Richard III
In this century, three filmakers have filmed Shakespearean plays with integrity: Laurence Olivier, Franco Zeffirelli, and Kenneth Branaugh. To this happy triumvirate, we now must add Ian McKellan, who offers a new voice and a different outlook, but a compelling retelling of Shakespeare nonetheless.
The 1996 release of Richard III is set in Great Britain of the 1930s during the rise of fascism. As the traditional Shakespeare play goes, Richard III feels destined to become king, although there are two princes in line for the throne and an older brother interested in blocking his advances. Richard has shown his military leadership by quashing a civil war through murder and is obviously ready to continue the bloody murder spree to further advance his political goals. In this movie rendition, Richard's rise to power is obviously compared to that of Adolf Hitler, and it hardly seems far-fetched. If you can stop reminding yourself that the action described really took place in the 15th century, the motivations become real and understandable.
Richard III is a visual feast. The costuming is stunning, the props well conceived and the final battle scene where Richard cries from his broken down Jeep, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" is a laugh. Richard's makeup is dramatic (half his face is smooth and unlined, the other half wrinkled and aged). So when Richard says that he came into this world "scarce half made up," it looks to be true. And to top it off, Richard begins his best-known monologue as a speech to the royal family and ends it in the loo.
David Appleton
© 1998 
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LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com