Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Richard III (1955)

London Films International
Directed by Laurence Olivier
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

The Duke of Gloucester murders his way to the throne of England. He manipulates the court with falsehoods and other underhanded methods which lead to the beheading of his intended victim, or if that doesn't work he hires a couple of thugs to kill them in the night. After reaching his goal, another Duke claims the throne and they face off on the battlefield. Olivier's adaptation is faithful to the original Shakespeare, however this gives it a stage-bound feel, resulting in a curiously unmoving, and very long, story. Olivier makes poor use of the widescreen and Technicolor format, it lacks grandeur and the colors are flat. As a result, this is the least satisfying of his three Shakespeare films. 

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