dogmatic in 1984 as he still is); those for the defence include Jeremy Potter. I found it riveting & recommend it most strongly for anyone with more than a passing interest in Richard III. You also, of course, get the Olivier film.

The 1955 movie is a classic, and well worth watching. But what makes this product so good is the second disc, where two decades ago, various historians mounted a "trial" of Richard III, to see if he is guilty of the murders of the Princes in the Tower. After the recent exhumation of Richard's body from a Leicester car park, proving that the king did indeed have scoliosis of the spine, Shakespeare is partly vindicated. He was writing in the age of the Tudors, descendants of Henry VI (Stanley Baker in the movie) and the propaganda against Richard demonised him. But historians had argued that the story of his hunched back was a myth. The exhumation showed it to be true - only Richard's scoliosis of the spine went sideways, and could be disguised under clothing and armour. Only at death, when he was stripped naked and tied to a horse, did anyone see that he was "deformed". So part of Shakepeare's myth was true. Richard should be a hero for the disabled - he fought better than many of his peers. See the fiction on the main disc, enjoy the historical discussion on the second disc (featuring a vey young and very arrogant David Starkey). For me - the second disc elucidated the characters and actions of the brilliantly-acted play. Fantastic purchase for anyone interested in the manufacture of legends.

I saw this about twelve times when I was a mere lad. It was my first independent view of Shakespeare outside of the classroom. I had no preconception when I went to see it, and I emerged from it with a definite new enthusiasm for the power of words. When I saw it was re-released and remastered for DVD I thought I'd give it another chance to bewitch me. And, despite the joke make up, the so clean hair and the pristine costumes it still thrilled me. The declaiming of Shakespeare by Olivier, Richardson, Geilgud, Claire Bloom, and others transcends formality. It is unfashionable to do Shakespeare in this manner now. But if you wish for a beautifully and thrillingly spoken text this still stands up.