Richard III is a
1995The year 1995 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg....
film adaptation of
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play
of the same nameRichard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591, depicting the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified as...
, starring
Ian McKellenSir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE , is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received a Tony Award and two Academy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
,
Annette BeningAnnette Francine Bening is an American actress.-Early life:Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Shirley, a church singer and soloist, and Grant Bening, a sales training consultant and insurance salesman. Her parents, natives of Iowa, were practicing Episcopalians and conservative...
,
Jim BroadbentJames "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
,
Robert Downey Jr.Robert John Downey, Jr. is an American actor, film producer, and musician. Downey made his screen debut at the age of five when he appeared in one of his father's films, and has worked consistently in film and television ever since. During the 1980s, he had roles in a series of coming of age films...
,
Nigel HawthorneSir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:Hawthorne was born in Coventry, England, the son of Agnes...
,
Kristin Scott ThomasKristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is a British actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon; Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
,
Dame Maggie SmithDame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE , better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 57 years...
,
John WoodJohn Wood, CBE, is an English actor.-Biography:Wood was born in Derbyshire and studied at Jesus College, Oxford. Known as a stage actor, he has played extensively in Shakespeare, having joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s. He has also appeared in many of Tom Stoppard's plays...
and
Dominic WestDominic West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Biography:...
.
The film relocates the play's events to a fictional version of England in what appears to be a fascist-inspired 1930s. Albeit including many historical anachronisms, the film's timing is easily recognizable to viewers.
Concept
The film's concept was based on a stage production directed by
Richard EyreSir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre and television.-Biography:He was Associate Director at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh from 1967 to 1972...
for the
Royal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company....
, which also starred McKellen. The production was adapted for the screen by McKellen and directed by
Richard LoncraineRichard Loncraine is an Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated British film and television director.Loncraine received early training in the features department of the BBC, including a season directing items for Tomorrow's World...
.
The film is notable for its unconventional use of famous English landmarks, often using special effects to move them to new locations. The transformed landmarks used include the following:
- St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the United Kingdom that is celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the...
is relocated to WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
and becomes King EdwardEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 2 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
's seat of government.
- Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a now unused coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, near Battersea in London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
is relocated to the coast of KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
and becomes a bombed-out military base.
- Bankside Power Station
Bankside Power Station is a former oil-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in the Bankside district of London. Since 2000 the station's building has been used to house the Tate Modern art museum.-History:...
becomes the Tower of London where Clarence is imprisoned.
- Brighton Pavilion is relocated to a coastal clifftop and becomes King Edward's country retreat.
- Senate House
Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of London, situated in the heart of Bloomsbury, London between the School of Oriental and African Studies to the north, with the British Museum to the south...
of the University of LondonBased primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes...
is Richard's seat of government and is used for interior and exterior scenes. The famous art decoArt Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...
facade and clock of Shell Mex HouseShell Mex House is situated at number 80, Strand, London, UK. The current building was built in 1930-31 on the site of the Cecil Hotel and stands between the Adelphi and the Savoy Hotel. Broadly Art Deco in style, it was designed by the architectural firm of Messrs Joseph, with F...
is also featured in exterior shots.
Perhaps the play's most famous line—"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"—was recontextualised by the new setting; during the climactic battle, Richard's
scout carA scout car is a class of military armored reconnaissance vehicle, capable of off-road mobility and often carrying mounted weapons such as machine guns for offensive capabilities and crew protection...
becomes stuck, and his lament is cast as a plea for a mode of transport with legs rather than wheels.
In a surprising ending, where Richard refuses to be captured and leaps down to his death with the "wrong" closing line "Let us to't pell-mell; if not to heaven, then hand-in-hand to hell", his falling into the inferno is followed by the eerily upbeat tune
I'm Sitting On The Top Of The World (Ray Henderson, Joe Young and Sam Lewis) in the classic version sung by
Al JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian, and actor. According to PBS, he is considered the "first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America"...
.
