My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Kino)
Frederick Warde murders his way through the cast on the way to the throne of England. He takes care of the reigning king with a sword, his successor with poison and the two young princes by hiring thugs to murder them in their sleep. He takes the name Richard III and his first action is to make inappropriate advances towards a young princess. She calls for help from the Earl of Richmond, who travels from France to deal with the evil Richard. This static production, with only minimal camera movement and no close-ups, is given new life through a score by Ennio Morricone. Suddenly, it's atmospheric and grim, with even a hint of suspense coming through after 100 years. The aged print gives it an organic quality, the blasted-out contrasts of the background breathing on their own, adding further menace to the proceedings. Credited as the "earliest surviving American feature film", at just under an hour.
No comments:
Post a Comment