Richard III (1995)

McKellen's turn

Ian McKellen takes his shot at the consummate villain role, and a well-aimed shot it is. I generally like my Shakespeare acted within its own time frame, but for a modern production, this one isn't bad. The 1930's sets, backdrops, and music are over-the-top in their presentation, lending a surreal, supremely fascistic aspect to this history play. It translates well. McKellen's delivery of Richard's famous lines is spot-on. Watching Maggie Smith is a joy, as usual, and veterans Kristin Scott Thomas, Edward Hardwicke (better known to Americans as Sherlock Holmes's Watson), and Nigel Hawthorne perform admirably in important supporting roles. On the down side, Annette Bening and Robert Downey, Jr. are almost comically miscast, their presence jarring and shallow. Then again, it's a rare American "movie star" who isn't routinely upstaged, and badly, by classically trained British actors.

This is a fun version of Richard III, easy to understand, visually impactful, and true to Shakespeare's own intentions. October 5, 2008

A Note About Where the Ending Was Borrowed From

The ending is taken from "White Heat" starring James Cagney playing gangster Cody Jarrett. As he falls, back-first, from atop the chemical storage tank, the camera tracks Jarrett's plunge into the hellish flames below. Jarrett's last words are: "Top of the world!"

As Richard falls to his death in the flames below, the soundtrack plays a song begins with the words: "I'm sitting on the top of the world, just rolling along, just rolling along...."

It couldn't just be mere coincidence. June 2, 2008

A Chilling Version Of A Shakespeare Classic

When it comes to updates of the Shakespeare plays , Richard III is probably the best of the lot. While it might seem like an unusual concept to take the classic play of deceit, betrayal, seduction, and cold-blooded murder out of the 1400's and into an alternate history 1930's version of England, the cast and production designs make that concept seem not only believable but so realistic you might find yourself wondering if this could really have happened if events had played out like they do in the film.

Ian McKellen plays the title role, the youngest brother of the royal family of the York's, who is determined to take the throne at whatever cost. McKellen's performance is chilling to say the least. From the moment he is introduced in a classic introduction to the battle sequence at the end of the film, McKellen makes the character of Richard seem to be the most evil villain ever to grace a movie screen as he is able to literally become the character in the vast web of deception via acting like he has no interest in taking the throne. McKellen sells Richard and he grips your attention to where your focus is entirely on him, making the trailer line about Richard being the "greatest villain of all time" ring very true and it's a shame that McKellen didn't even get an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Annette Benning plays Queen Elizabeth, the American wife of Richard's brother Edward. Many have complained about Benning in the role for various reasons including the fact that she is American and some question her acting ability. Benning, in my opinion, succeeds in making the idea of an American queen seem realistic and her acting talent matches up against McKellen in every scene the two are in together. Also keep in mind this is an alternate history, so an American queen of England isn't that unfeasible. Robert Downey Jr. plays her brother, Rivers. Rivers disappears about midway trough the film, but for the first half of the film, he is Richard's biggest enemy and his obvious dislike of Richard is evident in Downey's performance and the scene where his character meets his demise is shocking to say the least. Jim Broadbent plays the role of Buckingham, Richard's biggest supporter, with unnerving calm and his conniving attitude makes him almost as big of a villain as Richard. Kristin Scott Thomas is superb as Anne, the widow of one of Richard's victims who eventually falls for Richard and lives long enough to regret it. Her confrontation against Richard in a morgue towards the film's beginning stands out as one of the film's best scenes.

The concept of being updated to the 1930's is no more evident then in the production design. There is no doubt that we are in the 1930's and the filmmakers appear to have gone to great steps to make it evident that this is very much an alternate history. As I am sure others have commented this England is not the England we all know and love. Instead, one constantly gets the feeling that we are instead in a Nazi version of England. Everywhere in the film, in the costumes especially, the aura of Nazi Germany can be felt. Virtually all of Richard's costumes are based off German uniforms of the Nazi era, as are the uniforms worn by his supporters in the film's final half. If anyone doubts the influence of Nazi Germany on this alternate history version of England, look at the rally scene shortly before Richard is crowned. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to realize that this scene is a case of déjà vu: it is almost identical to the well known documentary footage we have all seen of Nazi rallies right down to the flags that, while containing a boar instead of the swastika, still makes one think that they're in Nazi Germany.

Also, Trevor Jones score is a must hear. The beautiful song at the beginning of the film sells the idea of the 1930's very well. The score, while at times going out of the 1930's, does the job of keeping the feeling of tension throughout the film and is another example of the talent of Trevor Jones.

The DVD release is a bit of a disappointment though. It's pretty standard fare from MGM with only a theatrical trailer for special features. It's shame considering how good of a film this is that there is no audio commentary or making of documentary.

Few films have the power to hold the attention of a viewer from beginning to end, especially when there is a large amount of dialog. But with the performance given by Ian McKellen, production design, battle sequences, and the score by Trevor Jones, Richard III easily counts not only as a must see but as a modern classic. March 1, 2008

McKellen, Broadbent, and a broad bore

McKellen shines; when does he not? Broadbent's performance could be easily overshadowed with a viewer that lacks familiarity with his work, but take my word, pay attention to the little things - his mannerisms - that a master actor can do.
Now, I realize that I used the word "broad" in my title, and while I originally intended it as word-play and to communicate my overall boredom at watching this film, I would be remiss if I didn't comment on what my subconscious wanted to say. Annette Bening is not a great actress. She's not as horrible as Irene Jacob in 'Othello' but she does very little that's good. Kristin Scott Thomas, however, deserves accolades for her understated performance.
Additionally, the inclusion of Robert Downey Jr. on the cover is misleading - he plays Rivers, and might be in the film for a total of 5 minutes; as a fan of his work, I was looking forward to seeing him act with the big boys, but that was not to be.
August 10, 2007

Doubt I can add anything useful

An excellent adaptation and a good film on its own. Ian McKellen gives a brilliant performance. May 7, 2007

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