The film enlarges the role of the Duchess of York considerably by combining her character with that of Queen Margaret. The roles of Rivers, Grey and Vaughan are combined into Rivers. The death scenes are shown rather than implied as in the play, and changed to suit the time (Hastings is hanged rather than beheaded) or historical accuracy (Clarence is drowned in a bath instead of a wine barrel). Each character's pre-death monologues is also removed, except that of Clarence.
Awards
- Academy Awards
- Art Direction
- Costume Design
- BAFTA
- Best British Film
- Best Actor - Ian McKellen
- Adapted Screenplay
- Best Costumes - WON
- Best Production Design - WON
Cast
- Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE , is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received a Tony Award and two Academy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
as King Richard IIIRichard III was King of England from 1483 until his death. He was the last king of the House of York and the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, and is sometimes regarded as the end of the Middle Ages in England...
- Annette Bening
Annette Francine Bening is an American actress.-Early life:Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Shirley, a church singer and soloist, and Grant Bening, a sales training consultant and insurance salesman. Her parents, natives of Iowa, were practicing Episcopalians and conservative...
as Queen ElizabethElizabeth Woodville or Wydeville was the Queen consort of Edward IV, King of England, from 1464 until his death in 1483.-Early life and first marriage:...
- Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
as The Duke of BuckinghamHenry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham played a major role in Richard III of England's rise and fall. He is also one of the primary suspects in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower...
- Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is a British actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon; Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
as Lady AnneAnne Neville was Princess of Wales as spouse of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as spouse of King Richard III.-Early life:...
- Adrian Dunbar
Adrian Dunbar is a Northern Irish actor best known for his television and theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film, Hear My Song, nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA awards.-Personal life:...
as James TyrrellSir James Tyrell was an English knight, a trusted servant of King Richard III of England. He is known for 'confessing' to the murders of the Princes in the Tower under Richard's orders. However, his statement was taken under torture, so the confession can easily be discredited...
- Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE , better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 57 years...
as The Duchess of YorkCecily Neville, Duchess of York was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and the mother of two Kings of England: Edward IV and Richard III....
- Tim McInnerny
Tim McInnerny is a well-regarded English actor. He is known for his roles in Blackadder as Percy, Duke of Northumberland , Lord Percy and Captain Darling...
as William CatesbyWilliam Catesby of Ashby St Ledgers was one of Richard III of England's principal councilors. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons during Richard's reign....
- Robert Downey, Jr. as Earl Rivers
Anthony Rivers, 2nd Earl Rivers was an English nobleman, courtier, and writer.He was the eldest son of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Like his father, he was originally a Lancastrian, fighting on that side at the Battle of Towton, but later became a Yorkist...
- Edward Hardwicke
Edward Hardwicke , sometimes credited as Edward Hardwick, is an English actor.-Early life and career:Hardwicke was born in London, England, the son of actors Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Helena Pickard. He began his film career in Hollywood at the age of 10, in Victor Fleming’s film A Guy Named Joe,...
as Lord StanleyThomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG , was King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to King Henry VII of England....
- Nigel Hawthorne
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:Hawthorne was born in Coventry, England, the son of Agnes...
as The Duke of ClarenceGeorge Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the Roses...
- Jim Carter as Lord Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings became one of the great powers of the English realm during the reign of Edward IV of England....
- Dominic West
Dominic West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Biography:...
as The Earl of RichmondHenry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty.Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars...
- Roger Hammond
Roger Hammond is an English character actor who has appeared in many films and television series.Hammond attended Cambridge University, and appeared extensively in their drama program, alongside actors such as Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, and John Wood. Following that, he attended the Royal Academy...
as The Archbishop
- John Wood
John Wood, CBE, is an English actor.-Biography:Wood was born in Derbyshire and studied at Jesus College, Oxford. Known as a stage actor, he has played extensively in Shakespeare, having joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s. He has also appeared in many of Tom Stoppard's plays...
as King Edward IVEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 2 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
External links