Richard III (1995) 7.5
The classic Shakespearean play about a murderously scheming king staged in an alternative fascist England setting. Director:Richard Loncraine |
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Richard III (1995) 7.5
The classic Shakespearean play about a murderously scheming king staged in an alternative fascist England setting. Director:Richard Loncraine |
|
0Share... |
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Ian McKellen | ... | ||
Annette Bening | ... | ||
Jim Broadbent | ... | ||
Robert Downey Jr. | ... | ||
Nigel Hawthorne | ... |
George, Duke of Clarence
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Kristin Scott Thomas | ... | ||
John Wood | ... | ||
Maggie Smith | ... | ||
Jim Carter | ... | ||
Edward Hardwicke | ... | ||
Adrian Dunbar | ... | ||
Tres Hanley | ... |
Rivers' Mistress
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Dominic West | ... | ||
Roger Hammond | ... | ||
Tim McInnerny | ... |
William Shakespeare's classic play is brought into the present with the setting as Great Britian in the 1930s. Civil war has erupted with the House of Lancaster on one side, claiming the right to the British throne and hoping to bring freedom to the country. Opposing is the House of York, commanded by the infamous Richard who rules over a fascist government and hopes to install himself as a dictator monarch. Written by Anthony Hughes <husnock31@hotmail.com>
This is one of the movies you remember for a long time - and for all the good reasons. Transplanting Shakespeare in a different time and giving his historical plots a modern political sense is not such a new idea. What is really strong and works well here is the perfect fit between the characters as Shakespeare intended them and the background which is so different from the original historical one. Each one of the characters is both shakespearian as intended, a perfect citizen of the fictional time created by the director - a fascist England in the 30s - and more than everything else a human being: sensual, hating and loving as only humans do.
Perfectly acted, almost flawlessly directed, with very little overweight, this film is a feast for the intelligent spectator, a brutal, well-paced and expressive piece of art - and exactly as Shakespeare would have loved it, a mirror of his time, of our time, and of any time. 9/10 on my personal scale.